Kumki (film)

Kumki (transl.Trained elephant) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language musical adventure romantic drama film written and directed by Prabhu Solomon.[1] It was presented by N. Lingusamy and produced by N. Subash Chandra Bose, under the banner Thirrupathi Brothers, and distributed by K. E. Gnanavel Raja under the banner Studio Green.[2] It features Vikram Prabhu, grandson of Sivaji Ganesan and son of veteran actor Prabhu, making his acting debut,[3] while Lakshmi Menon, Thambi Ramaiah and Ashvin Raja appear in other prominent roles.

Kumki
Kumki movie poster
Directed byPrabhu Solomon
Produced byN. Lingusamy (Presenter)
N. Subash Chandra Bose
Written byPrabhu Solomon
StarringVikram Prabhu
Lakshmi Menon
Thambi Ramaiah
Ashvin Raja
Music byD. Imman
CinematographyM. Sukumar
Edited byL.V.K. Doss
Production
company
Distributed byStudio Green
Release date
  • 14 December 2012 (2012-12-14)
Running time
148 mins
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget5 crore (equivalent to 7.6 crore or US$1.1 million in 2019)
Box office40 crore (equivalent to 61 crore or US$8.5 million in 2019)

The story revolves around a mahout and his trained Kumki elephant, who is used to guide other wild animals to minimize the destruction of properties and fields of nearby villages.[4] Filming took place in various places of Karnataka and Kerala. The film's music is composed by D. Imman, in which his soundtrack was commended by the audience and critics. The cinematography was handled by M. Sukumar and editing was handled by L. V. K. Dass. Kumki was released on 14 December 2012.[5]

The film opened to positive reviews from critics, praising the performances of Prabhu and Menon, the direction, and the film's soundtrack. It was a commercial success at the box office.[6] The film was dubbed in Telugu as Gajaraju, and released simultaneously on the same day.[7] The film won three awards at the 60th Filmfare Awards South, including Best Supporting Actor for Thambi Ramaiah, Best Music Director for D. Imman, Best Lyricist for Yugabharathi.[8] The film won 7 prizes at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards held in 2017.[9] The film also won two Vijay Awards, three SIIMA Awards and three Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards.

Plot

The film starts with an introduction to the main characters: the protagonist Bomman (Vikram Prabhu), his pet elephant Manickam, his uncle Kothali (Thambi Ramaiah), and his sidekick Undiyal (Ashvin Raja). Bomman spends most of his time with Manickam and earns his livelihood by hiring it out for festivals in temples and wedding celebrations. Meanwhile, in a village dominated by old principles, a rogue elephant (Komban) ravages crops and ambushes its people. Frustrated by this and without any help from the forest officers, their leader decides to bring a kumki elephant to tame Komban. Bomman and his crew reach the village as placeholders to stay for a couple of days until the real mahout and kumki elephant arrive. Life begins to change for Bomman when he falls in love with Alli (Lakshmi Menon), the daughter of the village leader. She is at first reluctant keeping in mind the village's principles but she soon starts to fall for Bomman. Life goes on smoothly, until Komban starts randomly attacking the village. On the eve of their departure, Komban attacks manickam. Komban's actions kill Kothali and Undiyal and injures Bomman. In the ensuing fight between Manickam and Komban, Manickam kills Komban but suffers serious injuries and dies. Bomman then cries out loud, regretting that his love had led to the death of his crew and Manickam. Alli's father then recognizes that Alli and Bomman are in love. The film then ends abruptly, leaving Bomman's fate to the viewer's imagination.

Cast

My son surprised me by his performance in Kumki. I used to call my son during his film shoot and enquire about his performance. “Wait and see daddy,” would be his answer.

