3 (2012 Indian film)


3 is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic psychological thriller film written and directed by Aishwarya R. Dhanush, wife of actor Dhanush, who also produced the film, thus making their debut in both the fields. He also played the male lead role alongside Shruti Haasan, whilst Prabhu, Sunder Ramu and Sivakarthikeyan appear in prominent roles. The film follows Ram and Janani, two high school sweethearts who eventually get married. However, Janani is mystified when Ram commits suicide all of a sudden and she tries to find out the truth behind his death.
The film was launched on 5 August 2011 in Chennai, with Dhanush and Amala Paul in lead roles, the latter was replaced by Shruti Haasan, due to schedule conflicts. The cinematography was handled by Velraj and editing was done by Kola Bhaskar. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by Dhanush's cousin-in-law Anirudh Ravichander, marking his debut as a composer with lyrics written by Dhanush, received positive reviews upon release. The song "Why This Kolaveri Di" penned and sung by Dhanush, became one of the most streamed songs of all time, and also listed in one of the "Recently Most Popular Videos" on YouTube.
The film released worldwide on 30 March 2012, to mixed reviews, praising the performances of the lead actors, especially Dhanush's performance, Anirudh's soundtrack, but criticising the narration of the film. The film won three Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Playback Singer for Dhanush, and Best Music Director for Anirudh Ravichander. Dhanush won three awards, Best Actor, Best Lyricist and Best Male Playback Singer at the 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards. Following the success of the song "Why This Kolaveri Di", Dhanush was invited by Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as a Guest of Honour.

Plot

At Ram's funeral, his wife Janani hallucinates about him running away, and the film flashes back to when Ram and Janani were 12th-grade students, when Ram helps Janani fix her bicycle and tells his friends Kumaran and Senthil that he has a crush on her. When Ram visits Janani, she reciprocates his love. Janani's sister Sumi makes sure that her parents are not aware of their secret relationship.
Back in the present, Janani has a teary conversation with her mother about Ram. Asleep, she experiences another flashback about when her family had a visa to go to the US, but she burned her passport in order to stay with Ram and marry him. They later were given a house by Ram's dad.
After Janani is awoken by her maid, she finds a suicide letter from Ram in his coat. She visits Senthil and asks him to reveal what they were hiding from her. A distraught Senthil tells her that when she was leaving for the US, Kumaran got a job in Singapore at the same time. Upon finding out that two of the people closest to him were leaving, Ram becomes more unstable. On a day when Ram took a 3.2 crore loss, he kicks and kills Tom, their dog. This leads Senthil to consult a doctor, who tells him that Ram's actions are symptomatic of bipolar disorder, and if not treated, could lead to suicide. When Senthil tries to warn him, Ram attacks Senthil with a bottle and chair, and later falls unconscious on the road.
The doctor confirms Ram has severe bipolar disorder, but Ram refuses Senthil's pleas to get admitted because of his love for Janani. To save himself, Ram then goes on a pilgrimage, causing further anguish. Janani notices and asks Ram why he is acting weird. Later, at a club, Ram punches a drunk rowdy trying to misbehave with Janani, and later he and Senthil are beat up by his gang, but when the rowdy tries to kill him Ram beats up the gang. Ram spends time in the hospital as his condition worsens, but Janani becomes frustrated with Ram not telling her where he went. Ram, in a manic state, tries to kill Janani but is stopped by Senthil.
Ram gets his company shares to be transferred to Janani, and wants Senthil to leave him to see her. Senthil refuses, and Ram suddenly bashes his head against a steering wheel, rendering him unconscious. Ram tearfully says goodbye to Senthil and leaves the car. In the present, Senthil and Janani are both crying profusely. As he goes to Janani's bedroom and watches her sleep, he suddenly hallucinates seeing a young girl saying "Either kill her or you die." Terrified, he immediately gets away from her bed. He goes to his office and writes a suicide note while the hallucinations continue. Ram picks up a knife and slits his throat, saying his final words, "I love you, Janani". The film ends with Janani wailing in grief as she learns her husband's fate.

Cast

Production

Aishwarya stated that the script was written with Shruti Haasan in mind, but the actress was initially unavailable to do the film. Aishwarya signed Amala Paul to the role after being impressed by her work in Mynaa. This film's press meet was held at the Star City Hotel on 5 August 2011 in Chennai with the director, the cinematographer and the lead pair, Dhanush and Amala Paul.
The film was originally meant to begin its first schedule in October 2011 but in a turn of events, Dhanush had free dates in August and September 2011. However, Amala Paul was unavailable to start the film early and left the project, and Shruti Haasan joined the team after her Telugu film was delayed.

Music

The soundtrack and score for this film is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, marking his debut as a music composer. The song "Why This Kolaveri Di" was released as a single by Sony Music on 16 November 2011. This song written and performed by Dhanush, became one of the most streamed songs of all time. It also featured in the "Recently Most Popular Videos" on YouTube. The full soundtrack album was released at a launch event, held on 23 December 2011, and gained extremely positive reviews.

Release

The satellite rights of the film were secured by Sun TV. The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board. The film released on 30 March 2012. Its Hindi dubbed version was supposed to release on 29 May 2012. But it remained unreleased. The film released with 1000 prints in Tamil. The film released in 1250 screens worldwide for both versions.
Telugu movie producer and distributor Natti Kumar reportedly said that out of the Rs. 60 million he spent on distribution rights and publicity, he had been able to recover only Rs. 47.0 million.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Vishnupriya Bhandaram of The Hindu wrote "Aishwarya R. Dhanush takes a twisted look at love and its meaning – when you put someone before your own existence – comes across as profound, underlining theme in the film. It fades out as a moving and tragic ode to romance, to the grand idea called 'love'". Moviebuzz of Sify called the film "poignant", quoting that "On the whole, 3 has its heart in the right place, though the second half seem scattered. Overlook these faults, and make it a point to watch 3". One India concluded that "3 is an engaging tale backed by wonderful performances of Dhanush and Shruti Hassan" and rated it 60 out of 100. Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff rated the movie 3 out of 5, saying that "There are certain moments in 3 that defy logic at times, and sentiment rules the roost, but Aishwarya Dhanush has chosen to present a take on romance that is appealing in its freshness. The lead actors help as well. Her little thriller-twist aside, 3 is a movie that is an ode to romance, above all else." L Romal M Singh of DNA India gave the movie 3 stars out of 5, commenting that "We do not think anyone would want to watch the movie again, only because it demands too much from you emotionally. We however, plan to watch this movie once more and walk out during the interval, we’d advise the romantics to do the same."
In rated the film 3.5 out of 5, claiming that "3 is average and not worth watching in the theaters. Better wait for the DVD! It fails to meet the expectations and works only in parts, but Aishwarya had shown promise by taking a serious subject in her very first film". Behindwoods rated the film 3 stars out of 5, commenting that "3 has good performances, but is let down by slower narration".
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There has been an unofficial remake of the movie in Turkish language. The 2015 Turkish movie Delibal by Ali Bilgin shares almost similar plotline with the movie"

Awards

;2nd South Indian International Movie Awards
;60th Filmfare Awards South
;Asiavision Awards
;Vijay Awards