| Veeram | |
|---|---|
 Veeram Promotional Poster | |
| Directed by | Siruthai Siva |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by |
|
| Produced by | B. Venkatarama Reddy |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vetri |
| Edited by | Kasi Viswanathan |
| Music by | Devi Sri Prasad |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Vijaya Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 156 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹45 crore[1] |
| Box office | ₹83−130 crore[1][2] |
Veeram (transl. Valour) is a 2014 IndianTamil-languageromanticaction comedy film directed bySiva and produced by Vijaya Productions. The film starsAjith Kumar andTamannaah Bhatia, with a supporting cast includingVidharth,Bala,Santhanam,Nassar,Pradeep Rawat andAtul Kulkarni. The film's music was composed byDevi Sri Prasad, with cinematography handled byVetri and editing done byKasi Viswanathan.
Veeram was theatrically released worldwide on 10 January 2014. The film garnered positive reviews and performed well commercially, grossing ₹83–130 crore against a budget of ₹45 crore.[1][3] It was remade in Telugu asKatamarayudu (2017), in Kannada asOdeya (2019), and in Hindi asKisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023).[4]
Vinayagam is a brave person who lives with his four brothers, Murugan, Shanmugham, Kumaran and Senthil, in the town ofOddanchatram inDindigul district. They often get into fights, whereAdvocate "Bail" Perumaal bails them out whenever legal issues arise because of their brawls. Vinayagam hates the idea of marriage as he feels that his wife might create disharmony among brothers. Though the four younger brothers pretend they don't want to get married, they all have secret lovers.
The brothers learn through Vinayagam's childhood friendCollector Subbu that Vinayagam, in his school days, was in love with a girl named Koppuram Devi (fondly called Koppu) and his brothers scheme to find her and reintroduce her to Vinayagam, to rekindle their relationship, but later finds that she is married now and has kids. The brothers conspire to find another woman named Koppuram Devi because Vinayagam is not in love with that girl so much as her name, and when he meets another girl with that name, he is sure to lose his heart to her, just because she bears that name. Though initially reluctant, Vinayagam later falls in love with her.
Vinayagam clashes with a goon, Vanangamudi, to take care of the village market. Vanangamudi tries to kill Vinayagam's brothers while Vinayagam kidnaps Vanangamudi's son. After clashing, Vinayagam banishes Vanangamudi from the town. While travelling by train to Koppu's villageKaveripattinam, Krishnagiri, Koppu narrates herfamily background to Vinayagam. Koppu's father, Nallasivam, was a respected man in the village who hated violence. His son was the exact opposite who killed people, but when some goons killed him, Nallasivam refused to bury him and decided to make his village with peace and harmony. Later, a few goons enter the train, but Vinayagam bashes all the goons. Koppu is shocked to see Vinayagam, whom she thought was a non-violent person. She leaves for her village and tells Vinayagam not to come back again.
Vinayagam and his brothers arrive at Koppu's village with a clean-shaven look. He reveals to Koppu that he has changed and will never harbour violence again. He and his brothers are welcomed and respected by her family. Vinayagam is touched and impressed by their love, affection and hospitality. Vinayagam discovers that a thug named Aadalarasu wants to kill Nallasivam and his family. Vinayagam confronts Aadalarasu in the Central Jail. He learns that Aadalarasu's father, Aavudaiyapan, was responsible for the blast of a matchstick factory. Nallasivam complained against Aavudaiyappan, who was later arrested and killed himself by jumping in front of a lorry from a police van. Aadalarasu witnessed his father's death and swore revenge against Nallasivam.
