Wikipedia

Rajni (film)

Not to be confused with Rajani (name).

Rajni is a 2023 Indian, simultaneously shot in the Malayalam and Tamil-languages, thriller film written and directed by Vinil Scariah Varghese.[1] It stars Kalidas Jayaram in the lead role, alongside Namitha Pramod, Reba Monica John, Saiju Kurup, Ashwin Kumar, Karunakaran, and Shaun Romy. The Tamil version was titled as Aval Peyar Rajni (transl. Her name is Rajni).[2][3][4]

Rajni
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVinil Scariah Varghese
Written by
  • Vinil Scariah Varghese
  • Vincent Vadakkan
Produced by
  • Sreejith K. S.
  • Blessy Sreejith
Starring
CinematographyR. R. Vishnu
Edited byDeepu Joseph
Music by4 Musics
Production
company
Navarasa Films
Distributed byGoodwill Entertainments
Release date
  • 8 December 2023 (2023-12-08)
CountryIndia
Languages
  • Malayalam
  • Tamil

Plot

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Siblings Naveen and Gowri find themselves entangled in a web of chaos and danger with a looming life threat after the death of Gowri's husband, Abhijith. The story unravels a mysterious quest to uncover the enigmatic identity of Rajni.

Cast

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Production

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It was reported that Kalidas Jayaram would be acting in the bilingual film titled Rajni in Malayalam and Aval Peyar Rajni in Tamil.[5][6] The film is directed by debutant Vinil Scariah Varghese who was mentored by Anwar Rasheed. Scariah said, "Although I developed the film in Malayalam, the producer felt there was scope of making it in both languages. Since half of the story was set in Chennai, making it bilingual made perfect sense."[7] He stated that the casting was done before the decision to make it bilingual. The film, which was under production in April 2023, was planned for release in May 2023.[8]

Vinil Scariah has penned the script for the film. The Tamil dialogues are written by David K. Rajan and the Malayalam dialogues by Vincent Vadakkan who is known for Trance (2020).[1] Namitha Pramod was cast as the lead actress.[1][9] The bilingual film was earlier titled Rajni Rasigan in Tamil.[10] Kalidas is playing the role of a hard-core fan of Rajinikanth in the film. The film was shot in Pollachi.[11] The filming wrapped up in April 2022.[12]

Release

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The film was set for release on 24 November 2023.[13] However, it was released on 8 December 2023.[14]

Reception

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Critical response

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Gayathri Krishna of OTTPlay gave 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The struggles of a community whose rights to live by their own choices that are largely discussed in present times may not seem like a novel central theme, but it is used efficiently in Rajni."[15] Anjana George of The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "A violent crime thriller with suspenseful music and dark shades, the film introduces layers to mislead and bring up thrilling elements."[16]

B. Jayabhuvaneshwari of Cinema Express gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Aval Peyar Rajni has its heart in the right place. It talks about body dysphoria, and mental health, and tries to convey a message, even though it barely scratches the surface."[17] A critic of Times Now gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "While the Kalidas Jayaram and Namitha Pramod starrer promised to be a twisted tale, the film failed to live up to expectations."[18]

Princy Alexander of Onmanorama wrote, "Bilingual movies, to an extent, help in reaching out to a larger audience. However, there is also a risk in handling such movies, especially since it has to cater to two kinds of audience."[19]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Aval Peyar Rajni trailer review: Kalidas Jayaram's mystery thriller film promises many plot twists". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 21 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram-starrer Bilingual Film Rajni To Release Soon". News18. 20 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Rajni' second look poster: Kalidas Jayaram stuns in serious avatar". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram and Namitha Pramod's thriller 'Rajni' set to hit theaters in November". The Times of India. 20 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram's bilingual film 'Rajni' to hit screens in Nov 2023". The New Indian Express. 10 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram's next Aval Peyar Rajni is set to release in November". The Times of India. 9 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  7. ^ "'Making Aval Peyar Rajni bilingual made perfect sense'". The New Indian Express. 8 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  8. ^ "'Making Aval Peyar Rajni bilingual made perfect sense'". The New Indian Express. 8 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  9. ^ "'Rajni' trailer: Kalidas Jayaram's thriller has some mysterious connection with Thalaivar!". The Times of India. 17 November 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  10. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram's Tamil-Malayalam bilingual to be titled as 'Rajni Rasigan' in Tamil". The Times of India. 15 April 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  11. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram | അന്ന് രജനികാന്തിനൊപ്പം യാത്ര; 'രജനി'യിൽ കാളിദാസ് ജയറാം തലൈവർ ഫാനോ?". News18 മലയാളം (in Malayalam). 11 April 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  12. ^ "Kalidas Jayaram's bilingual film 'Rajni' wraps up the shoot in 'Bheeshma Parvam' style". The Times of India. 5 April 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  13. ^ Bureau, The Hindu (17 November 2023). "'Aval Peyar Rajni' trailer: Kalidas Jayaram stars in an eerie mystery thriller". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 24 November 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2023. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. ^ A. Manu, Hridyambika (7 December 2023). "From Adrishya Jalakangal, Pulli, Rajni to Pendulum: Malayalam OTT, theatre releases this week". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  15. ^ Krishna, Gayathri (9 December 2023). "Rajni review: Kalidas Jayaram's thriller will not cease to surprise the audience". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  16. ^ George, Anjana (9 December 2023). "Rajni Movie Review : Kalidas thrillers is ill-informed on gender issues". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  17. ^ B., Jayabhuvaneshwari (8 December 2023). "Rajni / Aval Peyar Rajni Movie Review: A decent murder mystery that misses the mark by an inch". Cinema Express. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  18. ^ "Rajni Movie Review: Kalidas Jayaram's Film Is A Wannabe Thriller That Lacks Intrigue". Times Now. 8 December 2023. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  19. ^ Alexander, Princy (8 December 2023). "Kalidas Jayaram stars in a mildly intriguing murder mystery | 'Rajni' movie review". Onmanorama. Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
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