Thuppakki

In July 2011, it was reported that Vijay and AR Murugadoss would collaborate to make an action film, after completing their then-respective ongoing projects, Velayudham and 7aum Arivu.[4] Vijay's father S. A. Chandrasekhar was initially going to produce the film, but Kalaipuli S. Thanu eventually took over, producing it under his banner V Creations.[5][6] Although the film was initially titled Maalai Nerathu Mazhaithuli,[7] in December 2011, the new title was revealed: Thuppakki.[8] Instead of his regular editor Anthony and art director Rajeevan, Murugadoss chose A. Sreekar Prasad and Thota Tharani for those positions, respectively. Santosh Sivan was hired as cinematographer.[9]

Though Kingfisher Calendar model Angela Jonsson took part in a brief photoshoot with Vijay by Sivan in Chennai,[10] Kajal Aggarwal was eventually confirmed as the female lead,[11][12] while Akshara Gowda was cast in a special appearance.[13] Gautham Kurup was chosen to play a sleeper cell,[14] while Vidyut Jammwal, who was simultaneously shooting for Billa II, would be playing the main antagonist.[15] Sathyan confirmed his participation in the film in January 2012,[16] and Malayalam actor Jayaram confirmed his presence the following month.[17] In April 2012, Murugadoss confirmed that he himself would appear onscreen.[18] That was eventually revealed to be a cameo in the song "Google Google", where Sivan also cameoed.[19] Dubai-based Malayali orthodontist Prasanth Nair was also signed to play a small but important role, making it his acting debut in Tamil cinema.[20] Other supporting roles were played by Zakir Hussain, Manobala,[21] Raneesh, Meenakshi, Shankar Narayanan, Deepthi Nambiar, Anupama Kumar, newcomer Md Asif, Sanjana, Mangala Radhakrishnan and Supriya.[22]

DY Patil Stadium, as seen in the song "Antarctica".

Principal photography was initially supposed to start on 26 November 2011,[5] but the first schedule began in January 2012, and lasted for 35 days.[7][23] At Linking Road in Bandra, Vijay acted and operated the camera himself for one scene with Sivan's assistance, which had to be filmed quickly with the unaware public. Sivan commented that it was shot perfectly and decided to retain it in the film.[24] Sivan further told that a major part of the film was being shot in real locations with hidden cameras.[25] He shot Thuppakki with an Arri Alexa camera, as opposed to traditional 35 mm film.[7][26] Although Sivan has mostly preferred to shoot on film, he stated that he shot Thuppakki digitally because "the story and milieu of [Murugadoss's] script demanded it".[27]

In March, the unit completed a 10-day shoot in Bangkok for "Google Google", picturised on Vijay and Aggarwal.[28][29] In Mumbai, while Vijay was filming a sequence which involved him jumping from a height, he slipped and injured his knee; he was not wearing a knee-pad at the time. Shooting was stalled following the incident and Vijay left to London to undergo treatment.[30] One of the film's songs was shot atop of a train, along with 300 dancers constructed by art director Sunil Babu. The dance sequence, choreographed by Shobi, was shot in the Mumbai–Pune Expressway.[7] Another song, "Vennilave" was shot in Switzerland;[28] since Sivan was unable to give dates, Natarajan "Natty" Subramaniam shot it instead.[31][32] The song "Antarctica" was shot at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, with which principal photography wrapped.[33] The budget of the film was estimated to be ₹700 million (equivalent to ₹1.1 billion or US$15 million in 2019).[34]

Thuppakki's first look poster was leaked on 30 April 2012, a day prior to its scheduled release.[50] The poster, that depicted Vijay holding a cigar in his mouth, was criticised by social activists for violating the Indian Tobacco Act, which prohibits advertising tobacco products. Murugadoss explained that it was only for promotional purposes and added that the film had no such scenes, claiming that even a small sequence featuring Vijay smoking had been deleted from the film.[51]

In October 2012, another promotional poster, which depicted a police-uniform clad Vijay carrying Aggarwal on his hands was claimed to have been lifted from a poster of An Officer and a Gentleman (1982). Murugadoss claimed that Thuppakki did not have an army backdrop like An Officer and a Gentleman, but was set in Mumbai instead, going on to assert that everything in his film was original.[52] He however admitted to have used the poster of An Officer and a Gentleman, and told The Hindu, "Sometimes, you admire something so much that sub-consciously it becomes a part of your work".[53]

