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Taj Mahal (1999 film)

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Taj Mahal (/θɑːdʒ məˈhɑːl/) is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars his son, Manoj, and Riya Sen in their debut as lead actors, with a supporting ensemble cast including Revathi, Radhika, and Ranjitha. The film was written by Mani Ratnam while the music was composed by A. R. Rahman and B. Kannan handled the camera. The story of the film revolved around two clashing communities and two lovers caught in the vortex of their rivalry. The film was released during Diwali in 1999 and fared poorly at the box office.[1]

Taj Mahal
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBharathiraja
Screenplay byMani Ratnam
Dialogues byR. Selvaraj
Story byMani Ratnam
R. Selvaraj
Produced byJanani Ishwarya
StarringManoj
Riya Sen
CinematographyB. Kannan
Madhu Ambat
Edited byK. K. Pazhanivel
Music byA. R. Rahman
Production
company
Janani Cine Arts
Release date
  • 7 November 1999 (1999-11-07)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

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Thiruppaachi and Sengulam are neighbouring villages with a history of enmity between them. Maayan and Machakanni meet on the day of her engagement and it is love at first sight. Her marriage itself gets called off when the groom and his family insult Machakanni's family and her romance with Maayan continues. However, when her brother finds out about him, all hell breaks loose. The turned-down bridegroom is still itching for revenge and figuring out that the only way to extract it is to marry Machakanni, he pleads for forgiveness and succeeds in melting her brother's heart. The marriage is finalised but Maayan's friends swear to unite the star-crossed lovers. There is also a subplot of Maayan's aunt trying to get her daughter married off to Maayan.

Cast

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Production

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Bharathiraja introduced his son Manoj as an actor with the film, stating that his son should appear as an actor before fulfilling his dreams of working as a part of the crew.[2] Riya Sen, daughter of Hindi actress Moon Moon Sen was signed on to play the leading female role.[3] Leading film-maker Mani Ratnam wrote the story for the film, while Rajiv Menon was also involved in initial script discussions but opted out after the film became a village-centric project.[4][5] A. R. Rahman was signed to score the music while veteran cinematographers B. Kannan and Madhu Ambat also signed the project, ending a long hiatus in Tamil films.[6]

The team started pre-production work in late 1997 and shooting began in 1998, with the project becoming Janani Cine Arts' most expensive production to date.[2][7] During production, Bharathiraja considered giving his son a stage name of Manibharathi, but ultimately opted against doing so.[8] An exact replica of the Taj Mahal was created on Marina Beach in Chennai for a song sequence.[9] The film was shot across areas including Kulu Manali, Badhami, Hampi, Bellari and Poomparai.[10]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack features 10 songs composed by A. R. Rahman and lyrics by Vairamuthu. The album marked Rahman's fourth collaboration with Bharathiraja. The songs were noted for the extensive use of traditional instruments. Rahman introduced several singers into the Tamil music scene, the most notable being Palakkad Sreeram. He sang a dappankuthu style song "Thirupaachi".[11] Suchitra Lata of The Music Magazine wrote "Rahman's music is aptly bare for the village setting; it has energy and is warmly stylised by an orchestra of the cello, violins and drums."[12]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Thirupaachi"Kalpana Raghavendar, Clinton Cerejo, Palakkad Sreeram, Chandran6:55
2."Chotta Chotta" (female)Sujatha Mohan5:45
3."Adi Manjakelange"Ganga Sitharasu, Febi Mani, Theni Kunjarammal, Kanchana2:52
4."Kizhakke Nandavanam"Ganga Sitharasu, Febi Mani, Theni Kunjarammal, Kanchana 
5."Eechi Elemichhi"Manoj, Arundhathi, Raqeeb Alam, Parthasarathy (Veena in first interlude), Navin (Flute in second interlude) 
6."Chotta Chotta" (male)Srinivas5:32
7."Kulirudhu Kulirudhu"Unni Krishnan, Swarnalatha, R. Visweswaran (Iranian Santoor in second interlude)4:44
8."Sengatrae"T. K. Kala, Richa Sharma (Punjabi Version 'Rabba Ve' in the background) 
9."Eechi Elemichhi"Krishnaraj, Arundhathi, Raqeeb Alam 
10."Karisal Tharasil"M. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra, Srinivas (Humming) 

