Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA
Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA is a 2013 Tamil political satire film directed by Manivannan. A sequel to Amaidhi Padai (1994), it stars Sathyaraj in his 200th film, reprising his role as Nagaraja Cholan from the original, alongside an ensemble cast including Seeman, Manivannan, his son Raghuvannan, Mrudula Murali, Komal Sharma and Varsha Ashwathi.[1] The film, featuring music composed by James Vasanthan, was produced by Ravichandran and K. Suresh under the banner of V House Production[2] and shot in Coimbatore and surrounding areas in one single schedule. Unlike the original, Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA opened to mixed reviews.[3] It was Manivannan's 50th and last film as a director and actor, as he died a month after the film's release.[4]
| Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster | |
| Directed by | Manivannan |
| Produced by | S. Ravichandran K. Suresh |
| Screenplay by | Manivannan |
| Story by | Manivannan |
| Starring | Sathyaraj Manivannan Seeman |
| Music by | James Vasanthan |
| Cinematography | D. Sankar |
| Edited by | R. Sudharsan |
Production company | V House Production |
Release date |
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Running time | 136 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | 2 cr |
| Box office | 2.5cr |
Cast
- Sathyaraj as Nagaraja Chozhan MA, MLA (Amavasai), who initially becomes deputy CM and then CM, CBI investigations officer Rajagopal IPS, two roles
- Manivannan as Ex-MLA Manimaran, the sidekick and ex-officio owner of Nagaraja's illegal properties
- Seeman as a farmer and farmer rights activist
- Raghuvannan as Gangaikondaan, Nagaraja's son who was later the acting chief minister
- Mrudula Murali as Shenbagavalli, Gangaikondaan's wife
- Komal Sharma as school teacher Kamalini, Seeman's fiancée
- M. S. Bhaskar as MLA Kootha Perumal, the leader of the party in ruling coalition who merges his party with the ruling party for Nagaraja Chozhan to become CM
- Varsha Ashwathi as Amudha, Nagaraja Chozhan's mistress who was initially Manimaran's mistress
- Sujatha Sivakumar as Kamalini's widow mother and Seeman's sister
- Ansiba Hassan
- “Oorvambu” Laxmi as Journalist
- Vaiyapuri
- K. P. Jagannath
- Krishnamoorthy
- Rajkanth
Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack and score were composed by James Vasanthan.
| Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2013 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| James Vasanthan chronology | ||||
| ||||
- Kannadi Papa — Pooja
- Malamele — Palaniammal, Mahalingam
- Mamanukku Ennadi — Nancy, Vasudha, Sarayu
- Suda Sudathan — MK Balaji
- Viraivil Vidiyum — James Vasanthan
Critical reception
The Times of India gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "If you are familiar with Nagaraja Cholan as a ruthless politician, who rose from being Ammavasai in Amaidhipadai, this movie will definitely disappoint you...his resurrection after almost 20 years ends up a failed attempt to build on the character...The movie is a pale shadow of the original, except for the few scenes involving Cholan and his trusted aide Manimaran".[5] Baradwaj Rangan wrote, "The film seems to be some sort of science fiction, unfolding in a parallel dimension even as the events in Amaidhipadai were taking place. But this isn't the real problem with Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA. If Manivannan wants to take a hit character from a hit film and spin a new story around him, that's his prerogative — except that the story, this time, doesn't stick".[6]
References
- "Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA replaces Amaidhi Padai". Behindwoods. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- "Manivannan's 50th movie Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA". Sify. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- "Nagaraja Chozhan MA, MLA fails to impress!". in.com. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- http://archives.deccanchronicle.com/130615/news-current-affairs/article/tamil-actor-director-manivannan-passes-away
- "Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA Movie Review {2.5/5}: Critic Review of Nagaraja Cholan MA MLA by Times of India".
- Rangan, Baradwaj (11 May 2013). "Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA: The party's over" – via www.thehindu.com.