Kadaram Kondan

Kadaram Kondan (transl. Conqueror of Kadaram) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Rajesh M. Selva and produced by Kamal Haasan. The film stars Vikram in the lead role and Akshara Haasan and Abi Hassan in supporting roles. It was shot between September 2018 and January 2019, and released on 19 July 2019, along with its Telugu-dubbed version Mr. KK. It is an official remake of the 2010 French film Point Blank.

Kadaram Kondan
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRajesh M. Selva
Produced byKamal Haasan
R. Ravindran
Written byRajesh M. Selva
Starring
Music byGhibran
CinematographySrinivas R. Gutha
Edited byPraveen K. L.
Production
company
Distributed byTrident Arts
Release date
  • 19 July 2019 (2019-07-19)
Running time
121 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

The notorious criminal KK (Vikram) barely escapes from the Petronas Towers after a botched robbery, but gets injured in a car accident and goes into a coma for few months.[1]

Several months later, Vasu (Abi Hassan), a doctor, and his pregnant wife Aatirah (Akshara Haasan) begin their life in Kuala Lumpur. Vasu saves KK's life after a murder attempt but is reprimanded by his strict supervisor. After he comes back from work, an assailant knocks him out and kidnaps his wife. KK's brother holds her hostage and forces Vasu to smuggle KK out of the hospital, which is under heavy police guard as they seek to find KK's identity. Vasu and KK's brother attempt to meet at KL Sentral, but have to leave after the rival gang who previously pursued KK shows up.

Two teams of rival cops, one by-the-book and another who rely more on extrajudicial methods but are praised for their results, compete to find the duo first. As cops are on the hunt for KK and Vasu, they realize there are moles within the department as well, and now it's up to KK and Vasu to escape from the threats and rescue Aatirah.

Cast
  • Vikram as KK, a criminal who previously used several pseudonyms[2]
  • Akshara Haasan as Aatirah[3]
  • Abi Hassan as Vasu Rajagopalan[4]
  • Lena as Kalpana[5]
  • Vikas Shrivastav as Vincent Rajadurai[5]
  • Puravalan as Navin[6]
  • Ravindra as Umar Ahamed[7]
  • Cherry as Catherine Williams[8]
  • Rajesh Kumar as Amaldas David, Chief of Police[9]
  • Jasmine Kaur as Annie Jayanathan[10]
  • Siddhartha as Nandha[11]
  • Jawaharlal as Anad Makaio
  • Mukund as a duty doctor
  • Sandeep
  • Senthil
  • Mukund
  • Padmini as Kumutha
  • Baby Dhanyashree as Aatirah and Vasu's daughter
  • Preetha as a gynecologist

Production

Film producer Chandrahasan initially wanted to make a film under his banner Raaj Kamal Films International with his brother Kamal Haasan starring and Rajesh Selva directing. Selva got this offer immediately after the release of his Thoongaa Vanam, which also starred Kamal. But Kamal became busy in his political career, so Selva instead approached Vikram who agreed to act in the still-untitled film after being impressed with the story Selva narrated to him. Chandrahasan later died, therefore he could not produce the project.[12]

On 30 August 2018, Kamal officially announced the still-untitled film which he would produce with Selva directing, while Vikram, Akshara Haasan, and Abi Hassan would star.[13] Srinivas R. Gutha was announced as the cinematographer,[14] while Praveen K. L. joined as editor. The film, which was co-produced by R. Ravindran of Trident Arts,[15] began filming on the same day.[16] The film's title Kadaram Kondan and first look poster were revealed on 6 November, the eve of Kamal's birthday.[17] The film was shot in Kuala Lumpur for a month,[18] where the shooting schedule ended in late November.[14] Principal photography ended on 9 January 2019, with the exception of a song sequence and "a few patch works".[19]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is composed by Ghibran, continuing his association with the director and Kamal after Thoongaa Vanam.[13] The music rights were bought by Muzik 247.[20]

Kadaram Kondan
Soundtrack album by
Ghibran
Released1 May 2019 (First Single)
10 July 2019 (Second Single)
22 July 2019 (Third Single)
Recorded2019
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length10:59
LanguageTamil
LabelMuzik 247
Ghibran chronology
Athiran
(2019)		 Kadaram Kondan
(2019)		 Rakshasudu
(2019)
External audio
Official Video Song 1 on YouTube
Official Video Song 2 on YouTube
Official Video Song 3 on YouTube
Tamil Tracklist
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Kadaram Kondan"Priyan, ShabirShruti Haasan, Shabir3:18
2."Thaarame Thaarame"VivekaSid Sriram3:48
3."Theesudar Kuniyuma"VivekaVikram3:53
Total length:10:59
Telugu Tracklist
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Mr.KK"Ramajogayya SastryAditya Iyengar, Geetha Madhuri3:18
2."Okka Nuvvu Chaalu"Ramajogayya SastryAnudeep Dev3:48
3."Vikramarkuda Go Go Go"Ramajogayya SastryRevanth4:10
Total length:11:16

Release

Kadaram Kondan was released on 19 July 2019, alongside its Telugu-dubbed version Mr. KK.[21]

Box office

According to trade estimates, Kadaram Kondan collection managed to rake in Rs 50 crore in the opening weekend at the box office.[22]

