Kalaga Thalaivan (transl. Leader of Rebellion) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Magizh Thirumeni and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin under the banner of Red Giant Movies.[1] The film stars Udhayanidhi, Arav, Nidhhi Agerwal and Kalaiyarasan. The music and background score were composed by Srikanth Deva and Arrol Corelli, while the cinematography and editing were handled by K. Dhillraj and N. B. Srikanth. This is the fourth collaboration of N. B. Srikanth and Magizh Thirumeni after Thadaiyara Thaakka, Meaghamann and Thadam.
| Kalaga Thalaivan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Magizh Thirumeni |
| Written by | Magizh Thirumeni |
| Produced by | Udhayanidhi Stalin |
| Starring | Udhayanidhi Stalin Nidhhi Agerwal Arav Kalaiyarasan |
| Cinematography | K. Dhillraj |
| Edited by | N. B. Srikanth |
| Music by | Srikanth Deva Arrol Corelli |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 139 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
The film was predominantly shot in Chennai.[2]
Kalaga Thalaivan was released in theatres on 18 November 2022 to generally positive reviews from critics and became an commercial success at the box office.[3]
Plot edit
In Chennai, Thirumaaran works as a financial analyst for Vahjra Motors, a company which manufactures heavy vehicles. Vahjra launches one of the world's highest mileage giving trucks. Due to this, the stocks rise high and the company receives profits in the share market. However, Vahjra's CEO Ved Tiwari, who is operating in Mumbai, learns that the vehicles actually emit high amounts of pollutants and decides to keep it confidential, unbeknownst to the 18 board members and 20,000 employees. However, the truth comes into the limelight, which enrages Tiwari and shocks the entire company.
Tiwari hires Arjun, an ex-commando-turned-private investigator to track down the whistleblower behind the leaking of the matter. Arjun investigates using violent ways and unearths a network of employees working against the company. Arjun suspects JP from Vahjra's Chennai regional headquarters to be the whistleblower and finally catches him. He forces JP to confess the identity of the whistle blower by showing a video of his granddaughter being assaulted and telling him that his son committed suicide after seeing the video. JP tells that he does not know about the whistleblower, but reveals about Vahjra's involvement in corporate funding by buying government factories which resulted in people losing jobs, and also reveals about the whistleblowers involved in exposing various international corporates.
Checking the CCTV footage, Arjun captures Thiru's friend Karthik and kills him, where he also finds that his identity documents are bogus. Arjun finds a surgerical scar in Karthik's body and enquires the hospital about the treatment. He learns that the man posing as Karthik is Gandhi and learns about Thiru, where he also learns that Thiru and Gandhi were best friends who were working as financial analysts in international companies situated in Hong Kong and US. After learning that Thiru is the whistleblower, Arjun learns about Thiru's guardian Bharathi and tries to use her to trace Thiru, but Bharathi commits suicide. Arjun finds about Thiru's ex-girlfriend Maithili and manages to trace Thiru and brings him to an abandoned chemical factory to kill him. However, Thiru manages to finish Arjun and his accomplices.
Later, it is revealed that Thiru's parents, Gandhi's father, and Bharathi's husband were working as chemists in the same abandoned chemical factory, which was purchased by Vahjra Factory. Thiru's parents and Gandhi's father learnt about the chemical pollutants that were leaked by Vahjra and filed a complaint against them, but they were killed by Tiwari and the corporates. Upon learning this, Thiru and Gandhi became whistleblowers to expose Vahjra's illegal activities. The next day, Tiwari dies of a stroke after learning that their deal with TVG, a startup company in Germany, has actually been sold to a Russian mafia company. Due to association with TVG, Vahjra's business is shut down by the government. It is revealed that the TVG startup's chairman is actually Thiru's friend Velmurugan and their plan was to attract Vahjra to shut down the company. Six months later, Thiru joins another company to expose their illegal activities as a whistleblower.
