Kandukondain Kandukondain (Tamil: கண்டுகொண்டேன் கண்டுகொண்டேன்) (English: I Have Found It) is a 2000 Tamil musical and romantic film. Directed and co-written by Rajiv Menon and produced by Kalaipuli S. Dhanu, it stars Ajith Kumar, Abbas, Mammooty, Tabu and Aishwarya Rai in the lead roles. Srividya and Raghuvaran, prominent actors from the south Indian film industry, played other pivotal roles in the movie. Vikram, Revathi & Jayageetha has dubbed for actor Abbas, Tabu and Aishwarya Rai respectively.
The film is based around, Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility and features two young sisters with differing views on love who find themselves with three suitors. The elder sister attracts the attention of an aspiring film director, while a wounded commando falls for her younger, hopelessly romantic sister but hesitates because he is much older than she. Meanwhile, the younger sister meets and falls for a businessman with a passion for poetry. However problems lap up from different directions, resulting in emotional turmoil for both sisters. Whom the sisters marry at the end of the film form the crux of the story.
The film opened to Indian audiences after several delays, on May 4, 2000 just after the Tamil New Year, and in the process became one of the biggest multi-starrers in Tamil cinema history. The film received positive reviews on the actors' performances and the complex storyline, with the film went on to become a major hit at the South Indian box office. Owing to its success, it was later dubbed into the Telugu language and released as Priyuraalu Pilichindi. Scored by A. R. Rahman, it spawned a successful soundtrack. Furthermore, the film went on to win several awards in different competitions, with Shankar Mahadevan winning a National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in the process.
Synopsis
Sowmiya (Tabbu) and Meenakshi aka Meenu (Aishwarya Rai) are the two daughters of Lakshmi (Srividya). Sowmiya is a literate who is a principal in a school in her village. Meenakshi knows music and dance. She is fond of poetry. The other rich man in meenu's village is Major Bala (Mammooty). He falls in love with Meenu. But Meenu falls in love with Srikanth (Abbas). Manohar (Ajith Kumar) is a director who comes to Meenu's house for a shooting. He falls in love with Sowmya and Sowmya too falls in love with Manohar. He convinces Sowmya to wait to be married until the direction of his first film. After their grandfather's death, Sowmya and her family moved away to Chennai. In Chennai, Sowmya finds a respectable job in a software company while Meenu became a playback singer. At the same time, Srikanth's financial company faces a loss and he has to return the money to the depositors. He has to marry a minister's daughter to get the money back. After knowing this, Meenu falls in a ditch and was rescued by Bala. Realizing that Bala truly loves her, Meenu falls in love with him. Meanwhile, Manohar is directing his first film. The heroine in the film is Nandhini Varma and people spread the news that Nandhini Varma and Manohar have fallen in love. His first film is a big commercial success, so he goes to Sowmya's house in Chennai. He finds that Sowmya is going to California. When Manohar is going out of Sowmya's flat he sees her on the balcony. He asks her to marry him and she agrees. Meenu's marriage and Sowmya's marriage takes place in the same day.
Cast and characters
As per other Rajiv Menon films, the supporting cast was extensive with several guest appearances by artists like A. R. Rahman.
- Mammooty as Bala, who has lost his leg in an army mission in Sri Lanka and uses a wooden leg. His drinking habits, make him unpopular initially but his kind-hearted work and his occupation of being a florist help attract Meenakshi. He carries love for her and is annoyed with Srikanth, but opts to help her out then nurse his own ambitions.
- Ajith Kumar as Manohar, a film director, who opts not to continue his father's business despite having studied in America. He is determined to direct his own feature film, but his relationship with Sowmiya slows him down, prompting the couple to quarrel and have misunderstandings.
- Abbas as Srikanth, a prominent Indian businessman, who like Meenakshi has a passion for claasical music. He first appears as a "dream boy" to Meenakshi, only to marry a mortgager's daughter, after his business nearly collapses.
- Aishwarya Rai as "Meenakshi", a loving and an optimistic young woman, who aspires to become a singer. Furthermore, her passions include poems of Bharathi, a famous Tamil poet. She has ambitions of how her husband should be and is surprised to find that Srikanth fits the bill.
- Tabu as Sowmiya, the responsible elder sister of Meenakshi and Kamala, who is branded as being "unlucky" for prospective grooms, following the death of her fiance. Despite opting to avoid marriage altogether, she begins an emotional topsy-turvy relationship with Manohar.
- Srividya as Mahalakshmi, the mother of Sowmiya and Meenakshi, who lives as a widow with her father, estranged from her brother.
- Raghuvaran as the boss of Sowmiya, who helps her regain confidence in life, by offering her a place in an American company.
- Manivannan as Sivagnanam, Plays the uncle to Bala, who tries to help him get together with Meenakshi. Provides comic relief.
- Shamili as Kamala, the youngest sister of Sowmiya and Meenakshi who has a passion for science.
- Pooja Batra as Nandhini Verma, the actress who has a crush on Manohar.
- Dino Morea as Vinod, the guy who wanted to get married to Meenakshi, but she refused his offer.
