Nimir (transl. Arise) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film directed by Priyadarshan, starring Udhayanidhi Stalin, Namitha Pramod, and Parvati Nair. It is a remake of the 2016 Malayalam-language film Maheshinte Prathikaaram, with changes made to the screenplay to suit the cultural and regional tastes of Tamil audiences. The film was released on 26 January 2018.
| Nimir | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Priyadarshan |
| Screenplay by | Samuthirakani (dialogues) |
| Based on | Maheshinte Prathikaaram by Syam Pushkaran |
| Produced by | Santhosh T. Kuruvilla |
| Starring | Udhayanidhi Stalin Namitha Pramod Parvati Nair |
| Cinematography | N. K. Ekambaram |
| Edited by | M. S. Ayyappan Nair |
| Music by | Original songs: Darbuka Siva B. Ajaneesh Loknath Background score: Ronnie Raphael |
Production company | Moonshot Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Red Giant Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 131 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot edit
"National" Selvam is a small-time photographer who lives with his father "National" Shanmugham. They run a digital photography studio in Tenkasi. Next to the studio is a flex-board printing shop owned by Selvam's friend Sadha. His assistant Vigadakavi is a Photoshop wizard who designs the flex-boards. Selvam is in a relationship with Shenbaghavalli, his high school sweetheart.
Sadha becomes involved in a trivial argument with a loafer in the centre of the town. The dispute escalates, but passersby calm them down. However, Vigadakavi appears and attacks the man who had argued with Sadha. The man, joined by a ruffian Vellaiyappan, jumps on Vigadakavi in retaliation. Noticing the commotion, Selvam tries to calm everyone down, but Vellaiyappan, furious at Selvam's authoritative stance, beats him up. Shanmugham breaks up the fight. Embarrassed, Selvam vows to get back at Vellaiyappan and pledges that he will not wear slippers until he has avenged his humiliation.
Shenbaghavalli is forced to end her relationship with Selvam, who learns about Vellaiyappan's whereabouts from Vigadakavi and visits the garage where he apparently works as a welder. Its owner tells him that Vellaiyappan left for a better job in Dubai. Despite Sadha's advice that he should forget the incident, Selvam resolves to wait for Vellaiyappan's return; several weeks later, he enrolls in a kung fu course.
Malarvizhi, a college student, goes to Selvam's studio. She tells Selvam that she wants to participate in a women's magazine's cover photo competition and asks him to make her look as good as possible. Perplexed at the unusual request, Selvam conducts the photoshoot. Malar's photograph turns out to be unimpressive, and her irritation makes Selvam question his skill as a photographer. Upset, he turns to his father for advice. Shanmugham explains photography as an art to his son. Selvam goes through his father's photograph collection, finally understanding their angles and lighting, and gets an idea.
Instead of his familiar still photography, Selvam photographs Malar in motion and sends the best photo to the magazine. Shortly afterward, Malar goes to Selvam's house with the magazine containing her photo. Although she rebukes him for photographing her without permission, she also praises the photo. They become interested in each other and soon fall in love. Malar realises this first and calls Selvam to talk about their future. She tells him that she is Vellaiyappan's younger sister, but his agitation is overshadowed by love and he decides to continue their relationship.
Several weeks later, Vellaiyappan is fired from his job for slapping his manager and is deported back to India. The following day, Selvam and Sadha challenge him to a hand-to-hand combat. After a few minutes of fighting, Selvam pins down Vellaiyappan, and Sadha declares him the winner. Selvam visits Vellaiyappan in a hospital the next day and introduces himself to his mother in front of Malar. He admits his love for Malar and asks Vellaiyappan for his sister's hand in marriage, as Vellaiyappan and his mother look at each other in disbelief. In the credits, Selvam is seen uniting with Malar.
