Agadam

Agadam (transl. Wickedness [or] Injustice) is a 2014 Indian Tamil horror film directed by Mohamad Issack, featuring Baskar, Srini Iyer, Thamizh, Kalaisekaran, Saravana Balaji, Sri Priyanka, Anisha and master Ajay.[1] Agadam was certified by the Guinness World Records as the longest uncut film which has a running time for 2 hours, 3 minutes and 30 seconds.[2][3] was shot on 7 December 2012.

Agadam
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Mohamad Issack
Produced by	Mohamad Issack Rasiyabi Mohamad
Written by	Mohamad Issack
Starring	Tamizh Srini Iyer Sri Priyanka Baskar
Music by	Basker
Cinematography	E.J. Nauzad
Production company	Last Bench Boys Productions
Release date	3 January 2014 (2014-01-03)
Running time	123 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

The film, set in real time, starts with men burying the body of a woman whose ghost returns and haunts them.[1]

Issack remade the same film in Telugu as Seesa with Sivaji, Chesvaa and Namratha in the lead roles.[4]

Cast

• Tamizh
• Srini Iyer
• Sri Priyanka
• Baskar
• Kalaisekaran
• Saravana Balaji
• Anisha
• Master Ajay

Production

Official Guinness record awarded to Agadam

The entire film was shot on 7 December 2012 shot at a three-storey bungalow near Porur in Chennai.[2] The film running for 2 hours, 3 minutes and 30 seconds was shot on a single camera without any cuts and therefore awarded the Guinness World Record for being the longest uncut film,[3] beating the record held by Russian Ark directed by Alexander Sokurov, which used a single 96-minute Steadicam sequence shot.[5]

A director registered with the union (L. Suresh of Eththan fame), a notary public and a government teacher were present during the shoot,[6] while a team followed Isaak and the cinematographer E.J. Nauzad Khan and filmed the entire making of the film in order to send the video to the Guinness Record jury.[2] The camera used was a Sony NEX-FS100.[3]

Director Issack gave up his software job to "make a film that is different, yet entertaining" and said that he wanted his first film to make an impact.[2] He spent over a year on the script and stated that he was inspired by Russian Ark.[2] Ten people were involved in the making of the film, the director, the cameraman, and 8 actors,[3] who were all newcomers. The team rehearsed for over a month before the filming and the entire sequence was said to be rehearsed over 40 times.[2] Agadam was also the first film to be shot in the night effect with a hand-held camera.[6] The film, which had no songs, was awarded a U/A certificate by the Censor Board.[7]

Reception

Dinamalar appreciated the film stating that the film has a good medical message and stand out in its unique attempt of single shot filming. They also lauded the entire cast as well as the technician's, concluding that the slow pace of some part has not affected the good result.[8] Kungumam magazine appreciated the cameraman as well as director for making a single shot film completely in a house.[9] Maalai Malar daily mentioned that the cinematography as well as direction has to be appreciated, but music lacked the thrill. Overall the effort can be appreciated for making a single shot film.[10] In contrast, M. Suganth of The Times of India, who could not watch the film in one sitting due to a forced interval, rated the film 1.5 out of 5, saying that "Agadam is a cautionary tale that proves that while digital has made it possible for anyone to make a film, not everyone should make one."[11]

See also

• Single shot films

References

1. Sudhish Kamath (1 August 2013). "In one go..." The Hindu. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
2. K. Jeshi. "A record start". The Hindu. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
3. "Longest uncut film". Guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
4. "'Seesa' Ready For Release – Telugu Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
5. "Festival de Cannes: Russian Ark". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
6. "Gunning for the Guinness?". The Times of India. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
7. "'Agadam' A Single Shot Movie Breaks Guinness World Record! - Tamil Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 14 June 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
8. "தினமலர் விமர்சனம் - அகடம்". Dinamalar. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
9. "வண்ணத்திரை விமர்சனம்-அகடம்". Kungumam. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
10. "அகடம்". Maalai Malar. 3 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
11. Suganth, M. (3 January 2014). "Agadam Movie Review". The Times of India. Retrieved 20 January 2017.

External links

• Agadam on IMDb