Thozha

<p>Vikramaditya is a wealthy entrepreneur. A accident in Paris leaves him a . For the sake of his girlfriend Nandini’s happiness, Vikramaditya breaks off contact with her, hoping that she’ll find and marry someone else. Five years later, Vikramaditya leads a spiritless life with his secretary Keerthi, his cook Lakshmi, and a few house attendants. He and Keerthi interview candidates for a caretaker position- someone to help with everyday tasks like eating, getting clothed, and moving around. Many applicants seem obsequious and ingratiating. Seenu, a paroled convict, applies for the job in accordance with his lawyer’s (Lingam) advice; the job would prove to the court that Seenu is leading a law-abiding life, closing his case. His mother, a railway clerk, disowns Seenu as she thinks that he is a bad influence on his siblings. He is detested by his mother and his siblings. Vikramaditya, finding Seenu refreshingly honest and informal, hires him. He defends his decision to Prasad, his longtime friend and legal advisor, saying that Seenu is the right person for the time being since he is the only one who doesn’t pity him. Though initially reluctant, Seenu learns to assists Vikramaditya with all his needs. He is attracted to Keerthi, but she often criticizes him for his irreverence. Seenu learns that Vikramaditya has a purely relationship with a woman called Priya. Seenu encourages him to meet her, but Vikramaditya opposes it, fearing her reaction when she discovers his disability. Seenu’s younger sister, Swathi, seeks approval from her boyfriend’s family for marriage, but they think Swathi’s family too poor and irrespectable. While Seenu seeks to intervene on her behalf, Swathi scorns Seenu for landing in trouble and making their family disrespectable. Vikramaditya learns about Swathi’s situation, and convinces Kaalidasu / Kaalidasan (through Prasad) to go through with the marriage. The marriage is arranged, and Seenu earns Swathi’s respect. Coming to know about this, Seenu tearfully thanks Vikram. After celebrating his birthday, Vikramaditya becomes ill during the night, having trouble breathing, and is saved by his doctors. Seenu learns about Vikramaditya’s adventurous past from Prasad, and suggests a vacation in Paris. Vikramaditya agrees and he, Seenu, and Keerthi leave for Paris. Seenu keeps Vikramaditya happy and boosts his morale, which impresses Keerthi. He makes a bet that he will ask Keerthi out if Vikramaditya impresses Jenny, a French dancer, on a date. Despite his disability, Vikramaditya charms Jenny with his wit and charm. Seenu is then forced to ask out Keerthi, who later accepts. Seenu secretly arranges for Vikramaditya to meet Nandini, telling her about Vikramaditya’s accident and its aftermath. Nandini is glad to see him and brings her husband Abhinav, and their daughter Aadhya to show him that she is happy. Later, Seenu takes Vikramaditya on a motorcycle ride, and for one of the first times since the accident, Vikramaditya feels free, like the man he used to be. Seenu’s younger brother, Kanna, gets in trouble with a gang, and meets Seenu at Vikramaditya’s mansion. Vikramaditya, recognising Seenu’s need to support his family by being present, releases him from his obligations and suggests that he may not want to push a wheelchair all his life. Seenu becomes a cab driver and leads a responsible life, this time with his family’s love and acceptance, but Vikramaditya becomes unhappy and becomes a recluse. A worried Prasad contacts Seenu, who arrives and drives Vikramaditya off in a car to ( in Tamil version). They dress elegantly and visit a restaurant with a beautiful ocean view. Seenu leaves moments before Priya arrives. Vikramaditya looks outside through the window and sees Seenu, who smiles at him and walks away. and acquired the Indian remake rights to French film, (2011) in May 2014. They planned a version, directed by . Johar and Monga later authorised to remake the film in regional languages, postponing their previous plans. was chosen to direct a film titled . is the first Indian remake of . It was also the first Indian remake of a film produced by . was signed to play one of the two male leads. At Rama Rao’s suggestion, Paidipally forwarded the script to actor and producer for the other male lead. Nagarjuna asked the director to remove the flashback scenes, opting for a realistic version closer to the original. Paidipally agreed, and the script was reworked in two months. Production was scheduled to begin in December 2014, when