Cast edit
- Udhayanidhi Stalin as "National" Selvam
- Namitha Pramod as Malarvizhi (Malar)
- Parvatii Nair as Shenbagavalli (Valli)
- Samuthirakani as Vellaiyappan
- Mahendran as "National" Shanmugham, Selvam's father
- Karunakaran as Vigadakavi
- M. S. Bhaskar as Sadhanandham
- George Maryan as Subramani
- Shanmugarajan as Pitchumani
- Tulasi as Malarvizhi's mother
- Maala Parvathi as Shenbaghavalli's mother
- Aruldoss as Gopi
- Ganja Karuppu as Sadha's brother-in-law
- Manikuttan as Shenbaghavalli's husband
- Imman Annachi as Annachi
- Sendrayan as Auto Driver
- Sampath Ram as Inspector
- KS Suchitra Shetty as Annachi's wife
- Nadiya Kalhara as Vidhya
- Bineesh Kodiyeri as Malaisamy
- Rajkumar as Palaniyappan
Production edit
In June 2017, it was announced that the 2016 Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaaram would be remade in Tamil with Priyadarshan as director and Udhayanidhi Stalin as the male lead. Priyadarshan made changes to the screenplay to suit the cultural and regional tastes of Tamil audiences.[1] Samuthirakani penned the dialogues and also played the role of the antagonist.[2] The title Nimir was suggested by Mahendran who plays Udhayanidhi's father in the film.[3][4] The title was accepted and acknowledged by Priyadarshan. The film was produced by Santhosh T. Kuruvilla under his banner Moonshot Entertainment.[3]
Udhayanidhi was Priyadarshan's only choice for playing Selvam, the male lead.[4][5] Malayalam actress Namitha Pramod was cast as the female lead character Malarvizhi, making her debut in Tamil cinema.[6] She stated that, despite knowing Tamil, she chose not to dub her own lines because her lines "required [her] to talk fast and had difficult words."[7] Parvati Nair was cast as Selvam's childhood love interest Valli, reprising the role originally played by Anusree. The character was changed from a nurse to a college student.[8][9] N. K. Ekambaram handled the cinematography. Principal photography began in July 2017,[10] and lasted for approximately 36 days;[4][5] the film in its entirety was shot in Tenkasi except for a short bit in Dubai.[3][11]
Music edit
The film score was composed by Ronnie Raphael,[12] while the songs featured in the film were composed by Darbuka Siva and B. Ajaneesh Loknath. Vairamuthu, Thamarai and Mohan Rajan worked as the lyricists.[3] The song "Nenjil Maamazhai", sung by Haricharan and Shweta Mohan, was released as a single on 19 December 2017,[13][14] while the rest of the album was released on 18 January 2018.[15]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Poovukku" | Vairamuthu | Darbuka Siva | Shweta Mohan | 5:10 |
| 2. | "Vaazhum Valluvarae" | Mohan Rajan | Darbuka Siva | V. Priyadarshini, R. Apoorva, N. Aparajitha, Jyothsna Akilan | 0:51 |
| 3. | "Epodhum Unmael Nyabagam" | Thamarai | B. Ajaneesh Loknath | Vijay Prakash | 4:51 |
| 4. | "Nenjil Mamazhai" | Thamarai | B. Ajaneesh Loknath | Haricharan, Shweta Mohan | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Yaenadi" | Mohan Rajan | Darbuka Siva | Haricharan | 6:07 |
| 6. | "Geedhaara Kiliye" | Mohan Rajan | Darbuka Siva | Sathyaprakash | 5:04 |
| Total length: | 26:41 | ||||
Release and reception edit
Nimir was released on 26 January 2018,[17] and was distributed by Udhayanidhi's company Red Giant Movies.[18][19] Sify called the film a "faithful remake" of Maheshinte Prathikaaram that would work for those audiences who did not see the Malayalam original.[20] M. Suganth of The Times of India rated it 2.5 out of 5.[21] Vishal Menon of The Hindu wrote, "It might be an easy watch for first-timers, but for those who've watched the original, Nimir feels blasphemous".[22]
References edit
- ^ "Priyadarshan to remake Maheshinte Prathikaram in Tamil". The New Indian Express. 7 June 2017. Archived from the original on 8 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
- ^ MK, Surendhar (21 January 2018). "Priyadarshan's Nimir audio launch: 'It's my most beautiful film', says Udhayanidhi Stalin". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Suriya releases first look poster of Udhayanidhi Stalin – Priyadarshan team's 'Nimir'". The New Indian Express. 8 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ a b c Subhakeerthana, S (5 October 2017). "Priyadarshan-Udhayanidhi Stalin film titled Nimir". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ a b Vijayakumar, Sindhu (24 December 2017). "'I've not planned it yet, but I'll not stay away from politics'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ "Her version of Malar". The New Indian Express. 5 October 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "Though I can speak Tamil, I haven't given voiceover for my character". The Times of India. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "I don't regret my choice of films: Parvatii Nair". The Times of India. 21 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Soman, Deepa (13 October 2017). "Working in Priyadarshan's movie helped me realise my strengths and weaknesses: Parvatii Nair". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 15 October 2017.
- ^ "Mahendran plays Udhay's dad in Priyadarshan project". Cinema Express. 31 July 2017. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
- ^ Subramaniam, Anupama (5 October 2017). "Nimir, a K-town remake from Kerala". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- ^ Haridas, Aathira (7 January 2018). "Creating ripples with his music". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ^ "AR Rahman to release the first single of Udhay's 'Nimir'!". Sify. 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "Nenjil Mamazhai (From "Nimir") – Single". iTunes. 19 December 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
- ^ Surendhar, MK (21 January 2018). "Priyadarshan's Nimir audio launch: 'It's my most beautiful film', says Udhayanidhi Stalin". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ Priyadarshan [@priyadarshandir] (18 January 2018). "#Nimir song track list" (Tweet). Retrieved 19 January 2018 – via Twitter.
- ^ "'Nimir' slated to release on 26 January!". Sify. 18 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "JUST IN: VIJAY TV MAKES A BREAKING OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON ITS NEXT BIG FILM!". Behindwoods. 10 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ "Nimir – Title of 'Maheshinte Prathikaram' in Tamil!". Sify. 6 October 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- ^ "Nimir Review: A faithful remake of the original". Sify. 26 January 2018. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Suganth, M. (26 January 2018). "Nimir Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
- ^ Menon, Vishal (26 January 2018). "'Nimir' review: A 'sole'less remake". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
