Neram

Neram (transl. Time) is a 2013 Indian bilingual black comedy thriller film written, directed and edited by Alphonse Puthren in his directorial debut. It stars Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim and Bobby Simha in both versions. Supporting roles were played by Manoj K. Jayan, Shammi Thilakan, Lalu Alex, and Willson Joseph in Malayalam, while Nassar, Thambi Ramiah, John Vijay and Shabareesh Varma portrayed the characters in Tamil. The whole film is set within one day in Chennai.

Neram
Posters in Malayalam and Tamil
Directed byAlphonse Puthren
Produced byKoral Viswanathan
Written byAlphonse Puthren
StarringNivin Pauly
Nazriya Nazim
Bobby Simha
Music byRajesh Murugesan
CinematographyAnend C. Chandran
Edited byAlphonse Puthren
Production
company
Winner Bulls Films
Distributed byLJ Films (Malayalam)
Red Giant Movies (Tamil)
Release date
  • 10 May 2013 (2013-05-10)
(Malayalam)
  • 17 May 2013 (2013-05-17)
(Tamil)
Running time
109 minutes (Malayalam)
117 minutes (Tamil)
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Tamil
Budget₹1.5 crore (US$210,000)[1]
Box office₹18 crore[2] (both versions)

Shooting for this film commenced on mid-2012, were completed in March 2013. The music was scored by debutant Rajesh Murugesan, while cinematography was handled by Anend C. Chendran.[3] Simultaneously made in Malayalam and Tamil languages, the Malayalam version was released on 10 May 2013, while the latter was released, a week later, on 17 May 2013.[4] The film's both versions received positive reviews upon release and was a commercial success at the box-office.[5]

The film is remade in Telugu as Run starring Sundeep Kishan, Marathi as Time Bara Vait starring Bhushan Pradhan and in Kannada as Kismath (2018) starring Vijay Raghavendra.[6][7][8][9] This film is about to be remade in Hindi.[10]

Plot

Neram is all about the lives of Mathew (Vetri in Tamil version; played by Nivin Pauly) and Jeena (Veni in Tamil; played by Nazriya Nazim).

Mathew is a computer engineering graduate but lost his job. His life is a little complicated now because he has taken a loan from a private moneylender named Vatti Raja (Bobby Simha) and is not able to repay the amount because he has no income. Jeena's father Johnykutty (Lalu Alex) (Saravanar in Tamil; played by Thambi Ramaiah) denies her marriage with Mathew as he is jobless. Jeena decides to elope with Mathew, and his friend John (Willson Joseph) (in Tamil played by Shabareesh Varma) gives him the money for paying off his debt to Raja. On their way, Jeena's chain is snatched, and Mathew's money is stolen. Raja calls Mathew and asks him to settle the money within 5PM.

Johnykutty lodges a complaint with Sub-Inspector Ukken Tintu (Shammi Thilakan) (Katta Kunju in Tamil; played by John Vijay) against Mathew on charges of kidnapping Jeena and gives his number. Tintu calls Sanju and tells him that he should come along with Jeena to the police station within 5PM, but problems are yet to come; Mathew's brother-in-law (Joju George) (in Tamil played by Sai Prashanth) asks some amount of money from him to start a business (even that is scheduled for 5PM). On the other hand, Jeena is kidnapped by Raja's men, assuming her to be other man's girlfriend who also has to return money to Raja.

Mathew comes across the same man and decides to snatch his chain, but unfortunately at the moment, he tries to snatch the chain, the man meets with an accident, and Mathew takes him to a hospital. The man's brother RayBan (Manoj K. Jayan) (Dhandapani in Tamil; played by Nassar), who has influence, assures Mathew of a job in his company. Suddenly, Tintu arrives there and says that Raja died in an accident. A flashback reveals that Lighthouse (Ramesh Thilak), the man who stole Jeena's chain and Mathew's money, had borrowed some money from Raja, too. He plots with two others in having the money for themselves and stealing Raja's car. While the plan works out perfectly, Raja's men went behind the car, and Raja goes behind the other man. In the chase, Raja is hit by an auto and dies. Coincidentally, the auto driver (Crane Manohar) was the driver who hit RayBan's brother Manick (Krishna Shankar) (in Tamil played by Ananth Nag) with his vehicle, too.

Last of all, Mathew meets the men who stole his money and involves in a brawl with them. He finds his money and a chain inside the car and also finds Jeena in the car's rear (Raja hid her in his car). Mathew gives the money to his brother-in-law, and the movie ends with a happy note that "Time is of two types: good time and bad time. Good will come following every bad time in life".