Nagarjuna would be available. In an interview with , the actor said that the film’s theme would be similar to (1955). Rama Rao Jr. left the project due to scheduling conflicts with (2016), and was replaced by in October 2014. Karthi’s inclusion in the film led the makers to make the film as a bilingual titled in . was signed as the film’s music director, his first collaboration with Paidipally. had two launch ceremonies: the first on 11 February 2015 in and the second on 15 March in . was the film’s cinematographer. Paidipally worked on the screenplay, assisted by Hari and Solomon with the adaptation. wrote the dialogue for , and Karthi asked filmmaker to do the same for . Madhu and edited the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively. I couldn’t use any gestures apart from speech and facial expressions. For a few scenes, they tied my hands beneath my jacket so that, involuntarily, I wouldn’t move my limbs. I felt like a Bharatanatyam dancer, having to emote with my eyes. Nagarjuna played the wheelchair-using quadriplegic in the film, and a ₹25 lakh customised wheelchair was imported from for the role. An assistant checked to see if the actor moved his limbs during filming, and scenes had to be re-shot a number of times. Nagarjuna found the process “extremely challenging”, and his legs sometimes became numb. was Karthi’s first Telugu film, although he was popular with Telugu-speaking audiences who saw dubbed versions of his Tamil films. Rajeev Kamineni of PVP Cinema told that Karthi was cast to combine actors who were audience favourites and had not collaborated before. Karthi played the caretaker, reprising role in the original. He called his character “terribly insensitive”, but becoming refined at the end. Despite his fluency in Telugu, Karthi wanted to practice his dialogue in advance since scenes in both languages would be shot at the same time. He had to be louder in , and used local Tamil slang in . The actor said that some changes were made in the remake, since some situations in the original “just could not work in the Indian scenario”. was chosen as the female lead in January 2015. After she walked out in March, citing scheduling conflicts, she was replaced by . Her character, Keerthi, was modelled on the secretary and the caretaker in the original. The actress had to look corporate for the role, which she called a “bridge of sorts between the protagonists”; she was a “constant spectator to every emotion they go through”. After Haasan left the film, PVP Cinema claimed that her scheduled dates (from 10 December 2014 to 8 April 2015) were assigned for her convenience and the actress was civilly and criminally liable. The Nampally city court restricted her from agreeing to any new film and ordered a police investigation. According to Haasan’s spokesperson, neither the actress nor were legally notified. Haasan withdrew her defamation suit in April 2015 after and intervened, and the court dismissed PVP Cinema’s case. , , , and were cast in key supporting roles, with and Nikkita Anil playing Karthi’s mother and sister. made her Telugu-film debut in , but she died in her sleep at age 50 during filming in Hyderabad. and made cameo appearances as a couple; the former played Nagarjuna’s ex-girlfriend in the film. Gabriella Demetriades was cast in August 2015 after auditioning with five other international models in Hyderabad, and the film was her South Indian acting debut. made a special appearance in a song, and had a cameo appearance. The Telugu and Tamil versions had a slightly different supporting cast to suit the nativity of both audiences. According to PVP Cinema’s Kamineni, a substantial portion of would be filmed abroad. began in on 16 March 2015. Scenes with Karthi and Jayasudha were filmed in a purpose-built house set. By the time Haasan left the film, the first shooting schedule had . After completing schedules in Chennai and Hyderabad, Karthi and Tamannaah joined the film set in in May; several scenes were filmed in a rented, palatial house. Paidipally, who planned a 25-day shooting schedule in and beginning in June, left to scout locations. A month-long European shooting schedule began in July in and , and was the first South Indian film made there. After Belgrade and Novi Sad, filming continued in Paris, Lyon and . Key scenes, including a car chase, and some songs were filmed as part of the schedule. The car-chase scene was filmed over eight nights, due to changes in the weather. It was shot near the , which Paidipally