Peruchazhi

Peruchazhi
File:Peruchazhi.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Arun Vaidyanathan
Produced by	Vijay Babu Sandra Thomas
Written by	Arun Vaidyanathan Ajayan Venugopalan (dialogues)
Starring	Mohanlal Mukesh Ragini Nandwani Vijay Babu Aju Varghese Baburaj Sean James Sutton
Music by	Arrora
Cinematography	Arvind Krishna
Edited by	Vivek Harshan
Production company	Friday Film House
Distributed by	Friday Tickets (Kerala) Fox Star Studios (rest of India) Prime Media (USA)
Release dates	29 August 2014 (2014-08-29) (India, USA) 4 September 2014 (2014-09-04) (UAE)
Running time	154 minutes
Country	India
Language	Malayalam

Peruchazhi (English: Bandicota) is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language political satire film written and directed by Arun Vaidyanathan. Originally written in Tamil, the film was translated into Malayalam with dialogue co-written by Ajayan Venugopalan. It features Mohanlal in the lead role, with Mukesh, Ragini Nandwani, Vijay Babu, Baburaj, Aju Varghese in supporting roles. Peruchazhi, produced by Vijay Babu and Sandra Thomas under the banner of Friday Film House, was distributed by Friday Tickets and Fox Star Studios. The background score and music were composed by Arrora, and the film used the Auro 11.1 sound format.

The film revolves around Jagannathan, a young politician from India, his transition to chief political adviser for the California governor's election campaign and his use of tactics standard in Indian politics to win the election. Principal photography began on 16 April 2014 and wrapped in July. Major portions of Peruchazhi were shot in Burbank, California. Set almost entirely in the United States, parts of the film were shot in Kochi and Trivandrum.

Peruchazhi was released on 29 August 2014 on 500 screens worldwide, the widest release ever for a Malayalam film. It was released simultaneously in India and the United States, with US distribution by Prime Media. Friday Film House's distribution company, Friday Tickets, released the film in Kerala and Fox Star Studios handled its release in the rest of India.

Plot

In California, Republican gubernatorial candidate John Kory is trying to raise his dismal poll numbers. Sunny Kurishingal, Kory's chief adviser, is running out of ideas to ensure Kory's victory. Sunny asks Francis Kunjappan, a Public Works Department minister and his friend, for advice on hiring a political consultant. Kunjappan, recommends his friend (and political rival) Jagannathan, hoping to rid himself of a threat to his ministerial position. Jagannathan, a young politician and sports enthusiast, knows no English but has a talent for solving serious problems prudently (as Kunjappan knows firsthand). However, Kunjappan thinks that Jaganathan’s unorthodox ideas will fail in the United States. Kunjappan meets Jagannathan and offers him the job for ₹300 million, enough to realize Jagannathan's dream project of a sports academy. Jagannathan accepts the assignment and flies to the US with his assistants, Pottakuzhi Jabbar and Vayalar Varkey.

They are met by Sunny, who explains their job and the US political system. Unlike India, there are only two major parties: Republican and Democratic. The Democratic Party is leading in California and their candidate, George Hopes, is well-liked by the public. Jagannathan must increase the Republican poll numbers, enabling them to win the election, and decides to use Indian political tactics; he influences the media, recruiting screenwriters to craft effective speeches. He meets a Chinese man, Dupli, who sells counterfeit electronic equipment.

Jagannathan is also looking for a girl to marry. He meets a prostitute, Jessy, and they fall in love. Kory's poll numbers are rising rapidly because of Jagannathan's tactics. One night, though, Sunny and Kory visit him with bad news. Sunny tells him that a compromising video of Kory and a girl has been leaked; although all copies have been destroyed, the original is believed to be in Hopes' locked room. Jagannathan takes the video from Hopes' house, giving Sunny a message that the tape has been destroyed. The election campaign is declared over, and John Kory is certain to win. When Sunny learns that the campaign budget has been overspent, they decide to withhold Jagannathan's fee. Sunny promises that if he makes the campaign cost-effective, he will be considered for a cabinet post.

Jagannathan asks for his fee one last time, saying that he needs it to ransom Jessy's child, but Sunny dismisses him. Knowing that he has been cheated, Jagannathan warns Sunny that he will make Kory lose the election the following day. He comes with the money, but it is not known where it came from. Kory loses the election, which is a shock to the Republican Party. Jagannathan calls Sunny and tells him that he joined Andy and Hopes, who paid his fee. With Dupli's help, Jagannathan replaced the voting machines with duplicates. The video was not destroyed; Jabbar made a copy, which was released to the media. Jagannathan and his friends return to India with Jessy, and he opens his sports academy.