The makers initially announced that the film's first trailer would be released on 22 June, during Vijay's birthday.[54] However, the teaser release was postponed to 1 July, to avoid clashing with the theatrical release of Saguni.[55] Filmmaker Ravi Devan later sued the makers of Thuppakki, claiming that the title was too similar to that of his film Kallathuppakki, which he registered in 2009; this lawsuit also prevented Thuppakki's makers from carrying out any promotional campaigns for the film.[56] After Ravi Devan withdrew his case in early October, the first trailer was released in the same month.[37]

Overseas DVD were marketed by Lotus Fivestar and Seyons TSK.[57][58]

Thuppakki received mostly positive reviews from critics.[59] L Romal M Singh of Daily News and Analysis stated that the film "is different. The difference is visible in every shot, every dialogue spoken and the amazing attention to detail. What stands out most in this incredibly entertaining film is that Tamil films have finally come of age – in so many interesting ways".[60]. Deccan Chronicle rated it 3.5/5 and cited: "Thuppaki has come out as an action thriller that depends on mind games and smart plans rather than bloody fights. This is Murugados's film in its true sense and Vijay adds immense value to it by his performance".[61] CNN-News18 named it a "well written Tamil film that engages the audience" and added that it had "the energy of Vijay and intellect of AR Murugadoss".[62]

Manoj Kumar of International Business Times wrote: "Director AR Murugadoss makes sure that he does not regress with any of his films. He frequently comes out with a different plot and narration style, and Thuppaki is a brilliant example of this".[1] Sify's critic rated the film 4 out of 5 and stated that Murugadoss "has made a complete entertainer that blends with Vijay's mass image, thanks to his racy script", calling it a "perfect Diwali entertainer".[63] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu commented: "One of the first promos of the film, with snapshots of Mumbai, lurking terror, the antagonist threatening Vijay to which he responds 'I am waiting' went viral on social networks. The wait, clearly, has been worth it for the audience. And the man who's probably having the last laugh is Murugadoss".[64] For the same newspaper, Karthik Subrmaniam wrote, "One can only wonder just how much better Thuppakki would have been if it had done away with the song-and-dance-and-romance and such trappings."[2] Haricharan Pudipeddi of The New Indian Express said, "Most of the characters are made to look dumb as Vijay steals all the attention. Kajal's role as a boxer, which she squanders with her cliched performance, is definitely a turn off in the film. Jayaram and Sathyan, who're supposed to make us laugh, fail miserably in the process" and concluded, "In essence, "Thuppakki" has the energy of Vijay and intellect of A.R. Murugadoss".[65]

J Hurtado of Screen Anarchy called the cinematography "astonishingly good" and added that, "Murugadoss and Vijay have never worked on a better-looking movie", but called the film "an enjoyable, though largely forgettable film".[66] N. Venkateshwaran of The Times of India said, "Thuppakki will definitely be picked up by a big Bollywood star for a remake. For, the gun was bang on target".[67] In contrast, Vivek Ramz from in.com rated it 3 out of 5 and said that it "doesn't meet the huge expectations it had created for itself", calling it "another regular commercial film which entertains in bits and pieces".[68] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff rated the film 2.5 out of 5, saying "Vijay fans will find plenty to rejoice in this subdued avatar of their star, but audiences who seek intelligence in their movies will find it rather dull".[69]

On the opening day, Thuppakki netted around ₹92.5 million (US$1.3 million) in Tamil Nadu box office alone.[70] It collected a sum of ₹456 million (US$6.4 million) in Tamil Nadu,[71] and ₹653.2 million (US$9.2 million) worldwide by its first week.[41] In the UK and Ireland, Thuppakki grossed ₹ 1.85 crore after the fourth weekend.[72] In Australia, Thuppakki grossed A$80,264 (₹ 46,73,000) on six screens and the average per screen collection of the film stands out at A$1656 after two weeks.[73] The film continued to do good business at the international box office in its second week.[74] In Malaysia, it grossed $1,732,792 as of December 2012.[75] The film reached the ₹1 billion (US$14 million) mark in 11 days of its release,[76] and S. Saraswathi of Rediff stated that it was the first Tamil film to do so.[77] Its total domestic box office collections at the end of its run stood at ₹1.8 billion according to distributors Eros International.[78] Writing for International Business Times in 2017, Prakash Upadhyaya estimated the final worldwide earnings to be over ₹1.25 billion.[79]