called the “obvious choice to show the moment of triumph” in Vikramaditya’s life. On 1 August, Nagarjuna tweeted that the shooting schedule would wrap in ten days. A song including Nagarjuna, Karthi, and Fatehi was filmed in November in Hyderabad. Principal photography wrapped in February 2016, and commenced shortly. filming was delayed due to Nagarjuna’s lack of fluency in Tamil, but at Karthi’s insistence he delivered his own lines. Tamannaah found her dialogue simple and realistic and delivered her own lines in , the first Telugu film to include her voice. composed the film’s score and seven-song soundtrack. and wrote the Telugu version’s lyrics, and the lyrics for soundtrack were by . According to Karky, all the lyrics in except “Door Number Okati” had different meanings in , and Karthi and Paidipally wanted songs to suit the Tamil audience’s sensibilities. The soundtrack of the Telugu version was unveiled on 14 February 2016 ( ) at the Hitex Convention Centre in , while the Tamil version was released on 21 February 2016, at in amid much fanfare. Both the albums were marketed by . gave soundtrack four stars, calling it a “winner on all counts” and Sunder is “increasingly becoming a force to be reckon with in [Telugu cinema]”. Karthik Srinivasan, writing for , praised Sunder’s usage of solo violin pieces and chorus hooks in “Pudhidhaa” (“Oka Life” in ). Siddharth K of noted that the soundtrack of has influences of Malayalam film soundtracks in the slow-paced songs despite being designed keeping the Telugu and Tamil sensibilities in mind. He found the songs “Baby Odathey” (“Baby Aagodhu” in Telugu), “Nagarum” (“Eppudu” in Telugu), and “Eiffel Mele” (“Ayyo Ayyo” in Telugu) likeable and gave the soundtrack three stars. All lyrics are written by and . All lyrics are written by . and were theatrically released worldwide on 25 March 2016. The digital rights of and were purchased by , a leading television content provider in South. The premiere of the film took place on 3 May 2016 after its theatrical run ended. The television broadcast rights were acquired by ; and the global television premiere of the Tamil version was held on 2 October 2016 coinciding with . The films received positive critical reception. , writing for , found enjoyable despite its lack of narrative finesse and called it a light, pleasant film comparable to (2014). Sangeetha Devi Dundoo, also in , gave four stars and called it a “rare film that justifies its hype”. She wrote that Nagarjuna’s portrayal of Vikramaditya was “age-defying, graceful and restrained” and praised the rest of the cast, Vinod’s cinematography, and Sunder’s score. Pranita Jonnalagedda of gave four stars out of five, writing that it “sets a benchmark for adaptations in Telugu cinema” and “paves the way for more exciting genres”. She praised the principal cast’s performances and the film’s climax. According to Anupama Subramaniam of , had an “alluring story” supported by “extraordinary performances, sound technical departments and rich production values”. Suresh Kavirayani, also in , found a “beautiful and emotional journey”. Both gave the film 3.5 stars out of five. Writing for , Kirubhakar Purushothaman also gave the film 3.5 stars out of five, calling it a decent remake which “retains the soul of the original” with “the right cast and the perfect team”. Karthik Keramalu of also gave 3.5 stars out of five. Keramalu called it the best of Paidipally’s career so far and praised the principal cast’s performances. S. Saraswathi of gave three stars out of five, praising the film’s screenplay, visuals, and performances. also gave the film three stars out of five and called it a “breezy feel good ride”; its reviewer praised its performances and visuals, but criticised its length. Gautaman Bhaskaran, writing for the , gave 2.5 stars out of five; Bhaskaran found the film “[u]nduly verbose” and wrote that it “loses its sense of male bonding—particularly after it veers into love stories”. and grossed ₹20 crore at the box office within four days, as reported by trade analyst Trinath. The film further increased its total gross to ₹27 crore in its first week and earned $1 million in the overseas market during that time, according to . Inspired by the film, paraplegic television personality Sujatha Barla established the Challengers on Wheels-Celebrating Life community for physically disabled people in April 2016. Judge G. Neelima took 60 underprivileged female students in Balasadan, to a special screening of on the eve of .</p>