Yaan (film)

Yaan (Me) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written, directed and filmed by Ravi K. Chandran. It features Jiiva and Thulasi Nair in the lead roles.[1] The film's soundtrack and score was composed by Harris Jayaraj, while editing and art direction were done by A. Sreekar Prasad and Sabu Cyril, respectively.[2] Resul Pookutty was in charge of the sound mixing and Brinda was in charge of the choreography.[3] The film was dubbed and released in Telugu as Rangam 2 in 2016.[4] The movie was reported to be based on the 1978 movie Midnight Express.[5] It was dubbed in Hindi as Jaan Ki Baazi by Goldmines Telefilms in December 2016.

Yaan
Theatrical Poster
Directed byRavi K. Chandran
Produced byElred Kumar
Jayaraman
Written byRavi K. Chandran
Starring
Music byHarris Jayaraj
CinematographyManush Nandan
Edited byA. Sreekar Prasad
Production
company
R. S. Infotainment
Distributed byDream Factory
Release date
  • 2 October 2014 (2014-10-02)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

The film begins in Mumbai where cops plan the encounter of terrorist Malik Shah (Nawab Shah), who is a notorious criminal. The cops succeed in trapping him, and Police Commissioner Anwar Ali (Jayaprakash) kills Malik. Then comes Chandrasekhar alias Chandru (Jiiva), a happy-go-lucky, jobless youth who is an MBA graduate and lives in his grandmother's expense. Chandru meets Sreela (Thulasi Nair) on the day of encounter and helps her elope the spot, saving her life. Chandru falls for Sreela at first sight and starts to follow her. Though initially she refuses him, they both fall in love soon. As usual, Sreela's father Rajan (Nassar) opposes their marriage as Chandru is jobless and does not have an income. Hence, Chandru decides to find a job with full fledge. He finally gets a job offer in 'Basilistan', a strict Islamic nation. Chandru travels to Basilistan with the help of a travel agent named Haridas (Bose Venkat). He also introduces Iqbal (Danush Bhaskar), an autistic teen boy to Chandru, who is also travelling to Basilistan for a work and asks Chandru to take care of him until they reach Basilistan, Morocco.

A shock awaits Chandru and Iqbal, as they are arrested in Basilistan airport for carrying drugs. In the court, Chandru sees a man named Abdul Rashid, a wealthy entrepreneur from Basilistan, who resembles Malik. Chandru is interrogated by the officials. He claims that he is innocent but is sent to prison with a note that drug trafficking is a punishable offence in Basilistan, and he will be killed by the officials. Chandru understands that it was a trap set up by Haridas. Chandru meets Chinna (Thambi Ramaiah), an inmate at the jail who is a Tamil guy. Chinna is arrested for a small crime and is about to be released soon. Chinna tells Chandru that if someone from India can help him find a lawyer at Basilistan, he will get bail and will be released. Chandru sends a note for Sreela through Chinna, and Sreela decides to help Chandru. With Anwar's help, Sreela travels to Basilistan to rescue Chandru. She meets a Tamil taxi driver who drives her to the jail. On the way, they witness the execution of the criminals. She is shocked to see Chandru among the group and is deeply hurt. Luckily for Chandru, execution did not happen because of the broken sword whilst executing Imran. He is taken back to jail. Chandru escapes the jail and meets Sreela. They both escape the place with the taxi driver's help.

Meanwhile, it is revealed that Rashid is none other than Malik himself, who faked the encounter with a dummy. Fearing that his identity will be revealed by Chandru, he follows Chandru and Sreela to kill them. They cross the Basilistan border with a camel, and Malik gets killed. Finally, Chandru and Sreela escape from Basilistan.

