| Engaeyum Eppothum | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | M. Saravanan |
| Written by | M Saravanan |
| Produced by | A R Murugadoss Fox Star Studios |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Velraj |
| Edited by | Kishore Te |
| Music by | C Sathya |
Production companies | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹5 crore[1] |
Engaeyum Eppothum (transl. Anywhere, Anytime) is a 2011 IndianTamil-languageromanticcomedy dramaroad film written and directed byM. Saravanan in his Tamil debut, he had earlier directed the Telugu filmGanesh (2009). StarringJai,Sharwanand,Anjali andAnanya, it was produced byA. R. Murugadoss in association withFox Star Studios,[2][3] marking the studio's entry into Tamil cinema.[4]
The film illustrates two love stories—one set against the backdrop ofChennai and the other inTiruchi—which join in the climax. The film released on 16 September 2011,[5] to very positive reviews, going on to become a critical and commercial success.[6] The film was dubbed intoTelugu asJourney and released on 16 December 2011. Sharwanand and Anjali dubbed for themselves in the Telugu dubbed version.[7] The film was later remade intoKannada asEndendu Ninagagi and inBengali asBojhena Shey Bojhena.
The film focuses on two love stories inChennai andTiruchirappalli; one takes place in the period of a day, while the other ensues for months.
The film starts with an road accident. Then it flashes back several months before when Amudha, a native village girl from Tiruchirappalli, arrives in Chennai for ajob interview, but her sister is unable to meet her to direct her to her destination. Amudha enlists the aid of a stranger named Gautham, who agrees to take her as far as the bus stop. However, he ends up travelling with her the entire day, waiting for her during her interview, and dropping her off at her sister's home in the evening. In the course of the day, she comes to understand him and becomes fond of him. While remaining calm and reserved, Gautham reciprocates her feelings. The following day, Amudha returns to Tiruchirappalli, where she realizes that she has fallen in love with Gautham and rejects marriage proposals that come her way. She decides to return to Chennai to meet him. Meanwhile, Gautham realizes that he has fallen in love with Amudha and decides to go to Tiruchi to find her, despite not knowing her address and other any details except her name.
A parallel story follows. Kathiresan, a metal shop worker, harbors feelings towards his neighbor Manimegalai, a nurse. Being shy and soft-spoken, he does not talk to her but continues to watch her every morning for 6 Months. Manimegalai is bold and forthcoming; she agrees to his love and orders him around mercilessly. She puts him through several tests: having him meet her father (a policeman), her former 1-side lover on his own, makes him undergo anHIV test, and gets him to agree toorgan donation. She wants him to decide on the basis of all that she has put him through as to whether he wants to marry her and spend the rest of his life with her; Kathiresan responds affirmatively. The two grow to love each other unconditionally with their families' consent.
Kathiresan decides to take Manimegalai to visit his family in Arasur, a village near Villupuram, and the two board a bus to take them there. Meanwhile, Gautham boards a bus to return from Tiruchirappalli– the same one that Kathiresan and Manimegalai are travelling in. Simultaneously, Amudha boards a bus to return from Chennai. A few glimpses of other passengers are also seen: a mother and her child, a girls' athletic team, a newly married couple, two college students who are attracted to each other, and a man returning fromDubai to see his 5 years old daughter for the first time.
At a distance fromViluppuram on the Chennai-TiruchirappalliNational Highway 79 (GST road), The SETC bus is redirected into the opposite lane, as one of the lanes is under construction. However, before a contract carriage (omni) bus named Sky travels is redirected, a tarp from a truck blows off and blocks the windshield. Unable to see where he is going, the terrified driver accidentally swerves into the path of the SETC bus. Both the busescollide head-on, killing about 35 people on the spot. Many others die en route to or at the hospital. Gautham sees a severely injured Amudha on the other bus, and she is rushed to a hospital. She reaches the hospital along with Gautham, Kathiresan has succumbed tohead trauma and he died. At the hospital, Gautham confesses his love to Amudha at her bedside, and she manages to regain consciousness. Kathiresan's dead body is taken away by a hysteric Manimegalai and his grieving parents.
The site of the crash is declared an accident prone-area, and the film ends with a message onroad safety.