Vinayagam challenges Aadalarasu that he will protect Nallasivam's family, and he finishes all the goons and solves all their problems without the knowledge of Nallasivam and his family. When Nallasivam's granddaughter findsaruval under Vinayagam's jeep, Nallasivam orders Vinayagam to leave the town. Aadalarasu, who escapes fromdeath penalty, arrives to kill Nallasivam, but Vinayagam keeps him and his family in a safe place. Aadalarasu informs Vinayagam that he has kidnapped Kumaran. Vinayagam arrives in time and saves his brother, but Aadalarasu attacks him. Nallasivam and his family, who arrive at the place, realise the risk Vinayagam took to save the family. Though brutally attacked, Vinayagam rises steadily, where he kills Aadalarasu and his henchmen. Nallasivam, impressed with Vinayagam's valour, gets Vinayagam and Koppu married. Thus, Vinayagam and his brothers get married with great pomp.
The potential collaboration between Vijaya Productions andAjith Kumar was reported in November 2011, with speculation suggesting that Venkata Ramana Reddy wanted to commemorate his late fatherB. Nagi Reddy's 100th year since birth with a film project.Siva, who had made his debut in Tamil films with the 2011 filmSiruthai, was noted as a potential candidate to direct the film, whileAnushka Shetty was initially reported to play the female lead role.[citation needed] Subsequently, in early December 2011, Ajith signed on to play the lead role in the venture, with a poster released confirming Siva's participation, noting that Vetri andYuvan Shankar Raja would be cinematographer and music composer, respectively.[5]
Alongside Ajith, it was noted that four young actors would appear as his brothers in the venture.Vidharth, who rose to fame with his role inMynaa, was signed on for the film after discussions withPrasanna was unsuccessful.[6] Suhail Chandhok, brother of formerFormula One racerKarun Chandhok, was signed on for a role after Ajith was impressed with a short film that Suhail had featured in.[7][6] Munish, who appeared inNaanga, andBala, directorSiva's brother, were also selected to play Ajith's brothers.[6]Santhanam, who featured in a pivotal role in Siva's previous film, was also chosen to play a supporting role in the film.Tamannaah Bhatia was chosen to play Ajith's pair in the film, marking her comeback to Tamil films after a three-year sabbatical.Vishakha Singh was approached to play Vidharth's pair in the film but her refusal subsequently meant the producers opted forManochitra, who was previously seen inAval Peyar Thamizharasi (2010), whileAbhinaya signed for another lead role.[8]Vidyullekha Raman signed to be Santhanam's pair for a third film.[9]Jayaprakash,Jayaram andRajeev Govinda Pillai were also initially reported to be a part of the cast, though a later press release did not confirm their participation.[10] Kannada actorAvinash agreed to play a character "who, due to poverty, has become vengeful and is willing to do anything wrong for his own benefit".[11]
Bhoopathi Raja has written the script along with Siva and Bharathan has written the dialogues.[12]
A press note was released on 4 April 2013 announcing the start of the filming of the project, while also clarifying the cast and crew.[citation needed] The first schedule for the film began the next day inHyderabad and went on for two weeks and more. The film was initially rumoured to be titled asVetri Kondaan orVinayagam Brothers before finally confirmingVeeram. The shoot was completed on 2 November 2013.[13]
Ajith had participated in a stunt sequence where he had to hang outside the train. The sequence was shot in a location situated in the Orissa border.[citation needed]
The film's plot is about a brave person and his four younger brothers who are living in a village.[citation needed]Sudhish Kamath ofThe Hindu noted that the scenes were inspired from films likeMurattu Kaalai (1980),Annamalai (1992) andBaashha (1995).[14]
| Veeram | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album to Veeram by | ||||
| Released | 20 December 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 19:33 | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Junglee Music | |||
| Producer | Devi Sri Prasad | |||
| Devi Sri Prasad chronology | ||||
| ||||
The film's soundtrack was composed byDevi Sri Prasad.[15] The music rights were purchased by Junglee Music.[16] The album, consisting of 5 tracks, was scheduled to be released on 20 December 2013 but the tracks leaked on the Internet on 18 December 2013. The music was officially launched on 20 December followed by airplay of the songs on FM stations.[16]
All lyrics are written byViveka.