Prabhu, on Vikram's experience of playing the character of Bomman.[10]

Production

Jog Falls seen in the song "Sollitale"

In a December 2012 interview to Nikhil Raghavan of The Hindu, Prabhu Solomon felt that the success of his previous film Mynaa was because by producing and directing the film, it helped him have creative freedom and pay more attention to detail. He realised that Kumki would be a bigger venture and that he "didn’t want anything to go wrong."[11] At that time, director N. Lingusamy and N. Subash Chandrabose, owners of the production company Thirrupathi Brothers offered to bankroll the film, much to Solomon's delight.[12]

Solomon wanted a new face for the role of Bomman, for which over 60 auditions were held. Vikram Prabhu, who participated in the auditions, was selected.[12] Vikram had earlier worked as an assistant director for films like Sarvam (2009) and Aasal (2010).[13]

The film which was earlier titled as Komban, was shot across the forests of Kerala and Karnataka.[14] The film was shot at athirappalli falls at Munnar.[15] Later, some scenes were shot in Kerala in dense jungles as well as at Jog Falls and on the Orissa border.[13][16] For the climax portion, producers bought two-acres of land to shoot a scene where elephants destroy the land.[17] Solomon shot the film mostly during the day, especially in morning and evening time, to create the right feel for the scenes. Solomon also wished to explore his love of nature through Kumki. The elephant, Manickam, was around 12 feet tall.[11]

Themes and influences

Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu compared the film's similarities to M. G. Ramachandran's Nalla Neram (1972) and Rajinikanth's Annai Oru Aalayam (1979) in terms of the protagonist's relationship with elephants.[18]

Music

Kumki
Front CD Cover
Soundtrack album by
Released1 August 2012 (2012-08-01)
Recorded2012
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length41:18
LanguageTamil
LabelSony Music
ProducerD. Imman
D. Imman chronology
Saattai
(2012)
Kumki
(2012)
Desingu Raja
(2013)

The soundtrack album and background score is composed by D. Imman, in his second collaboration with Prabhu Solomon after Mynaa (2010). The album has seven numbers written by Yugabharathi with three karaoke versions. The soundtrack album was released by Sony Music on 1 August 2012,[19] which coincided with an audio launch event held at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai,[20] where Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Suriya,[21] amongst other celebrities in the film's cast and crew, participated in the function.[22][23] Kamal Haasan unveiled the audio CD and handed the first copy of the album to Rajinikanth and Suriya.[24]

The soundtrack album received mostly positive reviews from critics as well as audience. Behindwoods gave the album a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and stated "The Imman - Prabu Solomon combo has come up with another huge winner. There are tasteful melodies spread across the album while one nice foot tapping number is there as well".[25] Indiaglitz gave 3 out of 5 and summarised "All the 10 numbers make 'Kumki' a jumbo album".[26] Milliblog gave a comment "Imman is firmly consolidating his form through Kumki!"[27] Music Aloud gave 7 out of 10 to the album and stated "Couple of damp squibs, but otherwise impressive soundtrack from D Imman."[28]

All lyrics are written by Yugabharathi.

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Yella Oorum"Benny Dayal, D. Imman2:42
2."Onnum Puriyala"D. Imman4:19
3."Ayayayoo Aananthamey"Haricharan4:24
4."Sollitaley Ava Kaadhala"K. G. Ranjith, Shreya Ghoshal4:33
5."Soi Soi"Magizhini Manimaaran3:42
6."Nee Yeppo Pulla"Alphons Joseph4:00
7."A Lady and the Violin"Aditi Paul, Karthik4:17
8."Sollitaley Ava Kaadhala" (Karaoke)Instrumental4:33
9."Ayayayoo Aananthamey" (Karaoke)Instrumental4:24
10."Onnum Puriyala" (Karaoke)Instrumental4:19

Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to Star Vijay. The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.[29] The film's distribution rights were acquired by K. E. Gnanavel Raja, under his banner Studio Green.[30] The film was initially scheduled to release on 13 November 2012, coinciding with Diwali, but due to post-production works and also due to the release of Vijay-starrer Thuppakki and Silambarasan-starrer Podaa Podi,[31] the release was postponed to 14 December 2012.[32] Kumki along with Gautham Menon's Neethaane En Ponvasantham, were scheduled to release on the same day.[33] Both becoming the most anticipated films of the year, because of the success of the soundtrack. On 1 December, the makers confirmed the release date on the said before date.[34][35] Two days before the release of Kumki along with Neethaane En Ponvasantham, the advanced bookings for the first weekend were sold out.[36] The film was dubbed in Telugu as Gajaraju, and was released simultaneously on the same date.[37] Post-release, the makers has shot three climax scenes and planned to change the tragic climax with an alternate positive climax of the film, as the audiences were not happy over the film's ending.[38] However, the climax of the film remained unchanged.[39]