Cast

Production

Development

In December 2012, cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran announced that he would make his directorial debut with a film Yaan featuring Jiiva in the lead role.[6] It was reported that Elred Kumar, owner of production company R. S. Infotainment, would produce the film [7] and that Kajal Aggarwal would play the female lead[8] but the role went to Thulasi Nair. Elred Kumar, in an interview to The Times of India said that Ravi K. Chandran and Jiiva wanted to pitch a story to him, and he was initially hesitant at first as he thought that Chandran would come up with an arty subject, but he immediately agreed to produce the film when Chandran came up with an action story.[9] Jiiva was said to play Chandru, an unemployed MBA graduate with a "happy-go-lucky nature", while Thulasi Nair's character, Sreela, was a "sincere, responsible girl" who is just out of college.[10] Stuntman Mustapha Touki, who had worked in films like Babel (2006), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012), was hired to choreograph the action and stunt sequences.[11] Karunakaran was selected to play a supporting role, in a role originally written for Prakash Raj.[12] This movie is almost a remake of Midnight Express, a 1978 American/British film directed by Alan Parker.[13]

Filming

The film's launch was held at Gokuldham Temple, Goregaon, Mumbai in November 2012,[14] where photoshoots were done.[15] In March 2013, about 65% of the film was completed in Chennai, Hyderabad and Karjat.[16] Further shooting was done in Morocco, where a lot of action sequences were filmed,[17] and also shooting was done in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mumbai and Iceland.[18] The lead pair changed 50 costumes each for the song sequence of Latcham Calorie in the film.[19] Two song sequences were shot in Switzerland.[20] The climax portions were wrapped up by the beginning of August 2014, along with further schedules in Rajasthan.[21] On 2 September 2014, Jiiva confirmed on his Twitter account that the shooting of the film was completed.[22]

Music
Yaan
Soundtrack album by
Harris Jayaraj
Released12 May 2014
Recorded2014
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length23.43
LanguageTamil
LabelSony Music India
ProducerHarris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj chronology
Idhu Kathirvelan Kadhal
(2014)		 Yaan
(2014)		 Yennai Arindhaal
(2015)

Harris Jayaraj composed the soundtrack album, scoring for Jiiva for the fourth time. Lyrics were written by Vaali, Pa. Vijay, Thamarai and Kabilan.[23] Harris recorded the songs in New York, Florida, Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico.[24] The album was released on 12 May 2014.[25] In early September 2014. Harris began work on the background score of the film.[26] On 12 September 2014, Harris confirmed that the background score for the first half of the film had been completed.[27]

The soundtrack received generally positive reviews from critics. S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu described "Aathangara Orathil" as "interesting and energetic" and "Nenje Nenje" as "charming", while also stressing that "Latcham Calorie" "is sure to strike a chord with listeners".[28] Behindwoods rated the album 3 out of 5 and stated that it had "some new ideas within Harris's popular template".[29] Indiaglitz described the tracks on the album as "sweet pills from Harris to get completely mesmerised in," with praise being dedicated to "Aathangara Orathil" for its unique combination of Kuthu and Rap music, "Nee Vandhu Ponadhu" for its blend of Carnatic and Trance music and "Latcham Calorie" for its "instantly likeable tune".[30] Karthik of Milliblog provided a mixed review and stated that, "But for "Hey Lamba Lamba" and "Nenje Nenje", Yaan is Yawn".[31]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Hey Lamba Lamba"VaaliDevan Ekambaram, Krishna Iyer, Divya Vijay4:49
2."Aathangara Orathil"KabilanGana Bala, M. C. Vickey4:24
3."Latcham Calorie"Pa.VijayArjun Menon, Chinmayi5:24
4."Nenje Nenje"KabilanP. Unni Krishnan, Chinmayi, Praveen Saivi3:22
5."Nee Vandhu Ponadhu"ThamaraiKK, Bombay Jayashree, Ramya NSK, Megha6:24
Total length:23.43

Release

The film's release was earlier planned for June 2014 [32] but it was pushed to October 2014.[33] Dream Factory bought the film's worldwide distribution rights.[34] The theatrical release rights of the film in Chennai, Chengalpattu and Madurai went to Gopuram films.[35] The satellite rights of the film were sold for ₹3.5 crore (US$490,000) to Zee Thamizh.[36]