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nallavannu Solvaanga" | Devi Sri Prasad | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Ival Dhaana" | Sagar,Shreya Ghoshal | 4:14 |
| 3. | "Thangamae Thangamae" | Adnan Sami,Priyadarshini | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Jing Chikka Jing Chikka" | Pushpavanam Kuppusamy,Magizhini Manimaaran | 4:30 |
| 5. | "Veeram" | Anand, Koushik, Deepak, Jagadish | 2:48 |
| Total length: | 19:33 | ||
A first-look teaser was released on 7 November 2013.[citation needed] The second teaser was released on 5 December 2013 with a dialogue "Enna Naan Solrathu".[citation needed] The satellite rights of the film were purchased bySun TV.[citation needed] Central Board of Film Certification gave the film "U" certificate.[citation needed] The film was released in 400 screens in Tamil Nadu,[citation needed] 120 screens in Kerala,[citation needed] 50 screens in Karnataka,[citation needed] and in 220 screens overseas.[citation needed]
Across Tamil Nadu,Veeram was distributed by various parties: in Chennai City by Sri Thenandal Films, in NSC area by Sri Thenandal Films, in T.T (Trichy and Thanjavur) by Green Screens, in M.R (Madurai, Ramanadhapuram) are by Gopuram Films and in T. K. (Thirunelveli, Kanyakumari) are by Sri Mookambiga Films. Vendhar Movies released the film in Coimbatore and surroundings through Vel Films and in Salem and surroundings through G Film.[citation needed]
The film's was re-released on 01 May 2025, coinciding withInternational Workers' Day and Ajith Kumar's birthday, after 11 years of its original release.[17][18]
The film received positive reviews from critics.[citation needed]
The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The film is a template masala film – a superhuman hero, his cronies who will sing his praises all the time, a beautiful-looking heroine, a raging villain. It has no room for logic, moving from one hero-worshipping scene to the next and is aimed at our visceral tastes. The story is in service of its star and, it is unapologetic about it."[19]Rediff gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and stated, "Veeram is a treat for Ajith fans."[20]Sify gave 4 stars out of 5 calling it a "Mass Entertainer" and writing, "The film works mainly due to Ajith's charisma and Siva's script. It is a formula film where essential masala has been correctly mixed in the right proposition. On the whole, Veeram is an enjoyable fun ride."[21]Baradwaj Rangan wrote, "A family with five brothers, another family with representatives from three generations, annan-thambi sentiment, amma sentiment, appa sentiment, and in the middle of all this, a big star giving his fans what they want – if Faazil and Vikraman collaborated on a 'mass' masala movie, it might end up looking like Siva'sVeeram.Veeram is about the hero. Everything else – the crude dramatics, the piles of clichés, the characters (especially the bad guys) who come and go as they please – is secondary."[22]Bangalore Mirror gave 3.5 out of 5 and called it "a festival cracker for the fans of Thala."[23]
Deccan Herald wrote, "Tiresomely long, with second half, tad sagging,Veeram has Thala Ajith in fulsome flow with all fireworks. While Ajith's fans may swoon and swear by his one-man demolition squad show that will give even hulk Arnold Schwarzenegger the blushes, for the rest though, it's a matinee masala to stay away."[24]IANS gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Veeram is a classic example, which elevates Ajith and leaves the rest of the ensemble cast behind. The film is dedicated to Ajith, who is as charismatic as ever in his role. However, he is unfortunately not complemented by a strong screenplay."[25]
In its first 10 days,Veeram collected ₹34.25 crore, and throughout its theatrical run, it grossed ₹83–130 crore.[1][26]
| Date of ceremony | Award | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 April 2015 | Vijay Awards | Favourite Film | Veeram (Vijaya Vauhini Studios) | Nominated | |
| Favourite Director | Siva | Nominated | |||
| Favourite Hero | Ajith Kumar | Nominated | |||
| 26 June 2015 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Actor – Tamil | Nominated |
Veeram was remade in Telugu asKatamarayudu (2017)[27] in Kannada asOdeya (2019),[citation needed] and in Hindi asKisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023).[28]