Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru
Theatrical release poster
Tamil	துருவங்கள் பதினாறு
Directed by	Karthick Naren
Written by	Karthick Naren
Starring	Rahman
Music by	Jakes Bejoy
Cinematography	Sujith Sarang
Edited by	Sreejith Sarang
Production company	Knight Nostalgia Filmotainment
Distributed by	Dream Factory Venus Infotainment
Release date	29 December 2016 (2016-12-29)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru (English: 16 Extremes), also known as D-16, is a 2016 Indian Tamil language neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Karthick Naren and starring Rahman in the leading role.^[1] Featuring a predominantly new cast and crew, the film went on to gain positive reviews from film critics as well becoming a critical box office success.^[2][3] The film completed its 100 days on April 6, 2017.

The film was later dubbed in Telugu as 16: Every Detail Counts and released theatrically on 10 March 2017, receiving highly positive responses.^[4][5]

Cast

Production

In September 2015, Rahman revealed that he would work on a Tamil thriller film to be directed by Karthick Naren, then only aged twenty one years old. Rahman stated that was initially apprehensive about signing on to feature in a film to be made by newcomers and held a few hearings despite being impressed with the way the script was presented to him through a narration that was both "appealing and convincing".^[6][7] Debutant director Karthick revealed that Rahman was his "only choice" for the lead role, while stating the script was "the culmination of an intensive probe into the world of crime" and that his father would back the film as the producer. Sujith Sarang, Sreejith Sarang and Jakes Bejoy, who had previously worked together in Thakka Thakka (2015), collaborated again to work as the cinematographer, editor and music composer for the project.^[8] Sachin Sudhakaran and Hariharan worked on the sound engineering for the film, with Rajakrishnan assisting as the mixing engineer.^[9] Apart from Rahman, the only other notable actor cast in the film was Delhi Ganesh, with most of the remaining actors being newcomers. Ashwin Kumar, who previously appeared in a supporting role in Jacobinte Swargarajyam (2016), was also picked to play a role, with his identity kept secret during the promotions.^[10] Rookie actress Yaashika Aanand appeared in the role of Shruti, her second film appearance following a brief role in Kavalai Vendam (2016).^[11] Anjana Jayaprakash, who portrayed the role of Vaishnavi, was a college senior of the director and was signed after the pair had a mutual interest for working on short films.^[12]

The film was predominantly shot in October and November 2015, over a period of 28 days in and around Chennai, Coimbatore and Ooty.^[13][14] The film's first look was released by director Gautham Menon through a poster in January 2016, while R. Madhavan and A. R. Rahman released a further poster and the trailer of the film, respectively, during August 2016.^[15] Prior to the theatrical release of the film, Rahman screened the film for his friends in the film industry.^[16]

Soundtrack

Soundtrack contains two songs composed by Jakes Bejoy and the lyrics were written by Vivek and Mani Amudhan.^[17]

• Kaatril Oru — Lawrence, Kavita Thomas
• Uthira Kaayangal — Vijay Prakash

Release

The film was theatrically released across Tamil Nadu on 29 December 2016, alongside seven other films and played initially in 95 screens.^[18] However, by the first show, the film started receiving a good response, and positive word-of-mouth meant that 160 screens played the film in its second week. Furthermore, the film was moved from smaller halls in cinemas to the biggest main screens in several multiplexes across Chennai.^[19] It subsequently went on to become a commercial success at the box office, with Sify.com stating it was a "multiplex super hit".^[20] Following the release of the film, it received widespread critical acclaim with several Indian actors and technicians praising the venture. Rahman praised the team and stated he was "left in awe at the efforts of the youthful brigade, and things fell in place as if it was programmed that way" and noted that "the success should inspire other directors to think out of the box".^[21] Leading Tamil film technicians including A. R. Rahman, Shankar, AR Murugadoss and Karthik Subbaraj tweeted appreciating the film, as did actors such as Vijay, Silambarasan, Sivakarthikeyan, Rana Daggubati and Prashanth.^{[22][23][24][25]}

In his review for The Hindu, film critic Baradwaj Rangan gave the film a positive review and concluded that Dhruvangal Pathinaaru was "a procedural with solid writing, first-rate filmmaking", adding that the director had "announced that he’s a filmmaker".^[26] Similarly, The New Indian Express gave the film a very positive review stating "an eminently watchable suspense- thriller, Dhruvangal Pathinaaru has a universal sensibility and a feel that makes Tamil cinema proud", while also singling out Rahman stating he gave a "truly brilliant performance and the best in his career".^[27] Sify.com wrote it was a "well executed whodunit murder mystery" and added that the film "engages us throughout and keep throwing surprises till the end".^[28] Likewise, Behindwoods.com noted that it was "an engaging thriller with an impressive storyline" and that "Karthick is a director to look out for".^[29] Indiaglitz.com stated it was a "fantastic thriller", concluding "D16 is surely the surprise end package to the year 2016, a good finish from a logically sound and promising director supported by a good cast and fine technicalities".^[30] The film was later dubbed and released in Telugu as D16 was released in March 2017, after plans to remake it was dropped.^[31]

Spin-off

In 2017, Karthick Naren announced that his upcoming directorial venture Naragasooran would be the second of a "thriller trilogy" of films that began with Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, and set in the same universe as the latter film. ^[32]

References

External links

• Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru on IMDb