The trailer of the film was launched on 3 September 2014[37] and received positive response.[38] The teaser features Jiiva in a police uniform confirming that he would portray the role of a police officer in the film.[39] Bollywood Life wrote in its teaser review, "With few gunshots and blasts and lots and lots of running, Yaan seems to be an intense action thriller. It looks like we are in for a roller coaster cat and mouse chase between our hero and the baddies."[40] The Trailer reached 400,000 hits in 3 days on YouTube.[9] The trailer crossed 1 million views on 14 September 2014.[41] A video clip of the song "Aathangara Orathil" was premiered on Zee Thamizh on 17 September 2014.[42]

Critical reception

The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Baradwaj Rangan from The Hindu wrote, "Ravi K Chandran is a great cinematographer — of that there is little doubt. But his first outing as writer-director, Yaan, is a major disappointment".[43] M. Suganth of The Times Of India gave 2 out of 5 and wrote, "...despite all the colours on screen, this is such a dull, flavourless film, let down by the writing, which is preposterous and uninspiring".[44] Rediff gave the film 2 stars out of 5 as well and wrote, "Aside from the exceptional camera work, there is nothing remarkable about Yaan", going on to call it "a long, tedious and completely over-the-top action drama" and a "terrible bore".[45] IANS gave it a score of 1 out of 5 and wrote, "Jiiva has been an actor for nearly a decade and he should know best what will be accepted by the audience. Chandran has worked as a cinematographer for over two decades and he should've known better too. Together they've produced a film that makes you yawn in boredom".[46] Sify wrote, "Yaan is a mixed bag and the noted cameraman turned director seems to be largely influenced by Bollywood flicks. It is well made, glossy but lacks a proper script".[47] Behindwoods rated the film 2 out of 5 and wrote, "Yaan has solid milieu, at least on paper. However, it is let down by a very weak narration".[48] silverscreen.in wrote, "Except for picture perfect visuals, there is hardly anything memorable about this film. One can’t think of a single memorable song or line or performance, even though there was a solid technical team to back up the director".[49] Cinemalead rated a 2 out of 5 and wrote,"Wannabe glossy commercial which goes berserk." [50]

Box office

Yaan released across 350 screens worldwide. The film collected ₹2.78 crore (US$390,000) on the first day of its release in Tamil Nadu.[51]

Plagiarism allegations

Although Ravi K. Chandran initially claimed that Yaan was an original script inspired by a true incident, Elred Kumar realised he had substantially plagiarised the British film Midnight Express (1978). Kumar later sent a legal notice to Chandran for "breaching the agreement he had signed that the story is original".[52]

