Vaazhthugal

Vazhthugal revolves around Kathiravan, a successful entrepreneur who manages a software company. Kathiravan is an affectionate son and socially responsible too. His company is involved in various social activities.

When his close friend's parents are forced by their daughter-in-law to leave home, Kathrivan decides to marry a girl who will keep his parents happy. While watching a television programme he is impressed by Kayal, a college student from Coimbatore being interviewed on a show.

To a question by the interviewer, 'where do you see yourself in another ten years?' Kayal deviating from the usual clichéd answers replies, "As an ideal wife, mother and daughter-in-law." And during the course of her talk, she attributes her success to her large and loving family consisting of her parents, maternal grandfather, aunts, uncles and cousins. Kathiravan is impressed with her attitude and feels that she is the right life companion for him.

He goes to Coimbatore to woo her. But meeting her in her college does not help. So he takes it as an opportunity when he learns that Kayal's grandfather is on the look out for an interior designer to renovate their traditional home. Posing as an interior designer, he undertakes the job winning the hearts of Kayal and her family members.

When the family learns that they are in love, especially Kayal's grandfather who believes that all love marriages are a failure. However, Kathiravan does not want to marry Kayal without her family's acceptance. So he tries to win their acceptance.

{{cast listing|

• Madhavan as T. Kadhiravan
• Bhavana as Kayalvizhi Thirunavukkarasu
• Venkat Prabhu as Kalai
• Ilavarasu as Thirunavukkarasu
• RK as Vetriselvan Selvanayagam
• Na. Muthuswamy as Selvanayagam
• Vijayalakshmi as Vennila
• T. Siva as Doctor
• T. Velmurugan
• Mallika Sukumaran
• Revathi Sankaran
• Trotsky Marudu
• Mu Ramaswamy

}}

After collaborating on Thambi (2006), director Seeman and actor Madhavan decided to work on two more projects titled Vaazhthugal and Pagalavan,{{Cite web |date=29 November 2006 |title=Madhavan – Seeman team up for 'Vaazhthukal' |url=http://cinesouth.com/masala/hotnews/new/29112006-3.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131152953/http://cinesouth.com/masala/hotnews/new/29112006-3.shtml |archive-date=31 January 2010 |access-date=17 February 2025 |website=Cinesouth}} although the latter project was dropped.{{Cite news |date=20 May 2012 |title=Madhavan is like a family member: Seeman |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/madhavan-is-like-a-family-member-seeman/articleshow/13316070.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525211230/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/Madhavan-is-like-a-family-member-Seeman/articleshow/13316070.cms |archive-date=25 May 2023 |access-date=17 February 2025 |work=The Times of India}} Venkat Prabhu later joined the cast of Vaazhthugal, making a return to acting after a sabbatical as he had been focussing on direction.{{Cite web |last=J |first=Anand |date=21 July 2007 |title=July's Kollywood Tidbits |url=http://www.tamilweek.com/mj/wp-content/cache/wp-cache-c13c10f4d4aac38293570c9478f1a4bb.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160301041449/http://www.tamilweek.com/mj/wp-content/cache/wp-cache-c13c10f4d4aac38293570c9478f1a4bb.html |archive-date=1 March 2016 |access-date=17 February 2016 |website=Monsoonjournal Online}} The film was shot in locations including Coimbatore, Pollachi, Udumalaipettai,{{Cite news |last=Sangeeta |date=20 April 2007 |title=Riding a wave of success |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/riding-a-wave-of-success/article2272179.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603143832/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/riding-a-wave-of-success/article2272179.ece |archive-date=3 June 2020 |access-date=3 June 2020 |work=The Hindu}} and Kerala. It notably features no English dialogue, given the director's passion for the Tamil language.{{Cite web |date=26 December 2007 |title=Vazhthukal-Total Tamil! |url=http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14580775 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229041131/http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14580775 |archive-date=29 December 2007 |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=Sify}}

Music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and the lyrics were provided by Na. Muthukumar.{{Cite web |date=14 February 2008 |title=Vazhthukkal (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/vazhthukkal-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1462758269 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250218060449/https://music.apple.com/us/album/vazhthukkal-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1462758269 |archive-date=18 February 2025 |access-date=21 July 2024 |website=Apple Music}} The soundtrack was released on 3 January 2008. The lyrics of the song "Muzhumai Nila" were taken from a poem written by Bharathidasan.{{Cite web |last=Karthik |author-link=Karthik Srinivasan |date=3 January 2008 |title=Vaazhthugal (Tamil – Yuvan Shankar Raja) |url=https://milliblog.com/2008/01/03/vaazhthukkal-tamil-yuvan-shankar-raja/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241103075257/https://milliblog.com/2008/01/03/vaazhthukkal-tamil-yuvan-shankar-raja/ |archive-date=3 November 2024 |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=Milliblog |language=en}} Saraswathy Srinivas of Rediff.com called it "A remarkable album that is worth listening to over and over again".{{Cite web |last=Srinivas |first=Saraswathy |date=8 January 2008 |title=Music review: Vazhthukkal |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/ssvaaz/20080107.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250218155931/https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/ssvaaz/20080107.htm |archive-date=18 February 2025 |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=Rediff.com |language=en}} Karthik of Milliblog wrote, "Vaazhthugal's music pales in front of other Yuvan soundtracks in 2007 and Seeman's earlier film with Vidyasagar’s music (Thambi)".