Cast
Actor (Malayalam)Actor (Tamil)Role (Malayalam)Role (Tamil)Description
Nivin PaulyMathewVetria jobless computer science graduate who takes a loan from Vatti Raja
Nazriya NazimJeenaVeniMathew / Vetri's love interest who elopes with him
Bobby SimhaVatti Rajaa private moneylender whom Mathew has to pay his debt to
Lalu AlexThambi RamaiahJohnykuttySaravanarJeena / Veni's father who will not let her marry Mathew as he is jobless
Manoj K. JayanNassarRayBanM. DhandapaaniManick's brother who offers Mathew a job in his company
Shammi ThilakanJohn VijayUkken TintuKatta KunjuSub-Inspector of Police, Mandaveli
Willson JosephShabareesh VarmaJohnMathew / Vetri's friend who gives him money for paying off his debt to Raja
Krishna ShankarAnanth NagManikunju (Manick)Manickam (Manick)RayBan / Dhandapaani's brother who gets hit by an auto
Ramesh ThilakLighthousea man who steals Jeena / Veni's chain and Mathew / Vetri's money and plots to steal Raja's car
Joju GeorgeSai PrashanthMathew's brother-in-lawVetri's brother-in-lawwho wants Mathew/vetri to give him money to start a business
CharleMayilsamy
Crane ManoharAuto Rickshaw Driverwho hits Manick with his vehicle
Anju KurianMathew's sisterVetri's sister
Deepak NathanWhite Villain
Tamil version:

Production

Development

Neram marks the feature film debut of Alphonse Putharen.[11][12] According to Putharen, it was the success of Yuvvh that prompted him to move to the feature film format.[12] He stated that Neram would be a "thriller-cum-black comedy" set in Chennai's Mandaveli, where he had lived for some time.[11] The lead pair of Yuvvh, Nivin Pauly and Nazriya Nazim, was selected to play the lead roles in Neram as well, making their debut in Tamil cinema.[13] Nazriya Nazim replaced Bhama, who was initially cast in the lead female role and had also shot for ten days,[14] but opted out as she became busy with other projects.[15] Putharen decided to shoot it simultaneously in Tamil and Malayalam. He modified the Malayalam version and filmed it with an entirely different cast, retaining only the lead pair in both versions.[16] Rajesh Murugesan, who had worked with Putharen on his short films, was chosen as the film's composer, also making his feature film debut.[17]

Filming

The crew began filming by mid-2012, which was first held across various parts of Tamil Nadu,[18] and later in Chennai.[14] Shooting was further carried out in Chennai in August 2012, with Bhama's portions being reshot with Nazriya.[16] In March 2013, Putharen informed that the entire filming had been completed.[19] The film was shot in Malayalam and in Tamil at the same time, which Pauly described as tough and challenging.[20]

Putharen has announced intentions for a Hindi remake to the film which he will direct.[10]

Music

Rajesh Murugesan composed the soundtrack and film score of Neram, making his feature film debut. All the songs were performed and penned by relatively new singers, along with celebrity singers Ranjith, Benny Dayal and Haricharan. A promotional song titled "Pistah" performed by Shabareesh Varma, was released on 31 March 2013 and went viral.[4][17] The song's meaningless lyrics were taken from a comedy track from Sathyan Anthikkad's film Kinnaram (1983), featuring Jagathy Sreekumar.[19] Nivin Pauly stated that the song was a tribute to Sreekumar, who had met with an accident just over a year before its release.[4] The audio of the film's Tamil version was released on 1 May 2013 and the Malayalam version on 3 May 2013. The Tamil album was released at the audio launch held at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai, which was launched by Anirudh Ravichander and Udhayanidhi Stalin, along the cast and crew. Video promos of the songs were released on 13 May 2013, in Malayalam and Tamil.

The album received positive reviews in both versions. Behindwoods rated the album 2.5 out of 5, stating "High adrenaline balanced by sweet melodies."[21] Milliblog reviewed the album as "Rajesh Murugesan makes a striking debut, even beyond Pistah!"[22] Music Aloud gave a rating of 7.5/10, with "Thiruttu Isai Beethoven Resurrected", "Kaatru Veesum", "Pistah" as their favourite picks and gave a bottomline "Good to know that the hype around Pistah wasn’t for naught. Promising debut by Rajesh Murugesan, Neram."[23] The Times of India gave a statement "The eclectic background score by Rajesh Murugesan adds pep to the movie, as does the use of "Pistah" in the action sequences."[24] Vipin Nair of Therarefied reviewed the album stating "Rajesh Murugesan makes a noticeable debut with Neram."[25]

