| Bagavathi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | A. Venkatesh |
| Written by | A. Venkatesh Pattukkottai Prabakar (Dialogues ) |
| Screenplay by | A. Venkatesh |
| Story by | A. Venkatesh |
| Produced by | K. Muralidharan V. Swaminathan G. Venugopal |
| Starring | Vijay Reema Sen |
| Cinematography | R. Rathnavelu |
| Edited by | V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | Deva |
Production companies | |
Release date |
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Running time | 164 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹4 crore |
Bagavathi is a 2002 IndianTamil-languagegangsteraction film written and directed byA. Venkatesh, starringVijay andReema Sen.Jai (in his film and acting debut),Vadivelu,Ashish Vidyarthi,K. Viswanath, andYugendran play supporting roles, whileDeva composed the music for the film. The film was released on 4 November 2002 duringDiwali and was average at the box office.[1] It was remade inKannada asKashi from Village (2005).[2]
Bagavathi owns a tea shop, while Vadivelu, works at his tea shop. Bagavathi lives with his younger brother Guna. He meets a girl named Anjali who ends up appreciating his kindness, and they fall in love. Guna has a girlfriend named Priya, with whom he secretly develops a physical relationship. Guna's love is objected to by Priya's father, Easwarapandiyan. Bagavathi tries to convince Easwarapandiyan to let Priya and Guna marry, but is humiliated. Guna attempts to marry Priya with his brother's help, but Easwarapandiyan kills Guna, as well as Bagavathi's friend Anand, who is trying to defend Guna.
Bagavathi mourns over Guna's death. Guna, in his last moments, promises he will be with his brother forever. After Guna's death, everyone realises that Priya is pregnant. Bagavathi thinks that Guna will be reborn. However, Easwarapandiyan attempts to kill the child before birth. Bagavathi challenges him, saying the child will touch the earth. To do so, Ganga helps him turn into a gangster. With the help of Anjali and Vadivelu, Bagavathi overcomes all hurdles by Easwarapandiyan and manages to protect Priya to allow for the safe birth of his brother's child. In the end, Bagavathi avenges the death of his brother by killing Easwarapandian.
Lakshmi Movie Makers initially started the projectUnnai Ninaithu with Vijay directed byVikraman; however Vijay left that film due to creative differences, withSuriya replacing him and the production company instead started a new projectBhagavathi with A. Venkatesh directing.[4] Venkatesh selected a newcomer,Jai, to play the role of Guna after seeing him at Jai's uncle,Deva's, recording studio, noting Jai's resemblance to Vijay.[5] The film was shot at various locations includingChennai,Nellore,Araku Valley,Vishakhapatnam with two songs picturised atSydney, Australia.[4] Prior to the title being confirmed asBagavathi, the maker considered the titleNamma Aalu.[6]
The soundtrack consists of six songs composed by Deva.[7] The song "Allu Allu" is based on "Nari Narain" by Egyptian singerHisham Abbas.[8] Deva composed twelve tunes out of which the film's director chose six tunes.[9]The song "July Malargale" is based on "Jaana", which was originally composed byAnand Raaj Anand and sung by Kamaal Khan.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "July Malargale" | Pa. Vijay | Karthik,Sadhana Sargam | 4:45 |
| 2. | "Achamillai" | Snehan | Shankar Mahadevan | 3:43 |
| 3. | "Kai... Kai.." | Kalai Kumar | Shankar Mahadevan,Anuradha Sriram | 4:19 |
| 4. | "Saiyo Saiyo" | Na. Muthukumar | Timmi, Sadhana Sargam | 5:23 |
| 5. | "Allu Allu" | Vaali | Udit Narayan | 5:20 |
| 6. | "Coca Cola (Podango Podango)" | Kalai Kumar | Vadivelu,Vijay | 4:19 |
| Total length: | 27:49 | |||
Bagavathi was released in Diwali alongsideVillain.[10] The film was released in Malaysia under the titlePasupathy.[11]Ananda Vikatan rated the film 37 out of 100.[12] Malathi Rangarajan ofThe Hindu wrote "The film that seemed to move at an interesting pace makes a nosedive in the climax [..]".[13]Deccan Herald wrote "The film lacks a storyline and turns out to be a dull affair after the second half with the director focussing more on the main character instead of the script".[14]Indiainfo wrote, "The film starts off well but ends in a very predictable manner. That's the major itch. The film could have been better if Venkatesh focused on screenplay".[15]Cinesouth wrote "Vijay's affection for his younger brother and Vadivelu's comedy are the two things that save the film. Otherwise, the film has all the ingredients that his recent half baked films had".[16]