Production
Development
Prabhu Deva who had worked earlier in Rajiv Menon's debut fillm Minsara Kanavu introduced Kalaipuli S. Thanu to Rajiv Menon, in mid 1998. Initially the film was planned as a low budget film, concentrating more on the characters rather than "star" power. Rajiv Menon practically met all the leading ladies of Tamil and malayalam cinema at that time. But it was Tabu who agreed almost instantly. So did Ajith, who, at that time, was hospitalised with a back injury and didn't have any great offers. Rajiv Menon met Aishwarya Rai in Mumbai and narrated her the script, to which she readily agreed. It just happened that she had some dates free and it was then in February 1999, producer Kalaipuli S. Dhanu announced the film Kandukondain Kandukondain, with Rajiv Menon making his second appearance as a director. As like his previous film, A. R. Rahman was signed onto compose the music to Vairamuthu's lyrics. Sujatha Rangarajan wrote the dialogues for the film, while Menon decided not to serve as the film's cinematographer, allowing Ravi K. Chandran to handle the camera. Choreography duties were shared between Brinda and Raju Sundaram, whilst, Vikram Dharma handled the stunts in the movie. Most of the shooting is done on location in Karaikudi. The script was an Indian version of Jane Austen's novel, Sense and Sensibility, more precisely an adaptation of Ang Lee's 1995 film version of Sense and Sensibility, which had won an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Emma Thompson. But nowhere in the credits does one see any acknowledgment of the fact that the story is an adaptation for Jane Austen's novel. In fact, Rajiv Menon takes this credit for himself. This may be due to the fact that while the broad structure of the story does follow the outline of the Austen plot, there are major variations in the Indian version making it a very different work.
Almost all leading actors were approached for various roles in the movie, finally Mammootty and Ajith Kumar were given lead roles in the film while Abbas was in a supporting role after Prabhu Deva and then Prashanth opted out of the film.[2] Senior actor Srividya was selected to play the mother of the heroines, whilst Manivannan, Raghuvaran and Nizhagal Ravi were also given senior roles in the film. Shamili, Ajith's sister-in-law, made her first appearance as an actress since her National Award-winning role in Anjali, whilst Bollywood actors Pooja Batra and Dino Morea appeared in cameos. Menon's mother, Kalyani Menon, noted music director, A. R. Rahman and Malaysia Vasudevan Gangai Amaran all made cameo appearances as themselves in the project.
Soundtrack
| Kandukondain Kandukondain |
| Soundtrack by A. R. Rahman |
| Released | 2000 (India) |
| Recorded | Panchathan Record Inn |
| Genre | Film soundtrack |
| Label | Sa Re Ga Ma |
| Producer | A. R. Rahman |
| A. R. Rahman chronology |
Alaipayuthey
2000 | Kandukondain Kandukondain
2000 | Rhythm
2000 | |
| Song | Artist(s) |
| Enna Solla Pogirai | Shankar Mahadevan |
| Smayiyai | Devan, Clinton Cerejo, Dominique Cerejo |
| Kanamoochi | K. S. Chithra |
| Suttum Vizhi | Hariharan |
| Konjum Mainakkale | Sadhana Sargam |
| Kanamoochi (Duet) | K. S. Chithra, K. J. Yesudas |
| Yengae Enathu Kavithai | K. S. Chithra, Srinivas |
| Kandukondain Kandukondain | Hariharan, Mahalakshmi Iyer |
Credits
Cast
- Ajith as Manohar (Edward Ferrars )
- Mammootty as Bala (Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility)
- Tabu as Sowmya (Elinor Dashwood)
- Aishwarya Rai as Meenakshi (Marianne Dashwood )
- Abbas as Srikanth (John Willoughby)
- Pooja Batra as Nandini Varma
- Dino Morea as Vinod
- Srividya as Mahalakshmi (Mrs. Dashwood)
- Raghuvaran as Sowmya's Boss
- Manivannan as Bala's Friend ( Sir John Middleton )
- Nizhalgal Ravi as Mahalakshmi's brother (John Dashwood )
- A. R. Rahman as Himself (Special Appearance)
Crew
- Director: Rajiv Menon
- Screenplay: Rajiv Menon
- Story: Rajiv Menon
- Dialogue: Sujatha Rangarajan
- Producer: A. M. Ratnam & Kalaippuli S. Dhanu
- Music: A. R. Rahman
- Cinematography: Ravi K. Chandran
- Editor: Suresh Urs, Antony
- Art Director: R.K. Nagu, Sabu Cyril
- Choreography: Rekha Prakash, Brinda & Raju Sundaram
- Lyrics: Vairamuthu
- Stunts: Vikram Dharma
Box office
The film grossed $4.5 million at the box office.
Awards
Shankar Mahadevan won a Silver Lotus Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Illai, Illai, Solla Oru Kananu Ponthum".
| Kandukondain Kandukondain |
|---|
 |
| Directed by | Rajiv Menon |
| Produced by | Kalaipuli S. Dhanu
A.M. Rathnam |
| Written by | Story
Jane Austen
Dialogue
Sujatha Rangarajan
Screenplay
Rajiv Menon |
| Starring | Mammootty
Ajith Kumar
Aishwarya Rai
Abbas
Tabu
Srividya
Raghuvaran
Manivannan
Shamili
Nizhalgal Ravi |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | Ravi K. Chandran |
| Editing by | Suresh Urs
Anthony |
| Release date(s) | May 4, 2000 (2000-05-04) |
| Running time | 151 min. |
| Country | India[1] |
| Language | Tamil |