Cast

• Mohanlal as Jagannathan
• Mukesh as Francis Kunjappan
• Ragini Nandwani as Jessy
• Baburaj as Pottakkuzhy Jabbar
• Aju Varghese as Vayalar Varkey
• Vijay Babu as Sunny Kurishingal
• Sean James Sutton as John Kory
• Shankar Ramakrishnan as Andy, Sachidhanandhan
• John Wusah as Dupli
• Sandra Thomas as Sunny's wife
• Ramesh Pisharody as Francis Kunjappan's assistant
• Vineeth Mohan as Kunjappan's driver
• Vyom Mathrani as Jamie, Jessy's son
• Sanoop Santhosh as Jagannathan's playmate
• Josukutty Valiyakallumkal as toy-store owner
• Ashvin Mathew as Rohit Jee
• Lovie Johnson as Secret Service agent
• Aneesh Menon as Joby Kuruvilla
• Eric Sweeney as security guard
• Emilie Kuznicki as girl in video
• Melanie Alexander as Lisa
• Poonam Bajwa as item girl (guest appearance)
• Delhi Ganesh as Tamil Nadu delegate (guest appearance)
• Melanie Alexander as Lisa
• Efrain Cortes as news anchor
• Alyma Dorsey as girlfriend in bar fight
• Eric Watson as security guard with camera

Production

Development

Indian-American director Arun Vaidyanathan made his Malayalam debut with Peruchazhi; he had directed short English-language films, television dramas and the critically praised Tamil film, Achchamundu! Achchamundu! (2009). Although the film's humour was inspired by Cho Ramaswamy's 1971 Tamil political satire, Muhammad bin Tughluq, Peruchazhi is a pan-India film. About its title, Vaidyanathan said: "The term Peruchazhi obviously refers to a bandicoot but I can't discuss the relevance of the title right now, as there is some suspense involved. A bandicoot has its own instincts. For instance, we have no idea where it comes from and where it vanishes to. It just appears and takes what it wants in the process. Jagannathan, the character played by Lal Sir (Mohanlal), is like that. He will do anything to win."> Vaidyanathan found the idea for the script during his stay in the United States, when he watched a debate between two political leaders on television: "It was fun and something unheard of in India. I thought that would make an interesting script". Vaidyanathan wrote the original script in English and Tamil. Writer-director Ajayan Venugopalan, known for his Malayalam television comedy Akkara Kazhchakal (set in the US), was chosen to translate the dialogue into Malayalam. Mohanlal was not the first choice to play the role. "The script found the actor", said Vaidyanathan. Since wanted the character to have international appeal, he named him "Ulaganathan" ("conqueror of the world"); in Malayalam the name was changed to "Jagannathan", its meaning unchanged.

During Peruchazhi's post-production, filmmaker Biju sarcastically remarked (in response to the report of a committee headed by filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan) that the Government of Kerala would make it mandatory for films to be titled in Malayalam to receive subsidies: "On what criteria should a movie be given subsidy, is it the title or its artistic value?" He cited Peruchazhi, Koothara and Nee Ko Njaa Cha as examples on social media. The producers called his comments senseless and lacking context.

Casting and crew

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Pooja Kumar (left) was initially signed as the female lead, but she was replaced by Ragini Nandwani.

Mohanlal was chosen for the lead role; Vaidhyanadhan called him a "great humorist" with "great comic timing". Mukesh was among the first to be signed. Although American actress and former Miss India USA Pooja Kumar was reportedly cast as the heroine, Bollywood actress Ragini Nandwani was later confirmed as the female lead. Baburaj and Aju Varghese had worked together in film comedies, and Ashvin Mathew was cast in a small comic role. Actress Poonam Bajwa danced in an item number, and Taiwanese-American actor John Wusah was cast as Dupli. Producers Sandra Thomas and Vijay Babu also appeared in the film as a cost-cutting measure.

Peruchazhi's songs and background score were composed by Arrora (Naveen Iyer), and Aravind Krishna was its cinematographer. Director Arun Vaidhyanadhan wrote the script and, with Ajayan Venugopalan, co-wrote the dialogue. N. Madhusudhanan was signed to provide visual effects. Preethi S. Kanthan designed the costumes, and gave Mohanlal a new look. According to Vaidyanathan, Jagannathan's dhoti (designed by Preethi Kanthan) was "inspired by Roman design. The same border is used on the toga worn by Julius Caesar and his ministers. The leaf in the border denotes power". Raymonds provided the coats for the film's characters.

Filming

Principal photography began on 16 April 2014, and Mohanlal joined the set two days later. Although Peruchazhi has a number of scenes shot in Kochi and Trivandrum, the film is primarily set in the United States and the production team went to the US on a 30-day shooting schedule. The first Malayalam film shot at Universal Studios in Hollywood, Peruchazhi was filmed almost entirely in Burbank, California. The film wrapped on 5 July at Sacred Heart College in Thevara, Kerala. It is the second Malayalam film to use the Auro 11.1 sound format; the first was Swapaanam, directed by Shaji N. Karun, which was released in February 2014.

