Attahasa
Attahasa (transl. Defiance) is a 2013 Indian Kannada-language biographical film directed by A. M. R. Ramesh, based on the notorious forest brigand Veerappan. It was simultaneously filmed in Tamil as Vana Yuddham (transl. Forest war).[1] Kishore plays the role of Veerappan in the film, whilst featuring Arjun Sarja and Vijayalakshmi and Lakshmi Rai in the lead roles. After much delay in the theatrical release the film was opened to screens on 14 February 2013 all across the southern states of India to positive reviews.[2][3][4][5][6]
Attahasa | |
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Promotional poster in Kannada | |
Directed by | A. M. R. Ramesh |
Produced by | A. M. R. Ramesh V. Srinivas Jagadeesh |
Screenplay by | A. M. R. Ramesh |
Story by | A. M. R. Ramesh |
Starring | Arjun Kishore Vijayalakshmi |
Music by | Sandeep Chowta |
Cinematography | Vijay Milton |
Edited by | Anthony |
Production company | Akshaya Creations Sai Sri Cinemas S Lad Entertainment |
Release date |
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Country | India |
Language | Kannada Tamil |
Cast
- Arjun Sarja as D.G.P K. Vijay Kumar IPS, who killed Veerappan
- Kishore as Veerappan
- Lakshmi Rai as Vijetha Vasisht
- Vijayalakshmi as Muthulakshmi Veerappan, Veerappan's wife
- Suresh Oberoi as Rajkumar, who gets kidnapped by Veerappan
- Ravi Kale as Senthamarai Kannan
- Jayachitra as Jayalalitha, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- Sulakshana as Parvathamma Rajkumar
- Bhavana Rao as Chandhini
- Sampath Raj as Sethukuli Govindan
- A. M. R. Ramesh as Gurunatha
- Suchendra Prasad as DCF Srinivas
- Nagappa Maradagi (abducted along with Rajkumar) as himself
- Suresh Mangalore as Minister Nagappa
- V. I. S. Jayapalan
- Yogi Devaraj as Veerappan's father
- Suma Guha as Vijayakumar's wife
Production
In March 2011, A. M. R. Ramesh confirmed that his next directorial would be based on Veerappan and that he had completed the scriptment,[7] while adding that Kishore had already agreed to play the lead role of Veerappan. Ramesh had been researching on Veerappan for 10 years and had spoken with several key people who were associated with him or involved in various incidents.[8] Ramesh clarified that he would just present the real happenings, without taking any sides.[9] Arjun won the role of the chief Special Task Force officer Vijayakumar.[8] Initial reports claimed that Bollywood actress Rani Mukherji was considered for the role of Veerappan's wife, Muthulakshmi.[5] Sources in July 2011 reported that Priyamani and Jayachitra were signed on to portray Muthulakshmi and the role of Chief Minister Jayalalitha, respectively.[4] Priyamani denied being part of the project, adding that she was not offered the role.[10] Subsequently, Vijayalakshmi was finalized for the role.[9] Although Ramesh wanted Akkineni Nageswara Rao to play Kannada actor Rajkumar,[8] who was kidnapped by Veerappan, Suresh Oberoi was eventually roped in,[5] while Sulakshana would play his wife Parvathamma.[11] Ramya was initially supposed to enact the role of a journalist,[12] however the actress too dismissed the reports,[13] following which Nikita Thukral was approached for the role.[14] Lakshmi Rai then confirmed that she was offered the role.[15] Bhavana Rao, known under her stage name Shikha in Tamil cinema, revealed that she was playing a character called Chandhini, who was considered as "Veerappan's right-hand".[16] Nagappa Maradagi, who also was abducted by Veerappan, and Shivakumar Mugilan, who was part of Veerappan's gang, were involved in the making of the film.[5]
Vijay Milton and Anthony were confirmed as the cinematographer and editor, respectively,[8] while Sandeep Chowta was signed on to compose the film's score, although initial reports suggested that Yuvan Shankar Raja would be the music director.[8]
Release
The satellite rights of the film were secured by Sun TV. The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.
Reception
Srikanth Srinivasa of Rediff gave the film a rating of three out of five stars and praised the performance of Kishore as Veerappan in the film. Also, the role of the cinematographer was praised. Srinivasa concluded saying, "A M R Ramesh has made another visually captivating film, notwithstanding the flaws. The movie makes for quite an engaging watch with timelines and specific instances. Veerappan’s final encounter is interesting, making it an edge-of-the-seat thriller."[17] IBN too praised the performance of all the departments in the film and call the film, a technically brilliant biopic of Veerappan.[18]
Controversy
Mysore based writer T. Gururaj, who wrote a book on Veerappan titled Rudhra Narthana, filed a complaint against Ramesh for using his content in the film without his permission.[19]
Veerapan's wife Muthulakshmi filed a case against the film's production company calling for its ban, as she felt her husband was portrayed in a bad light.[20] The Supreme court of India asked the producers to pay Rs. 2.5 million to the widow. The film was then released during the course of the day.[21]
References
- "Veerappan Attahasa based on Dr. Rajkumar's kidnap". oneindia.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- "'Attahasa' on Thursday". IndiaGlitz. 13 February 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- Anasuya Menon (18 November 2011). "Life & Style / Metroplus : Moustache, his fortune". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- "Arjun, Priyamani in Vana Yuddham - Veerappan - Amr Ramesh - Priya Mani - Kishore - Vana Yuddham - Tamil Movie News". Behindwoods.com. 26 July 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- Veerappan’s Attahasa Rings Out Loud. Deccan Chronicle.
- "Veerappan Attahasa based on Dr. Rajkumar's kidnap". oneindia.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- "Ramesh to direct a film on Veerappan". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- "It's all about Veerappan — Entertainment — DNA". Daily News and Analysis. 12 April 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- "Arjun starts working for 'Vana Yudham' - Telugu Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 8 August 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- Prakash KL (30 July 2011). "Priyamani isn't Veerappan's wife". OneIndia. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- "Veerappan saga on screen". Sify. 12 August 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- V Lakshmi (15 July 2011). "Veerappan comes to Life". The Times of India. Event occurs at 01.36PM IST. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- Pratibha Joy (22 October 2011). "I'm not doing an item number: Divya Spandana". The Times of India. Event occurs at 12.47PM IST. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- "Nikitha is in demand". The Times of India. 15 September 2011. Event occurs at 06.28PM IST. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- Sunayana Suresh (6 November 2011). "Miracle on the sets of Vanayuddham". The Times of India. Event occurs at 06.28PM IST. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- Shankaran Malini (6 December 2011). "Shika: Back in K-Town". The Times of India. Event occurs at 11.00AM IST. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- "Review: Attahasa is an edge-of-the-seat thriller". Rediff. 15 February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- "Review: 'Attahasa' is a technically brilliant biopic of Veerappan". CNN-IBN. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
- "Attahasa controversy". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- "Veerappan's wife demands a ban on 'Vanayudham'". Cinemahour.com. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
- Venkatesan, J. (15 February 2013). "SC asks film producer to pay Rs. 25 lakh to Veerappan's widow". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 February 2013.