Release

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The film was initially slated to face a box office battle with several other big films, notably Hey Ram, Alai Payuthey, Kandukondain Kandukondain, and Mudhalvan, but the delay of the first three gave Taj Mahal a possible leeway to become a success.[13] Despite this, the film became a box office failure and Manoj's career failed to take off despite a high-profile launch.[14] Journalists attributed the film's failure to the use of artificial sets to depict villages, in contrast to Bharathiraja's penchant for authenticity and realism, while Bharathiraja blamed it on Rahman's music.[15] Irrespective of the film's performance, in 2004 Riya Sen regarded Taj Mahal as showcasing the best role in her career to that point.[16] The film was set to be dubbed and released in Telugu, but the financial losses suffered had deterred the version.[17] Manoj won the Dinakaran Cinema Award for Best Newface Actor.[18]

Critical reception

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G. Ulaganathan of The New Indian Express said that Taj Mahal was "vintage Bharatiraja at his best", while also adding that Riya Sen "shines in spite of an alien language and the totally strange cultural milieu in which she is placed". Ulaganathan added that "song picturisation is brilliant and Revathy and Radhika, both favourite ex-heroines of the director, put up an impressive show." He also said the "only eyesore is hero Manoj" and that Bharathiraja "has been a little over-ambitious here and could have edited at least 20% of the film, including many unnecessary action scenes."[19] Aurangazeb of Kalki panned the acting of the lead pair but praised the acting of other actors, Rahman's music, Kannan's cinematography and felt the film lacked the realism of Bharathiraja's previous films and concluded saying this film is not an eternal love, it is a love that chases away.[20] K. N. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote, "Though the story may not be new, it should be a treat for young lovers and Bharathiraaja fans".[21] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu lauded Kannan's cinematography, Bharathiraja's screenplay and Rahman's music but criticised the story for lacking novelty.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Renuka, Methil (8 November 1999). "Curtain Raiser". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  2. ^ a b Rangarajan, Malathi (12 November 1999). "Fascination for the pastoral". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 December 2008. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  3. ^ "Southern sojourn". Rediff.com. 10 November 1998. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Three movie moguls from south India team up for film 'Taj Mahal'". India Today. 6 April 1998. Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  5. ^ "Potti Tamil Movie News (A.R.R. News and more!)". Indolink. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ Srinivasan, V S (31 January 1998). "Through the looking glass". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  7. ^ Sandya. "Best of 1997". Indolink. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Mumtaz's magical eyes". The Times of India. 5 November 1999. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  9. ^ Rajitha (7 June 1999). "Star spawn aim high". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  10. ^ "old news". Pvv.ntnu.no. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  11. ^ Pradeep, K. (8 September 2007). "Musical notes". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 March 2008. Retrieved 8 September 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "It's raining on the Tajmahal". The Music Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 November 2002. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  13. ^ "Love makes the filmi world go round". Rediff.com. 4 November 1999. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  14. ^ Rajitha (31 May 2000). "Bharatiraja's son gets a second chance". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Bharathi Raja is hard hit". New Tamil Films Online. 26 November 1999. Archived from the original on 6 March 2001. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  16. ^ "My best role is from my Tamil film Taj Mahal: Riya Sen". Hindustan Times. 17 May 2004. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  17. ^ "A.R. Rahman Facts!! [long article]". Google Groups. 1 August 2000. Archived from the original on 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Awards: "Dinakaran Cinema Awards"--1999". Dinakaran. Archived from the original on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  19. ^ Ulaganathan, G. (22 November 1999). "Over-ambitious venture". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  20. ^ ஒளரங்கசீப் (21 November 1999). "தாஜ்மஹால்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 16. Archived from the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  21. ^ Vijiyan, K. N. (27 November 1999). "The same old love theme". New Straits Times. pp. Reel Stuff 4. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024 – via Google News Archive.
  22. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (19 November 1999). "Cinema: The Sixth Sense \ Tajmahal". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 June 2001. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
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