The film was initially launched in late 2010 withVimal andAmala Paul playing a pair in the film. However they pulled out due to prior commitments and were replaced bySharvanand andAnanya.[8]Thaman was also replaced as music composer by debutantC Sathya.
| Engaeyum Eppothum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 3 August 2011 (2011-08-03) | |||
| Recorded | 2011 | |||
| Length | 19:21 | |||
| Label | Think Music | |||
| Producer | C. Sathya | |||
| C. Sathya chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Rediff |   [9] |
| Behindwoods |  [10] |
The film's score and soundtrack were composed by debutantC Sathya. The album consists of five tracks, featuring lyrics penned byNa Muthukumar andM Saravanan. It was released on 3 August 2011 inChennai released by actorsSuriya,Vivek and Music DirectorHarris Jayaraj.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Govindha" | Na Muthukumar | Vijay Prakash,Ranina Reddy, Boni | 04:03 |
| 2. | "Chotta Chotta" | Na Muthukumar | Chinmayi, Sathya | 04:23 |
| 3. | "Masaamaa" | M Saravanan | Sathya,Aalap Raju | 03:55 |
| 4. | "Un Perae Theriyathu" | Na Muthukumar | Madhushree, Aalap Raju | 04:37 |
| 5. | "Uyir Aruthathe" | M Saravanan | Sayanora | 02:23 |
Engaeyum Eppothum opened to very positive reviews. GetCinemas.com gave it 3.5/5 rating with a tag "must watch", saying "it is a rare film, and has come out as perfect as a dream" and appreciating for a clearly sketched script and perfect characterisation.[11] Pavithra Srinivasan ofRediff gave the film 3 out of 5, calling it a "genuinely story, not just about romance, but about the fabric of life itself".[12] A critic fromSify wrote thatEngeyum Eppodhum was "riveting cinema with a difference. Everything is new about it from characters to the plot, accompanied by superb performances by the lead actors notablyAnjali".[13]The Hindu reviewer Karthik Subramanian noted that it was a "laudable effort" adding that "despite some clichés, the film works well".[14]Behindwoods gave 3 out of 5 and cited that it was a "loveable tale of commoners and their destiny" that had "simplicity as its biggest strength",[15] whileIndiaglitz described it as "engaging entertainment" and "a whiff of fresh air in Tamil cinema".[16] G Sai Shyam, another critic fromThe Hindu, wrote that it was "a novel attempt by the director" and that "the compelling screenplay with a strong message to everyone makes it a must watch film".[17]Vikatan gave 50 out of 100 marks, ranking it among the best in recent times.[18] Venkateswaran Narayanan fromThe Times of India gave 3 out of 5 and wrote that it was "the perfect example of a film relying solely on its screenplay and performances to strike it rich at the box office".[19] Rohit Ramachandran of nowrunning.com rated it 4/5 stating that "Engeyum Eppodhum reminds us of the fragility of our own lives", going on to call it "one of the year's best".[20] It later appeared on his 'Best of 2011' list[21]
On the contrary, Gautaman Bhaskaran ofHindustan Times gave it 2.5 and praised the lead performances, while criticising the screenplay and the plot.[22]
Following the film's success, the film was remade inBengali asBojhena Shey Bojhena, starringSoham Chakraborty,Mimi Chakraborty,Payel Sarkar, andAbir Chatterjee, directed byRaj Chakraborty. Sources reported thatBollywood actorAamir Khan may remake it inHindi.[23] Producer K Manju acquired the Kannada remake rights of the film and it was remade in Kannada asEndendu Ninagagi.[24]
M Saravanan was honoured with an award by theHuman Rights Organisation on 18 December atParamakudi for directingEngeyum Eppodhum with a very relevant social message which is the need of the hour.[25][26] He also secured 50% of votes and was declared as the Best Director of 2011 in the year-end public poll conducted by Oneindia.in for directing Engeyum Eppodhum.Anjali secured 35.2% of votes and was declared as the Best Actress of 2011 for her performance in the film.[27]Anjali was honoured with the Best Actress Award at V4 Entertainment Awards 2011.[28][29][30]Ananya was declared as the Best Supporting Actress.
Engeyum Eppodhum appeared on the following top five lists of the best films of 2011.
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The characterKathiresan portrayed byJai Sampath makes acameo appearance in 2015 filmMasss.