Tamil track-list
No.TitleLyricsArtist(s)Length
1."Neram Theme"Alphonse Puthren, Pradeep PalarrAlphonse Puthren2:40
2."Kadhal Ennulle"VelmuruganRanjith4:41
3."Evan Avan"Na. MuthukumarBenny Dayal3:40
4."The Phone Booth"Vijay JosephVijay Joseph2:43
5."Kaatru Veesum"HaricharanHaricharan2:58
6."Thiruttu Isai" (Beethoven Resurrected)  2:35
7."Pistah"Shabareesh Varma, Jagathy SreekumarShabareesh Varma2:26
Total length:21:50
Malayalam track-list
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Neram Theme"Alphonse Puthren, Pradeep PalarrAlphonse Puthren2:45
2."Vaathil Melle"Santhosh VarmaSachin Warrier4:40
3."Thaka Thaka"Santhosh VarmaShabareesh Varma3:40
4."The Phone Booth"Vijay JosephVijay Joseph2:41
5."Njan Uyarnu Pokum"Santhosh VarmaRanjith2:58
6."Moshanam" (Beethoven Resurrected)  2:35
7."Pistah"Shabareesh Varma, Jagathy SreekumarShabareesh Varma2:26
Total length:21:45

Release

The first look posters of the film was released on 21 February 2013.[26] On 28 March 2013, Red Giant Movies, production house of Udhayanidhi Stalin acquired the film's distribution rights in Tamil Nadu,[27] while the film was distributed in Kerala by Lal Jose, under his production house LJ Films. Trailers in both languages were released on 19 April 2013.

The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board, and the Malayalam version was released on 10 May 2013, in 73 screens across Kerala, while the Tamil version was released on 17 May 2013 in 200 plus screens in Tamil Nadu.[28]

The satellite rights of the film's Tamil version were sold to Sun TV and the rights of the film's Malayalam version was acquired by Mazhavil Manorama. AP International released the Malayalam version on Blu-ray, DVD and VCD on 1 August 2013.

Reception

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews from critics.

Malayalam version

Padmakumar K of Malayala Manorama rated the film 2.5 in a scale of 5 and said, "Though the concept is nothing new, the way of presentation and the setting is a merited deviation from the beaten track. The movie is watchable for some surprises it throws up now and then. There are some unseen extraordinary scenes and events not usually seen in Malayalam cinema." The reviewer praised the film's technical aspects, especially Alphonse Putharen's editing and direction, and Anand C. Chandran's camera works. He also praised the acting by Manoj K. Jayan, Simhaa, Shammi Thilakan and Nazriya Nazim while commenting that Pauly "still has to come out of his usual self".[29] Sify.com's critic gave the verdict as "good" and said, "For a debut attempt with lots of fresh faces in its cast and crew, director Alphonse Putharen's Neram could leave you pleasantly surprised. With a rather okay script, the film scores with a brilliant narration, interesting performances, good visuals and peppy music."[30] Aswin J Kumar of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and said, "Neram has a romantic charm, an exciting trait which infuses it with a good measure of likability."[31] Rediff.com's Paresh C Palicha rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and said that "Neram has an interesting narrative but lacks on the humour quotient".[32]

Tamil version

Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) rated the film 4 in a scale of 5 and said, "There is absolutely nothing new about the story, yet what differentiates Neram from other films is its brilliant non-linear screenplay, never seen before in Tamil cinema. The film grows on you very gradually despite its brooding first half, but what follows post interval is top class and is worth every applaud or hoot that came its way."[33][34] Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu, while appreciating the film's narrative style and cinematography, commented, "Almost everything is perfect on paper. But something is lost on screen. We feel we should be laughing more, and that there are a few too many flat passages."[35] Malini Mannath of The New Indian Express said that "the light, interesting narrative style and quirky characters makes it [the film] a pleasant one-time watch."[36] N. Venkateswaran of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 in a scale of 5 and said, "Alphonse Putharen is a welcome addition to the new wave of Tamil film directors, and is a sign of the good times ahead for Indian cinema."[37] Mythily Ramachandran of Gulf Times said, "Puthren joins the league of a growing number of young directors in Tamil and Malayalam who are making a mark with their fresh ideas and novel presentation. Neram is a delightful way to while away time."[38] Shanmugan of Oneindia.in said, "Director Alphonse Putharen has created a working plot for Neram. Adding romantic charm and has come up with an enjoyable trait, which is infused with a good measure of likability."[39] Sify.com's gave the verdict as "Good" and concluded the review saying, "Neram is genuinely a good attempt to make something unusual by a group of youngsters, which has to be encouraged."[40]

Box office

The film netted ₹81 lakh (US$110,000) from 73 screens in its opening weekend (10–12 May) in Kerala.[41]

Awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony[lower-alpha 1] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Asiavision Awards 15 November 2013 New Sensation in Acting Nazriya Nazim Won [42]
Asianet Film Awards 10 January 2014 Best Star Pair Nivin Pauly & Nazriya Nazim Won
Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards 8 January 2014 Best Debut Actor Nivin Pauly Won [43]
Best Debut Actress Nazriya Nazim Won
Vanitha Film Awards 18 January 2014 Best Comedian Shammi Thilakan Won [44]
Vijay Awards 5 July 2014 Best Story, Screenplay Writer Alphonse Puthren Nominated [45]
Best Debut Actor Nivin Pauly Nominated
Best Debut Actress Nazriya Nazim Won
Best Supporting Actor Bobby Simha Nominated
Filmfare Awards South 12 July 2014 Best Male Debut – Tamil Nivin Pauly Won [46]
Best Female Debut – Tamil Nazriya Nazim Won
South Indian International Movie Awards 12—13 September 2014 Best Debut Director – Malayalam Alphonse Puthren Won [47]
[48]
[49]
Best Male Debut – Tamil Nivin Pauly Nominated
Best Female Debut – Tamil Nazriya Nazim Nominated
Best Actor in a Negative Role – Malayalam Bobby Simha Nominated
Best Actor in a Negative Role – Tamil Nominated
Best Fight Choreographer – Malayalam Run Ravi Nominated

Notes
  1. Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References
  1. "Tamil director Alphonse Putharen to make a Hindi remake of 'Neram'".
  2. Anu James (11 October 2015). "Happy Birthday Nivin Pauly: Journey of an engineer who has become youth icon of Malayalam films". International Business Times.
  3. "Nazriya has her hands full". Indiaglitz. 27 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  4. "The Pistah song is a tribute to Jagathy Sreekumar". The Times of India. 17 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  5. Deepa Gauri. The best of Malayalam cinema in 2013 26 December 2013 Khaleej Times
  6. "'Neram' Review Roundup: Worth Watching for Brilliant Narration". International Business Times. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  7. "'Neram' Nivin Pauly - Keeping fingers crossed!". Sify.com. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  8. "Udhayanidhi Stalin upbeat with Neram Response". Indiaglitz.com. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  9. Mythily Ramachandran (23 May 2013). "Neram is a tale of life". Gulf Times. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  10. Asha Prakash (27 May 2013). "Neram to be remade in Hindi". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  11. "Another director from short films". The Times of India. 28 February 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  12. Nikhil Raghavan (2 March 2013). "Etcetera: Good times bad times". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  13. "Nivin Pauly signs his first Tamil film!". 28 February 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  14. "Bhama turns uber chic". 11 July 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  15. "Nazriya is in demand". The Times of India. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
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  17. "Good times for Rajesh". The Times of India. 18 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  18. "Nivin Pauly heads to Kollywood". The Times of India. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  19. "Pistah fever hits Mollywood". The Times of India. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  20. "Neram was a challenge for me: Nivin Pauly". The Times of India. 30 November 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  21. "Neram Songs Review Neram, Nivin Pauly, Nazriya Nazim". www.behindwoods.com. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  22. "Neram (Music review), Tamil – Rajesh Murugesan by Milliblog!". Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  23. "Neram – Music Review (Tamil/Malayalam Movie Soundtrack)". Music Aloud. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  24. Neram Music Review - Times of India, retrieved 13 January 2020
  25. "Music Review: Neram (Malayalam/Tamil) | therarefied". Music Review. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  26. "Neram Tamil Movie Wallpapers - Nivin & Nazriya Nazim | New Movie Posters". 22 February 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
  27. "Red Giants to distribute 'Neram '". Sify. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
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  31. Aswin J Kumar (12 May 2013). "Neram". The Times of India. Indiatimes.com. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
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  33. "'Neram' - gem of Tamil cinema (Tamil Movie Review)". IANS. Newstrackindia.com. 18 May 2013. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
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  35. Baradwaj Rangan (18 May 2013). "Neram: A day in the life". The Hindu. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  36. Malini Mannath (23 May 2013). "Neram". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  37. N. Venkateswaran (20 May 2013). "Neram". The Times of India. Indiatimes.com. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  38. Mythily Ramachandran (23 May 2013). "Film review: Neram is a good time". Gulf Times. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  39. Shanmugan (17 May 2013). "Tamil Movie Neram Review". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  40. "Movie Review: Neram". Sify.com. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
  41. "'Neram' makes a huge impact in Kerala!". Sify.com. 13 May 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  42. "7th edition of Asiavision Film Awards 2013". Emirates 24/7. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  43. "Vikatan Awards 2013 - 1". Ananda Vikatan. 8 January 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  44. "Vanitha Film Awards 2014 - List of winners". Vinodadarshan. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  45. "8th annual Vijay Awards". International Business Times. 6 July 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  46. "61st Filmfare Awards South Winners List". International Business Times. 13 July 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
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  48. "SIIMA 2014 Tamil Nominations". International Business Times. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
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