Release

It was released on 500 screens worldwide, the widest release ever for a Malayalam film. The film, released on 29 August, was distributed by Friday Tickets in Kerala and Fox Star Studios (with English subtitles) elsewhere in India. It was distributed in the United States by Prime Media to 30 theatres, with English subtitles. The Middle East release was scheduled for 4 September 2014. Achu & Achu's Creations distributed Peruchazhi in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Japan, Singapore and Europe. Singapore Coliseum distributed the film in Singapore, while P J Entertainments handled the distribution in Europe. According to The Times of India, Peruchazhi was probably the first Malayalam film released simultaneously in the United States and Kerala. The film's home-media rights were purchased by Empire Video, and it was released on DVD in November 2014.

Marketing

The first poster for Peruchazhi was introduced at Dreams Hotel in Kochi, in conjunction with the 111-day celebration of the Friday Film House venture Philips and the Monkey Pen. The film's advertisers mounted a campaign in which Mohanlal's character gradually becomes more detailed. On 21 May 2014, Mohanlal's 54th birthday, Friday Film House released a 34-second trailer. A full-length trailer was released on 1 August 2014 which, according to Zee News, "created a buzz in social media." The two-minute trailer had 150,000 hits in 12 hours.

Peruchazhi was promoted in train stations served by the Parasuram and Ernad Express, claimed by the film's producers as a first in the Malayalam film industry. The production team introduced a game, "Be a Peruchazhi", on Google Play in September 2014.

Reception

Critical response

Nicy V. P. of the International Business Times gave the film four stars out of five, calling it a "clean entertainer". She wrote, "The film has a few moments, which will take you back to good old days of Mohanlal film. If you are a Mohanlal fan, the film will be a feast for you and Arun Vaidyanathan has nailed a good political satire for this festive season." Nikhil Skaria wrote in his Malayala Manorama review, "The film is a festival entertainer and a big treat to Mohanlal fans". IndiaGlitz gave Peruchazhi six out of ten stars in a lukewarm review: "Though the filmmaker demands the viewers to keep away logic while watching the stuff, at times it stoop down to absurdness which cannot be digested even while you just demand entertainment". Akhila Menon of Filmibeat gave the film three stars out of five, writing that the film "is engaging at some places" but "shows some real flaws also". She added, "Arun Vaidyanathan succeeds in bringing out the real comic elements from the actors; but fails in molding a real political satire on screen. As a result, the movie looks artificial at places." Aswin J. Kumar of The Times of India also gave the film three out of five stars: "The attempt at political satire in this film is feeble, mindless and boring. It's more like a mask over disfigurement, for there is hardly any scope for satire in a narrative riddled with superfluous acts of a star who has begun to show signs of insecurity."

Sujit Chandra Kumar of Deccan Chronicle gave the film two-and-a-half stars: "Arun Vaidyanathan has packed [the film] with so much spice that even if one ingredient fails to please, there is still something else for that die-hard fan." According to Sify, "Peruchazhi is meant for hardcore Mohanlal fans. There are some moments that remind us about those good old days of the superstar. If that is all you want from an entertainer, leave your brains back home and try this one at your own risk."

Box office

Peruchazhi had an opening-day gross of ₹30 million (US$450,000), the most-successful worldwide opening for a Malayalam movie in history. According to Sify, the film's box-office receipts fell sharply over the following weeks.

Soundtrack

Peruchazhi
Soundtrack album by Arrora
Released	19 August 2014 (2014-08-19)
Genre	Film soundtrack
Length	28:01
Language	Malayalam
Label	Think Music India
Producer	Arrora
Arrora chronology
Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013)Kalyana Samayal Saadham2013 Peruchazhi (2014) Vil Ambu (2016)Vil Ambu2016

The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by Arrora, with lyrics by Rajeev Nair, R. Venugopal and Blaaze. Peruchazhi's audio rights were purchased by Think Music India. Its promotional songs were released on 13 August 2014, and the full album was released three days later.

Mohanlal's punch line, "Nee Po Mone Dinesha" (from the 2000 film Narasimham), became a song in Peruchazhi. In popular Kerala culture, it is considered the best example of a punch line in Malayalam.

Tracklist
No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Adichu Polikkam"	Rajeev Nair	Karthik, Arrora	5:02
2.	"Enthu Cheiyyan"	R. Venugopal	Bombay Jayashri	6:45
3.	"United States of Adipolica Theme"	Blaaze	Blaaze	5:12
4.	"Po Mone Dinesha"	Rajeev Nair	Jyotsna Radhakrishnan	4:42
5.	"Don't Mess With Me"	Blaaze	Blaaze	2:58
6.	"Po Mone Dinesha"	Rajeev Nair	Andrea Jeremiah	4:42
Total length:				28:01

External links

• Peruchazhi at IMDb