Critical reception

M. Suganth of The Times of India wrote, "The action scenes make Kadaram Kondan a visceral experience, even though Rajesh Selva’s filmmaking falls short on flair. As long as we get a chase or a shootout, the film feels thrilling enough. It is only in the quieter moments, like the initial scenes that set up the story, that get us restless. Thankfully, Ghibran’s energetic wall-to-wall score lends the film momentum. And Vikram ensures that we don’t leave disappointed".[23]

Srivatsan S of The Hindu wrote, "A ‘time bomb’ narrative that takes a while to explode. But when it does, it's a smart guessing game".[24]

India Today reviewer Kirubhakar Purushothaman rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Kadaram Kondan is a decent entertainer if one is ready to overlook a few silly contrivances and over-the-top heroism".[25]

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote "We want a series of set pieces that tumble into one another with wit and elegance and heart-stopping precision. What we get is indifferently staged “scenes” that feel distant and disconnected. (The least you expect in these films is technique.)"[26]

Controversy

Although 90 percent of the film was shot in Malaysia, it was not released there. According to Lotus Five Star, holder of the film's distribution and theatrical rights in Malaysia, the film was banned per orders of LPF (Film Censorship Board of Malaysia) due to the story's portrayal of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) in a negative light and for portraying police officers as corrupt and for scenes which supposedly inaccurately and misleadingly represent the police force. In addition, the makers of the film failed to get necessary police permits to shoot scenes in Malaysia; the Malaysian law requires that film production receives permission from the relevant authorities such as FINAS, PUSPAL and others before shooting.[27][28][29]

References
  1. "Kadaram Kondan Full Review in Details with Role Character, Total Real Collection". Yonocreator.com. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  2. "Kadaram Kondan teaser: Vikram plays the bad man in this Kamal Haasan production. Watch teaser". Hindustan Times. 15 January 2019. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  3. Kumar, Pradeep (6 July 2019). "'Kadaram Kondan' is my shot at redemption: Akshara Haasan". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  4. Kumar, Pradeep (10 July 2019). "'I didn't get 'Kadaram Kondan' because I'm Nasser's son,' says Abi Haasan". The Hindu. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  5. S, Srivatsan (24 July 2019). "Vikram and Rajesh M Selva on the set of 'Kadaram Kondan'". Times of India. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  6. RaajKamal Films International (6 July 2019). "Our talented actor from Singapore Puravalan as Navin! #KKCharacters #Kadaram Kondan #KKFromJuly19". Facebook. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  7. RaajKamal Films International (6 July 2019). "Our daring Ravindra as Umar Ahamed! #KKCharacters #Kadaram Kondan #KKFromJuly19". Facebook. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  8. Paresh, Heera (19 July 2019). "'Kadaram Kondan' Review: High on action, thrilling in parts". Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  9. RaajKamal Films International (6 July 2019). "Our super talented Rajesh Kumar as Amaldas David! #KKCharacters #Kadaram Kondan #KKFromJuly19". Facebook. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  10. Sathiabalan, S. Indra (19 July 2019). "Taking that leap to be an actress". The Sun Daily. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  11. RaajKamal Films International (6 July 2019). "Our charming Siddhartha as Nandha! #KKCharacters #Kadaram Kondan #KKFromJuly19". Facebook. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  12. LMK (8 February 2019). "Kamal Haasan's exit from Kadaram Kondan makes way for Chiyaan Vikram". In.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  13. "Kamal Haasan's film with Vikram & Akshara Haasan launched". The Times of India. 30 August 2018. Archived from the original on 21 September 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  14. "Kadaram Kondan Malaysian schedule wrapped". Cinema Express. 30 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 December 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  15. "Vikram's Kadaram Kondan teaser topped YouTube trends". Sify. 16 January 2019. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  16. "Kamal Haasan's Vikram-starrer starts rolling". Deccan Chronicle. 1 September 2018. Archived from the original on 19 September 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  17. "Kadaram Kondan first look: Handcuffed Chiyaan Vikram manoeuvres your mind with his new avatar". The New Indian Express. 6 November 2018. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  18. "Chiyaan Vikram's next titled 'Kadaram Kondan'". The Times of India. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 23 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  19. Chakraborthy, Antara (9 January 2019). "Vikram's Kadaram Kondan wraps up shooting". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 10 January 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  20. "Chiyaan Vikram's action-packed 'Kadaram Kondan' trends on YouTube". Manorama Online. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  21. "Chiyaan Vikrams Kadaram Kondan to release on July 19". Sify. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  22. "Kadaram Kondan box office collection: Chiyaan Vikram starrer beats big Hollywood movie The Lion King, earns this big amount - Rs 50 crore!". zeebiz.com. 22 July 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  23. Suganth, M. (19 July 2019). "Kadaram Kondan Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  24. S, Srivatsan (19 July 2019). "'Kadaram Kondan' review: Vikram cakewalks through this quite engaging thriller". The Hindu. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  25. Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (19 July 2019). "Kadaram Kondan review: Vikram and Rajesh M Selva pull off a neat thriller". India Today. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  26. Rangan, Baradwaj (23 July 2019). "Kadaram Kondan: A Flat Thriller That Dares You To Care". Film Companion. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  27. "LPF nafi Kadaram Kondan tak ditayang kerana tajuk". MalaysiaKini. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  28. "Reasons For Kadaram Kondan Ban Revealed!". Astro Ulagam. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
  29. "Why is Vikram's Kadaram Kondan banned in this country?". International Business Times. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
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