Maaveeran
Maaveeran (transl. Great Warrior) is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Rajashekar. A remake of the 1985 Hindi film Mard, it stars Rajinikanth, Ambika and Jaishankar. The film revolves around a rude princess, who falls in love with a simpleton after initially being hostile towards him.
| Maveeran | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rajashekar |
| Produced by | G. Hanumantha Rao |
| Screenplay by | Rajasekhar |
| Story by | Prayag Raaj |
| Starring | Rajinikanth Ambika Jaishankar |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | V. Ranga |
| Edited by | Kothagiri Gopalrao |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 157 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Maaveeran was the first in Tamil to be shot in 70 mm film format, and have a six-track stereophonic sound. It was released on 1 November 1986, Diwali day, and failed commercially.[1]
Cast
- Rajinikanth as Raja (Maaveeran)
- Ambika as Rekha
- Jaishankar as Harry
- Sujatha as Mother of raja
- Vijayakumar as Joe
- Anand Babu as a dancer
- Dara Singh as Sethupathi
- C. R. Vijayakumari as Gowri
- Nagesh as Stepfather of raja
- Thengai Srinivasan as Drama head – Guest Appearance
- Sunitha as Helina
- Vittal Prasad as Vicky
Production
Maaveeran, a remake of Manmohan Desai's 1985 Hindi film Mard,[2] was shot in the expensive 70 mm film format, becoming the first Tamil film to do so.[3]
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[4] He composed a six-track stereophonic sound, making Maaveeran the first film to achieve this feat.[5]
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Ammaa Ammaa" | Malaysia Vasudevan | Vaali | 04:22 |
| 2 | "Ezhugave" | Malaysia Vasudevan | Vairamuthu | 04:28 |
| 3 | "Hey Maina" | Malaysia Vasudevan, K. S. Chithra | Gangai Amaran | 04:26 |
| 4 | "Nee Koduththatha" | Malaysia Vasudevan, K. S. Chithra | Vaali | 07:01 |
| 5 | "Sokku Podi" | Malaysia Vasudevan, K. S. Chithra | Gangai Amaran | 04:37 |
| 6 | "Vaangada Vaanga" | Malaysia Vasudevan | Gangai Amaran | 04:23 |
Release and reception
Maaveeran was released on 1 November 1986, Diwali day,[6] and faced heavy competition from Punnagai Mannan and Palaivana Rojakkal.[5] The Indian Express wrote on 7 November 1986, "One Manmohan Desai in Hindi is enough. Was a Tamil import of his film necessary?".[7] The film failed at the box-office because, according to Rajinikanth's biographer Naman Ramachandran, the combination of Punnagai Mannan's director K. Balachander, lead actor Kamal Haasan, lead actress Revathi and the soundtrack by Ilaiyaraaja "proved too much for Maaveeran, and its audience was restricted to hard-core Rajinikanth fans".[8]
References
- "Rajinikanth's 10 Biggest FLOPS". Rediff. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Ramachandran 2012, p. 111.
- "The Tamil Film in 100 years of Indian Cinema". Madras Musings. 1–15 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- "Maaveeran (Old) (1986)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
- "Rajinikanth turns 67: More than moondru mugam". The New Indian Express. 11 December 2017. Archived from the original on 20 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- "Maaveeran". The Indian Express. 1 November 1986. p. 7.
- "Rajini's Raj". The Indian Express. 7 November 1986. p. 14.
- Ramachandran 2012, pp. 111-112.
Bibliography
- Ramachandran, Naman (2012). Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. New Delhi: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-81-8475-796-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)