Vaazhthugal was released on 15 January 2008, during Pongal, alongside other films like Bheemaa, Pazhani, Kaalai, Pirivom Santhippom and Pidichirukku.{{Cite web |date=11 January 2008 |title=4 days to Pongal! |url=http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14587820 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215090201/http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14587820 |archive-date=15 February 2008 |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=Sify}} Distributed by Pyramid Saimira, it was initially postponed to 26 January 2008, Republic Day,{{Cite web |date=9 January 2008 |title=Vazhthukkal backs out from Pongal race! |url=http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14587015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204224223/http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14587015 |archive-date=4 February 2008 |access-date=18 February 2025 |website=Sify}} but later returned to the original date. Sify wrote, "Seeman's intentions to make Vazhthukkal were noble but his execution is tacky and the final outcome is a dreary and boring message film that leaves you exhausted! The flaw is not in the tale, it's in the telling — too many songs, conversations going nowhere, clichéd characters and a long drawn out 30 minutes tedious climax".{{Cite web |title=Vazhthukkal |url=http://sify.com/movies/tamil/review.php?id=14591429&ctid=5&cid=2429 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080122074745/http://sify.com/movies/tamil/review.php?id=14591429&ctid=5&cid=2429 |archive-date=22 January 2008 |access-date=7 August 2009 |website=Sify}} Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff.com wrote, "Seeman has obviously tried desperately, and failed to make a movie with a moral message for today's generation."{{Cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Pavithra |date=16 January 2008 |title=Vazhthukkal is tedious |url=https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/ssvaz/20080116.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603143443/https://www.rediff.com/movies/review/ssvaz/20080116.htm |archive-date=3 June 2020 |access-date=3 June 2020 |website=Rediff.com}}

Madhumitha of Kalki praised the acting, music, cinematography and dialogues also for having heavy Tamil flavour but panned slow-paced scenes, predictable screenplay which seems to pull the film backwards if this was avoided it would have been an unforgettable film.{{Cite magazine |last=மதுமிதா |date=10 February 2008 |title=வாழ்த்துகள் |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki2008-02-10/page/n79/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250218154223/https://archive.org/details/kalki2008-02-10/page/n79/mode/2up |archive-date=18 February 2025 |access-date=21 July 2024 |magazine=Kalki |pages=79–80 |language=ta |via=Internet Archive}} Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote that the film "begins promisingly enough, the earlier scenes focusing on the responsibility of children towards their aging parents, and the trauma the latter undergo when they are discarded by their progenies. But as the narration proceeds, the script loses {{sic|i|t's}} focus, the director unable to maintain the same pace, feel and interest".{{Cite web |last=Mannath |first=Malini |date=24 January 2008 |title=Vazhthugal |url=http://www.chennaionline.com/Film/Moviereviews/Jan08/01vazhthugal.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080127122517/http://www.chennaionline.com/Film/Moviereviews/Jan08/01vazhthugal.asp |archive-date=27 January 2008 |access-date=2 August 2024 |website=Chennai Online}} Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote, "Colloquialism is a major casualty in Vaazhthugal and the contrived exchanges make even sincere performances appear unnatural. The result is that the filmgoer is unable to relate to the proceedings".{{Cite web |last=Rangarajan |first=Malathi |date=25 January 2008 |title=Far from natural -- Vaazhthugal |url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/01/25/stories/2008012551290200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081104113234/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2008/01/25/stories/2008012551290200.htm |archive-date=4 November 2008 |access-date=14 March 2025 |website=The Hindu}}

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Category:2000s Indian films

Category:2000s Tamil-language films

Category:2008 films

Category:2008 romantic drama films

Category:Films directed by Seeman

Category:Films scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja

Category:Films set in Chennai

Category:Films shot in Chennai

Category:Films shot in Coimbatore

Category:Films shot in Kerala

Category:Films shot in Pollachi

Category:Indian romantic drama films

Category:Tamil-language Indian films

Category:Tamil-language romantic drama films