| Kovil | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Hari |
| Written by | Hari |
| Produced by | A. M. Rathnam |
| Starring | Silambarasan Sonia Agarwal |
| Cinematography | Priyan |
| Edited by | V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | Harris Jayaraj |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 148 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Kovil (transl. Temple) is a 2004 IndianTamil-languageromantic drama film written and directed byHari and produced byA. M. Rathnam. It starsSilambarasan andSonia Agarwal whileVadivelu,Rajkiran,Charle andNassar play supporting roles. The music was composed byHarris Jayaraj, with editing done byV. T. Vijayan and cinematography byPriyan. The film was released on 10 January 2004 and became a box office hit.[1]
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Puliyankulam andVeppankulam are nearby villages with an enmity that has lasted for a number of generations. Periyasamy is aHindu from Puliyankulam and is widely respected by the villagers. Michael Soosai is a devoutProtestant from Veppankulam and does not trust other religions. Sakthivel is Periyasamy's son, who studies in a college inNagercoil. Angel is Michael's daughter, who also attends the same college. Sakthivel and Angel meet in college and fall in love. Angel is afraid that her father will never allow her to marry a Hindu, especially from the rival village. Michael and Periyasamy learn about the relationship between Sakthivel and Angel. Michael gets enraged and scolds his daughter, while Periyasamy agrees for the wedding. Michael does not want an inter-religion marriage and decides to force his daughter to become anun. Periyasamy arrives and tells the truth in front of everyone that Angel Devi is Michael Susai's adopted daughter whose real name is Fathima Begum was born toMuslim parents Jaffer Hussain and Ayesha Beevi. Michael realises his mistake and agrees for the wedding.
Filming was held in locations including Tenkasi, Coutralam, Nagercoil and Munnar, and was completed within 59 days and two duet songs were shot at Thirunelveli.[2][3]
The soundtrack was composed byHarris Jayaraj. All lyrics were written bySnehan, except for "Collegikku" (Na. Muthukumar).[4]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arali Vidhaiyil" | Snehan | Palakkad Sreeram | 3:06 |
| 2. | "Collegikku" | Na. Muthukumar | Karthik | 5:16 |
| 3. | "Kadhal Panna" | Snehan | Kovai Kamala,Silambarasan,Vadivelu,Tippu | 4:33 |
| 4. | "Kokku Meena" | Snehan | Shankar Mahadevan,Srilekha Parthasarathy | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Puyalae Puyalae" | Snehan | Karthik ,Mahathi | 4:59 |
| 6. | "Silu Silu" | Snehan | Tippu | 5:06 |
| Total length: | 27:37 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ravika Leni" | Sahithi | Ranjith, Sumangali | 4:48 |
| 2. | "Kasi Kasiga" (Happy Version) | Sahithi | Harish Raghavendra | 5:05 |
| 3. | "Poovamma" | Sahithi | Murali, Sumangali | 5:00 |
| 4. | "Vishapu Vanilo" | Sahithi | Dr. Narayana | 2:06 |
| 5. | "Gunde Ninda Dhairyam" | Ponduri | Murali,Malgudi Subha | 4:33 |
| 6. | "Kasi Kasiga" (Sad Version) | Sahithi | Harish Raghavendra | 5:04 |
| 7. | "Collegeki Podam" | Ponduri | Ranjith | 5:20 |
| Total length: | 31:56 | |||
Kovil was released on 10 January 2004.[7] Malathi Rangarajan ofThe Hindu praised Silambarasan's performance as being "restrained and mature", but criticised the story for lack of originality.[8]Sify reviewed the film more negatively, criticising its similarities toAlaigal Oivathillai (1981) and said, "Anyone who sees the film can find this out and is sure to compare it with the original". The reviewer appreciated Silambarasan because he was lacking "his usual mannerisms and style looks cool and is a relief to watch", although they criticised Aggarwal's performance and Harris Jayaraj's music.[9] Visual Dasan ofKalki praised Hari for handling a controversial subject while also appreciating Priyan's cinematography and Harris Jayaraj's music.[10] Malini Mannath wrote forChennai Online, "The director's two earlier filmsThamizh andSamy reveald him as a maker who thought differently. But this film is a routine, same romance, predictable and a little outdated".[11]Cinesouth wrote "The screenplay fumbles like the lovers do when they arent able to make the right decision. Unfortunately, the solutions they think up only gets the screenplay into further troubles".[12]Deccan Herald wrote "Hari beginning the movie with scene of religious misunderstanding between two sects of people arouses interest. But the screenplay is inconsistent and is predictable".[13]