Reception

Critical reception

Kumki received critical acclaim.[39] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu praised the performances of Vikram and Menon, noting that while Vikram "makes an impact with effective underplay", Menon showed "apt expressions"; she found Ramaiah's dialogues to be a bit "contrived" after a certain point of time.[18] Oneindia gave 3 out of 5 saying that while the movie is at times "dragging", the subject makes it an "engaging affair although the climax is predictable".[40] Behindwoods also gave the film 3 out of 5 saying that "Kumki definitely lives up to the hype. It is a beautifully shot movie with good performances and an emotional core".[41] The Times of India rated 3.5 out of 5 to the movie and stated "Prabu Solomon’s ode to love in the times of elephant attacks, holds a lot of promise but sadly flatters only to deceive."[42] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff gave 3.5 out of 5 and stated "Kumki is an unforgettable ride through the wilds of Tamil Nadu's virgin forests."[43] Deccan Herald gave the film 3.5 out of 5 and summarised that "Kumki may not be the year's best film, but definitely can't be looked down upon."[44] Bollywoodlife stated "Prabhu Solomon has come up with a neat entertainer, though the slow pace hampers proceedings at some places."[45]

Box office

Kumki was made with the budget of 5 crores. The film was a success at the box office.[46] The film grossed 10 crore in 3 days.[47] The film grossed more than 40 crore at the box office.[48] The film got Super Hit status at the box office.[49][50][51]

Awards and nominations

Award Date of ceremony[lower-alpha 1] Category Recipient(s) and Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards 16 January 2013 Best Music Director D. Imman Won [52]
[53]
Best Playback Singer – Female Magizhini Manimaaran for "Soi Soi" Won
Best Lyricist Yugabharathi Won
The Chennai Times Film Awards 4 November 2013 Best Music Director D. Imman Nominated [54]
[55]
Best Singer – Male Haricharan for "Ayayayo Aananthamey" Won
Best Singer – Female Magizhini Manimaaran for "Soi Soi" Nominated
Edison Awards 10 February 2013 Best Director Prabhu Solomon Won [56]
Best Music Director D. Imman Won
Best Folk Song "Soi Soi" Won
Filmfare Awards South 20 July 2013 Best Film – Tamil N. Lingusamy, N. Subhash Chandrabose Nominated [8]
[57]
[58]
Best Director – Tamil Prabhu Solomon Nominated
Best Actress – Tamil Lakshmi Menon Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Tamil Thambi Ramaiah Won
Best Music Director – Tamil D. Imman Won
Best Lyricist – Tamil Yugabharathi for "Solitaley" Won
Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil D. Imman for "Onnum Puriyale" Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer – Tamil Shreya Ghoshal for "Solitaley" Nominated
Mirchi Music Awards South 26 August 2013 Song of the Year "Ayayayo Aananthamey" Won [59]
[60]
[61]
"Solitaley" Nominated
Album of the Year D. Imman Won
Male Vocalist of the Year Haricharan for "Ayayayo Aananthamey" Nominated
Music Composer of the Year D. Imman for "A Lady and the Violin" Nominated
D. Imman for "Solitaley" Won
Lyricist of the Year Yugabharathi for "Ayayayo Aananthamey" Nominated
Upcoming Female Vocalist of the Year Magizhini Manimaaran for "Soi Soi" Nominated
Mannin Kural Male Vocalist of the Year Alphons Joseph for "Nee Yeppo Pulla" Nominated
Mannin Kural Female Vocalist of the Year Magizhini Manimaaran for "Soi Soi" Won
Song of the Year – Listener's choice "Solitaley" Won
Technical – Sound Mixing of the Year "Yella Oorum" Nominated
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards 2428 April 2013 Best Director Prabhu Solomon Won [62]
[63]
Best Actress Lakshmi Menon Won
Best Music Director D. Imman Won
South Indian International Movie Awards 1213 September 2013 Best Film – Tamil N. Lingusamy, N. Subhash Chandrabose Won [64]
[65]
[66]
Best Director – Tamil Prabhu Solomon Nominated
Best Cinematographer – Tamil Sukumar Won
Best Comedian – Tamil Thambi Ramaiah Won
Best Music Director – Tamil D. Imman Nominated
Best Lyricist – Tamil Yugabharathi for "Solitaley" Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil Haricharan for "Ayayayo Aananthamey" Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer – Tamil Shreya Ghoshal for "Solitaley" Nominated
Best Dance Choreographer – Tamil Noble for "Ayyayayo Aananthamey" Nominated
Best Male Debutant – Tamil Vikram Prabhu Won
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 13 July 2017 Special Prize (Best Film) N. Lingusamy, N. Subhash Chandrabose Won [67]
[9]
Special Prize (Best Actor) Vikram Prabhu Won
Best Actress Lakshmi Menon[lower-alpha 2] Won
Best Music Director D. Imman Won
Best Male Playback Ranjith for "Solitaley" Won
Best Female Playback Shreya Ghoshal for "Solitaley" Won
Best Cinematographer M. Sukumar Won
Vijay Awards 11 May 2013 Best Director Prabhu Solomon Nominated [68]
Best Debut Actor Vikram Prabhu Won
Best Music Director D. Imman Won
Best Art Director Vairabalan Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Haricharan for "Ayayayo Aananthamey" Nominated
Best Lyricist Yugabharathi for "Solitaley" Nominated
Best Dialogue Prabhu Solomon Nominated
Best Costume Designer Ganesh Nominated
Face of the Year Vikram Prabhu Nominated
Favourite Song "Solitaley" Nominated'