Cast edit
- Udhayanidhi Stalin as Thirumaaran 'Thiru'
- Nidhhi Agerwal as Maithili Prasad (Voice-over by Deepa Venkat)
- Arav as Arjun
- Kalaiyarasan as Gandhi/Karthik
- Angana Roy as Reba
- RJ Vigneshkanth as Velmurugan
- Anupama Kumar as Bharathi
- Jeeva Ravi as Jayaprakash
- Narendra Sachar as Ved Tiwari
- Vijay Adhiraj as Keshav Rao
Production edit
It was announced that Udhayanidhi Stalin would be doing a film with Magizh Thirumeni as the director. On 25 July 2022, the title of the film was announced to be Kalaga Thalaivan with the first look poster of the film being released.[4] It is produced under the banner of Red Giant Movies.[5] It was also reported that, Nidhhi Agerwal was cast in as the female lead opposite Udhayanidhi Stalin.[6] The shooting of the film began on 7 December 2020.[7] Sources reported that Kalaga Thalaivan will be a political-thriller film but Magizh Thirumeni clarified that it would be an action-thriller.[8]
Music edit
| Kalaga Thalaivan | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2022 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Sony Music India | |||
| Producer | Srikanth Deva Arrol Corelli | |||
| Srikanth Deva chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Arrol Corelli chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Kalaga Thalaivan | ||||
| ||||
The music is composed by Srikanth Deva and Arrol Corelli while the former did the film score. The audio rights were acquired by Sony Music India.[9] The first single titled "Hey Puyale" was released on 9 November 2022.[10] The second single titled "Neeladho" was released on 11 November 2022.[11]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hey Puyale" | Madhan Karky | Arrol Corelli | Shreya Ghoshal & Sathyaprakash | 5:00 |
| 2. | "Neeladho" | Priyan | Arrol Corelli | Madhu Iyer | 3:29 |
| Total length: | 8:29 | ||||
Release edit
Theatrical edit
The film was released theatrically on 18 November 2022.[12] The trailer of the film was released on 10 November 2022.[13][14]
Home media edit
The digital streaming rights of the film were sold to Netflix, while the satellite rights were sold to Kalaignar TV.[15]
Reception edit
Kalaga Thalaivan received positive reviews from critics.[16]
M. Suganth of The Times of India rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "This is felt even more with Thiru and Maithili's romantic track, which mainly feels like something that the filmmaker has introduced as a relief to the tense hide-and-seek between the hero and the villain."[17] Kalyani Pandian of ABP Live gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote that though the screenplay of Kalaga Thalaivan is interesting, the celebration that is not inherent in Magizh Thirumeni's films, naturally keeps us going through it too.[18] Cineulagam gave the film's rating 2.75 out of 5 and wrote Srikanth Deva's songs are unimpressive, but the background music adds more power to the film.[19]
Vishal Menon of Film Companion wrote "Even a point it makes about running away from fights, sort of works in a film that isn't about muscle power at all."[20] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Despite playing a formulaic role, Arav's character works mainly due to his physical demeanor."[21] Srivatsan S of The Hindu wrote "This is the kind of film that relies on spoon-feeding information, narrative points over voice-over rather than converting them into emotions."[22]
Bharathy Singaravel of The News Minute gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "If the film had done more to establish what it is that corporate powers do, rather than focusing on a badly written villain like Arjun who is only a means to an end, Kalaga Thalaivan may have been a far stronger film."[23] Navein Darshan of Cinema Express gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "It's a competent strike, yes, but just not one enough to knock us out."[24] Thinkal Menon of OTT Play gave the film's rating 3 out of 5 and wrote "The conflict between protagonist and antagonist is the highlight of the movie which could have been better in terms of screenplay."[25]
References edit
- ^ "The motion poster of Udhayanidhi-Magizh Thirumeni's film 'Kalaga Thalaivan' is out". The Times of India. 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Rajaraman, Kaushik (27 July 2022). "'Udhay was initially wary of the title Kalaga Thalaivan'". DT Next. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
- ^ "Arav expresses gratitude towards fans for the success of 'Kalaga Thalaivan', pens a heartfelt note on social media". The Times of India. 22 November 2022. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
- ^ "Udhayanidhi's film with Magizh Thirumeni titled Kalagathalaivan". Cinema Express. 25 July 2022. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ "'Kalaga Thalaivan' teaser: Udhayanidhi's action thriller looks promising". The Times of India. 23 October 2022. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
- ^ "Kalaga Thalaivan trailer and audio launch to be held tomorrow". Cinema Express. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Udhayanidhi Stalin begins shooting for his film with Magizh Thirumeni". The Times of India. 7 December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2021.
- ^ "Makers of Udhayanidhi Stalin's Kalagathalaivan Conclude Shooting; Know Release Date". News18. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Kalaga Thalaivan Trailer: Udhayanidhi Stalin's action-packed film is full of twists and turns". OTTPlay. 11 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "First single from Kalaga Thalaivan, Hey Puyale, out". Cinema Express. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Kalagathalaivan (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". JioSaavn. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Udhayanidhi Stalin's 'Kalaga Thalaivan' to release on November 18". The Times of India. 8 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Trailer of Udhayanidhi-Magizh Thirumeni's Kalaga Thalaivan". Cinema Express. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "'Kalaga Thalaivan' trailer: Udhayanidhi Stalin promises a masterpiece thriller". The Times of India. 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ Menon, Thinkal (14 December 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan OTT release date: When and where to watch this action drama starring Udhayanidhi online". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ "'Kalaga Thalaivan' box office collection day 1: Udhayanidhi's film opens with Rs.2 crores at the ticket window". The Times of India. 19 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 24 November 2022.
Kalaga Thalaivan opened with regular morning shows, and the film has been receiving decent to positive reviews from the audience and critics
- ^ Suganth, M. (18 November 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan Movie Review : An intelligently crafted action thriller". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ "Kalaga Thalaivan Review: கலகத்தை உண்டாக்கியதா 'கலகத்தலைவன்' – உதய்க்கு கிடைத்தது வெற்றியா.. தோல்வியா? – விமர்சனம்!". ABP Live (in Tamil). 18 November 2022. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Kathick. "கலகத் தலைவன் திரைவிமர்சனம்". Cineulagam (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Menon, Vishal (18 November 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan Review: A Mostly Flat Corporate Thriller Written Around Clever, Complex Set Pieces". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (18 November 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan Movie Review: Magizh Thirumeni spoils his few good ideas by spoon-feeding them". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ S, Srivatsan (18 November 2022). "'Kalaga Thalaivan' movie review: A passive Udhayanidhi Stalin in Magizh Thirumeni's generic thriller". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Singaravel, Bharathy (18 November 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan review: Udhayanidhi starrer features a compelling cat and mouse chase". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ Darshan, Navein (18 November 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan Movie Review: A largely effective cat-and-mouse game". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ Menon, Thinkal (18 November 2022). "Kalaga Thalaivan movie review: Udhayanidhi, Arav stand out in this thriller which offers a few high moments". OTT Play. Archived from the original on 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