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References
  1. "Thulasi Nair follows her sister's footsteps". Zee News. 29 September 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  2. "Jiiva-Thulasi's 'Yaan' to roll". Sify. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  3. "Jiiva – Ravi K Chandran's trilingual titled 'Yaan'!". Indiaglitz. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  4. Rangam 2 Telugu movie review | Rangam 2 Movie Review & Rating | Jiiva Rangam 2 Movie Review | Rangam 2 Telugu cinema review | Rangam 2 Film Review | Rangam 2 Telugu Review | Rangam 2 Twitter Updates | Rangam 2 movie First Day TalK | Rangam 2 Review | Rangam 2 USA Talk. 123telugu.com (2016-11-25). Retrieved on 2017-09-07.
  5. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/southern-movies-inspired-without-credit-heres-list-20556
  6. "Directed by film maker Ravi K, 'Yaan' will have actor Jiiva in it". IBNLive. 17 December 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  7. "Tamil film 'Yaan' to star Jiiva and Thulasi Nair in the lead". IBNLive. 25 January 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  8. "Kajal Aggarwal to play lead in Jiiva's next film 'Yaan'". IBNLive. 28 August 2012.. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  9. M. Suganth (7 September 2014). "Ravi K Chandran surprises with an action entertainer". The Times of India. Retrieved 7 September 2014.
  10. Sharanya CR (24 September 2014) "Jiiva’s funny side in Yaan". The Times of India.
  11. "International stunt coordinator on board for 'Yaan'". IANS. 12 February 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  12. Gupta, Rinku (12 May 2014). "'My first shot in 'Yaan' was by Ravi sir himself!'". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  13. Claims of plagiarism pile on Kollywood. The Hindu (2014-11-20). Retrieved on 2017-09-07.
  14. "'Yaan' pooja done in Mumbai, with Jiiva and Thulasi". Indiaglitz. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  15. "'Yaan' progressing in Mumbai". The Times of India. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  16. Prasad, Shiva (3 March 2013). "'Yaan' is 65% complete". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  17. "'Yaan': Jiiva shoots for an action-packed chase sequence in Morocco". IBNLive. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  18. "'Yaan' team back in Mumbai". The Times of India. 10 May 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  19. V. Lakshmi (20 July 2014). "Jiiva, Thulasi to sport 100 outfits for a song". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  20. "Jiiva's 'Yaan' goes to Switzerland". The Times of India. 23 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
  21. "An exotic spot planned for Jiiva's 'Yaan'". Behindwoods. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  22. "'Yaan' shooting wrapped up". Moviecrow. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  23. tamil kavithai, Selva (11 January 2015). "Paadal varigal of Yaan". tamilsonglyrics. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  24. "Harris in New York for 'Yaan' music!".The Times of India. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  25. "Yaan's audio launch on 12th May!". The Times of India. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  26. "Why is 'Yaan' special". The Times of India. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  27. "Harris Jayaraj gets busy with 'Yaan'". The Times of India. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  28. Kumar, S. R. Ashok (7 June 2014). "Audio Beat: Yaan – Melody, gana, rap". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  29. "YAAN SONGS REVIEW". Behindwoods. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  30. "Yaan – Sweet pills from Harris to get mesmerized complete". Indiaglitz. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  31. Karthik (12 May 2014). "Yaan (Music review), Tamil – Harris Jayaraj". Milliblog. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  32. "'Yaan' to release in June?". The Times of India. 19 April 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  33. "'Yaan' trailer launched". The Times of India. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  34. "Successful producers unite for 'Dream Factory'". The Times of India. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  35. "Jiiva's 'Yaan' is red hot in the market". Behindwoods. 8 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  36. "'Yaan' sold to Zee Tamil for a huge amount". The Times of India. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  37. Nicy V. P. (2 September 2014). "Jiiva's 'Yaan' Trailer to Release on 3 September". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  38. Seshagiri, Sangeetha (3 September 2014). "Jiiva's Action-Packed 'Yaan' Trailer Released". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  39. Mishra, Nivedita (3 September 2014). "WATCH: Terror's the new baddie and Jiiva's 'Yaan' makes all the right noises". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 September 2014.
  40. Harikumar, Subramanian (3 September 2014). "'Yaan' trailer: Jiiva’s action thriller looks promising!". Bollywood Life. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  41. "A million for 'Yaan'!". Behindwoods. 14 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  42. "'Yaan's extravagant dance number". Behindwoods. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2014.
  43. Baradwaj Rangan (3 October 2014) Yaan: All icing, no cake. The Hindu
  44. "Yaan". The Times Of India. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  45. "Review: Yaan is a terrible bore". Rediff. 2 October 2014.
  46. "Tamil movie review: Yaan is very predictable". Hindustan Times. 3 October 2014
  47. "Movie Review : Yaan". Sify.
  48. "YAAN MOVIE REVIEW".Behindwoods. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  49. "A Big Yawn: The Yaan Review". Silverscreen.in.
  50. "Yaan Movie Review | Tamil Movie Review | Movie Review". cinemalead.com.
  51. "Yaan takes a big opening".Iflickz. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  52. "'Yaan' makers send legal notice to director Ravi Chandran". IANS Live. 27 November 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
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