Sequel

Prabhu Solomon has confirmed the sequel of this film, titled Kumki 2. This sequel will feature newcomers in lead roles similar to the first part.[69]

Notes

  1. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
  2. Also for Sundarapandian.

References

  1. "Kumki - Movie Reviews, Story, Trailers, Wallpapers, Tamil, Pictures". Movies.sulekha.com. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  2. "Tamil director, Linguswamy signs three film deal". CNN IBN. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  3. TNN 24 Jun 2011, 12.39pm IST (24 June 2011). "Prabhu's son turns hero". The Times Of India. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  4. "Prabhu solomon finally finds his hero". Archived from the original on 25 June 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
  5. "Kumki confirmed for December 14 re". IndiaGlitz. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  6. "Kumki declared a hit". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  7. TNN 5 Dec 2012, 10.53AM IST (5 December 2012). "'Kumki' is 'Gajaraju' in Telugu". The Times Of India. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  8. "Filmfare Awards 2013 (South): Complete List of Nominees". International Business Times. 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  9. "TN Govt. announces Tamil Film Awards for six years". The Hindu. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  10. Srinivasan, G. (17 January 2013). "'Kumki' star celebrates 'Maattu Pongal'". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  11. Raghavan, Nikhil (13 December 2012). "A jumbo ride". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  12. Raghavan, Nikhil (4 August 2012). "Etcetera". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  13. Kumar, S. R. Ashok (11 August 2012). "Audio Beat: Kumki". The Hindu. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  14. "Prabhu Solomon's jumbo jamboree". Sify.com. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  15. "Prabhu Solomon Makes It With A Difference". Behindwoods. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  16. "What Is Up With Kumki?". Behindwoods. 23 September 2011. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  17. "Two-acre Land Destroyed For Prabhu Solomon's Kumki". Behindwoods. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  18. Rangarajan, Malathi (15 December 2012). "Kumki: Close encounters". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  19. "Kumki -The mother of all audio launches!". 1 August 2012. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  20. Ramchander (1 August 2012). "Rajinikanth-Kamal Hassan-Surya launch Kumki audio". Oneindia Entertainment. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  21. "Vikram blessed by Rajini". IndiaGlitz. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  22. "In pics: Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan at 'Kumki' audio launch: South Cinema Photos". CNN IBN. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  23. "Rajini, Kamal at 'Kumki' audio release". Nowrunning.com. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  24. "Kumki's grand audio launch - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  25. "Kumki Music Review". Behindwoods. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  26. "Kumki Music Review songs lyrics". IndiaGlitz. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  27. "Kumki (Music review), Tamil – D.Imman by Milliblog!". Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  28. "Kumki – Music Review (Tamil Movie Soundtrack)". Music Aloud. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  29. "Vikram Prabhu's 'Kumki' gets clean 'U' certificate". Cinemahour.com. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  30. "Studio Green takes over Kumki distribution!". Sify.com. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  31. "No clarity on Deepavali releases - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  32. "Kumki might get postponed". IndiaGlitz. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  33. "Kumki vs Neethane En Ponvasantham on Dec 14th - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  34. "Kumki announces release date - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  35. "Kumki from Dec 14th". IndiaGlitz. 