Yaakkai (English: Body[1]) is a 2017 Indian Tamil romantic crime thriller film directed by Kuzhandhai Velappan, starring Krishna and Swathi Reddy in the leading roles. Featuring music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the film was released on 3 March 2017.[2]
| Yakkai | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Kuzhandai Velappan |
| Written by | Kuzhandai Velappan |
| Produced by | Muthukumaran |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Sathya Ponmar |
| Edited by | V. J. Sabu Joseph |
| Music by | Yuvan Shankar Raja |
Production company | Prim Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Cast
edit- Krishna as Kathir
- Swathi Reddy as Kavitha
- Prakash Raj as Sagayam
- Radha Ravi as Krishnamurthy
- Guru Somasundaram as Sriram
- M. S. Bhaskar as Kathir's father
- G. Marimuthu as Kavitha's father
- Singampuli as Muniyappan (Police)
- Mayilsamy as Bar Patron
- Melvin M. Ranjan as Melvin
- Hari Krishnan as Noor
- Aathma Patrick
Production
editIn November 2013, Kuzhandhai Velappan, who debuted with Aanmai Thavarael (2011), and Krishna announced that they would make a film titled Idhayam, and that the latter had purchased the title rights from the makers of the 1991 film of the same name.[3] The film underwent a title change from Idhayam to Yaakkai in November 2014, after the team had shot for six days and had cast Prakash Raj as a police officer and Swathi Reddy as the heroine.[4][5] The film was later put on hold until the completion of the lead pair's other ongoing project, Yatchan (2015).
The film then progressed throughout 2016, with Guru Somasundaram joining the cast to portray an antagonist in the film.[6] Shoots were predominantly held in college campuses across Chennai, while scenes were also shot in Coimbatore, Ooty and Kothagiri.[7] The film entered its post-production stages in July 2016, with Krishna dubbing for his portions in a single day.[8]
Soundtrack
edit| Yaakkai | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 15 October 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2016 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 14:06 | |||
| Label | U1 Records Divo | |||
| Producer | Yuvan Shankar Raja | |||
| Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology | ||||
| ||||
Two songs from the film were released as promotional singles, prior to the release of the film's album. "Nee" sung by Yuvan Shankar Raja was released to coincide with Valentine's Day in 2016, while another song titled "Solli Tholaiyen Ma" sung by Dhanush was released during July 2016.[9][10][11]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Neee" | Na. Muthukumar | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Solli Tholaiyen Maa" | Vignesh Shivan | Dhanush | 3:23 |
| 3. | "Naan Ini Kaatril" | Pa. Vijay | Yuvan Shankar Raja, Chinmayi | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Ennullae" | Pa. Vijay | Tanvi Shah | 3:33 |
| Total length: | 14:06 | |||
Critical reception
edit- Sify wrote "Throughout the film, the director takes the audiences for granted with amateurish writing and execution. Except for the visuals and Yuvan’s score nothing really works. To conclude, this is nothing but clumsy writing and execution."[12]
- New Indian Express wrote "Of about 127 minutes of viewing time, 'Yaakkai' is a monotonous journey, unexciting and uninteresting."[13]
- Behindwoods wrote "Kulandai Velappan’s writing is good and his idea to make a romantic crime thriller involving medical scam is commendable, as it is a road, not-much-taken. On the downside, the narration could have been much more effective and straightforward, which would have helped the film's engagement."[14]
- Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote "It comes and goes, and the only interesting aspect of the film, it turns out, is a trick built around the timeline of the narrative. But like everything else, it’s not pulled off well."[15]
References
edit- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Kreshna is the lead in Vijayalakshmi's film". Deccanchronicle.com. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Kazhugu Krishna will be doing a movie titled Idhayam". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ^ "Kreshna's Idhayam is Yakkai". Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
- ^ "Kreshna's 'Idhayam' is 'Yaakai' now". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
- ^ "Guru Somasundaram turns villain in Yaakkai". The Hindu. 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "'Yaakkai' is a breezy romantic film". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "Kreshna completes Yaakkai dubbing in a day". 10 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "Guru Somasundaram to play villain in Kreshna's Yaakkai". 13 September 2016. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ Menon, Vishal (4 June 2016). "Good times for Kollywood". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 4 June 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "Dhanush, Yuvan team up for Krishna". The Hindu. 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ "Yaakkai review- Underwhelming and boring". Sify. Archived from the original on 3 March 2017.
- ^ "Yaakkai review: Plot is an oft-told one". Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Yaakkai (Aka) Yakkai review". 3 March 2017. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)