Kattradhu Thamizh (Tamil: கற்றது தமிழ்; English: Learned Tamil ; previously titled Tamil M. A.) is a 2007 Indian Tamil drama film written and directed by newcomer Ram and produced by N. Shivaprasad and Salmara Mohammad Sharief. It stars Jeeva in lead role and newcomer Anjali and Karunas in other major roles. The film was released on 6 October 2007.
Kattradhu Thamizh is a film about an ordinary young Tamil-postgraduate, who, frustrated with the circumstances and futility of his job, slowly loses his mental balance and becomes a psychopath. The film, though commercially not successful, was critically acclaimed.
Plot
The film is showcased by the director to highlight the performance of Jeeva. Armed with a well written role of Prabhakar, a brilliant post-graduate in Tamil, the actor brings a primal mixture of beauty, love, affection, and savagery to his one-man act. The scene where he confronts a call centre employee, in the middle of the night on a deserted street and pours his scorn and frustration at the system, is brilliant.
Prabhakar (Jeeva) is a Tamil teacher in a private school in west Mambalam area of Chennai, who leads a lonely life in a lodge. He is frustrated and even tries to commit suicide, in a system where knowing your mother tongue and teaching it is looked down upon by a society craving for material benefits and imbalance in pay structure. 10 years back, there were people who were getting Rs 2000 and Rs 20000, but today all that have changed as there are individuals working for IT companies drawing Rs 2 lakhs as salary, while the guy who gets Rs 2000 is still there trying to eke out a living!
Prabhakar, for no fault of his is at the receiving end, terrorized by cops and on the run after killing a railway booking clerk in a fit of rage. He roams all around the country and joins some saadhus, high on pot and also grows his hair long and keeps a shaggy beard. Finally he wants to exorcise the devils within and at gun point kidnaps a television anchor (Karnas), who records his life story, where he confesses to killing 22 people in cold blood! In the flashback he reveals his past, his upbringing by a Tamil teacher (Azhagamperumal) and his childhood sweet heart Anandhi (Anjali) who later in his life becomes an obsession for him.
Cast and crew
Cast
* Jeeva as Prabhakar
* Anjali as Anandhi
* Karunas as Yuvaan-Suang
* Azhagam Perumal as Poobaal Raavar
Crew
* Story, Screenplay, Direction: Ram
* Production: N. Shivaprasad & Salmara Mohammad Sharief
* Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
* Cinematography: S. R. Kadhir
* Editing: A. Sreekar Prasad
* Stunts: Rajasekhar
* Art direction: Raghavan
* Choreography: Dinesh
* Audiography: A.S. Laxmi Narayanan
* Lyrics: Na. Muthukumar
* Banner: M. R. Film Production
The soundtrack was composed by noted music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja to the lyrics written by Na. Muthukumar, which was released on 10 September 2007 under the film's previous title, Tamil MA. It features five tracks, including one sung by his father, the legendary composer of India, 'Maestro' Ilayaraaja, which was hailed mostly as the pick of the album. Noticeably, the album comprises only solo numbers and doesn't feature any female vocals.
Yuvan Shankar Raja won accolades and high praise as the soundtrack received universal critical acclaim and was described as a "musical sensation", a "must-listen for all musical freaks", a "fascinating album" and "a solid and stirring triumph of Yuvan’s composing skills".
| Track | Song | Singer(s) | Duration (min:sec) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Innum Oru Iravu" | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 05:56 | Download |
| 2 | "Unakkagathane Intha" | Yuvan Shankar Raja | 04:50 | Download |
| 3 | "Para Para Pattaampoochi" | Rahul Nambiyar | 04:06 | Download |
| 4 | "Paravayae Engu Irukkiraai" | Ilayaraaja | 06:07 | Download |
| 5 | "Vaazhkai Enbathu" | Shankar Mahadevan | 03:36 | Download |