1 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  36. "NEP-Kumki weekend bookings sold out - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  37. "'Kumki' is 'Gajaraju' in Telugu - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  38. "Kumki climax changed? - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  39. "Vikram Prabhu: Kumki climax is the same | Tamil Movie News - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  40. "Kumki Movie Review". Oneindia Entertainment. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  41. "Kumki Movie Review". Behindwoods. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
  42. Kumki Movie Review {3.5/5}: Critic Review of Kumki by Times of India, retrieved 7 July 2020
  43. "Review: Kumki is brilliant - Rediff.com". m.rediff.com. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  44. "Movie review: 'Kumki' - visually evocative". Deccan Herald. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  45. "KUMKI movie review: A jumbo effort". Bollywood Life. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
  46. "Kumki is a blockbuster film, grossing 20 crores". My Kollywood. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  47. "Loading..." Loading... (in Kinyarwanda). Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  48. "Kumki rocking at box office collections". Timesofap. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  49. "Kumki box office collection". Behindwoods.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  50. http://www.bharatstudent.com/ (21 December 2012). "Kumki' becomes a Huge Blockbuster Super Hit - Tamil Movie News". Bharatstudent.com. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  51. By Ramchander (17 December 2012). "Kumki Box Office | Vikram Prabhu | Tamil Box Office - Filmibeat". Entertainment.oneindia.in. Retrieved 25 March 2020.
  52. "விகடன் விருதுகள் 2012" [Vikatan Awards 2012]. Ananda Vikatan. 16 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  53. "Winners List 2012". Ananda Vikatan. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  54. "Chennai Times Film Awards 2012 nominations". The Times of India. 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  55. "The Chennai Times Film Awards 2012 goes to..." The Times of India. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  56. "6th Edison Awards". Edison Awards. Chennai. 10 February 2013. Astro.
  57. "60th Idea Filmfare Awards 2013 (South) Nominations". Filmfare. 4 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  58. "List of Winners at the 60th Idea Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. 21 July 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  59. "Mirchi Music Awards 2012 Introduction". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  60. "Mirchi Music Awards 2012 Nominations". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  61. "Mirchi Music Awards 2012 Winners". Radio Mirchi. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  62. "'Kumki' sweeps Norway Film Festival". The Times of India. 1 May 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  63. "NTFF 2013: Program scheduled for 27th.April". Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  64. "2nd South Indian International Movie Awards". South Indian International Movie Awards. Emirate of Sharjah. 2013. Sun TV Network.
  65. "Winners List – 2013". South Indian International Movie Awards. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  66. Seshagiri, Sangeetha (15 September 2013). "SIIMA 2013 Winners List: Dhanush, Pawan Kalyan, Mohanlal, Shivarajkumar Bag Awards". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2017.
  67. "Tamil Nadu announces the State Film Awards for six consecutive years in surprise move. Here's the complete list of winners". The Indian Express. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  68. "7th Vijay Awards". Vijay Awards. Chennai. 11 May 2013. Star Vijay.
  69. Subhakeerthana, S (31 July 2017). "'Kumki sequel isn't like the Singam franchise'". Cinema Express. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.