Kovil (film)


Kovil is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Hari and produced by A. M. Rathnam. It starred Silambarasan and Sonia Agarwal in the lead roles while Vadivelu, Rajkiran, and Nassar play supporting roles. The music was composed by Harris Jayaraj, with editing done by V. T. Vijayan and cinematography by Priyan. The film released on 14 January 2004 and was released to positive reviews from critics and audience. The film was a super hit. It was dubbed into Telugu as Rudrudu.

Plot

Puliyankulam and Veppankulam are nearby villages with an enmity lasting for a few generations. Periyasamy is a Hindu from Puliyankulam and is widely respected by the villagers. Michael Soosai is a devout Orthodox Christian from Veppankulam and does not trust other religions. Sakthivel is Periyasamy’s son, and he studies in a college in Nagercoil. Angel is Michael's daughter, and she attends the same college. Sakthivel and Angel meet in college and fall in love. Angel is afraid that her father will never allow her to marry a Hindu, especially from the rival village. Michael and Periyasamy get to know about the relationship between Sakthivel and Angel. Michael gets angry and scolds his daughter, while Periyasamy agrees for the wedding. Michael does not want an inter-caste marriage and decides to force his daughter to become a nun. Periyasamy arrives and tells the truth in front of everyone that Angel is Michael’s adopted daughter who was born to Muslim parents. Michael realizes his mistake and agrees for the wedding.

Cast

One of the high points of the film is cycle race where hero Silambarasan and villain Sathyan take part. There are 3 fights in the film, but they've been very realistically picturised, says the director. The entirely village-based subject has been shot at locations in Nagercoil, Kuttralam, Munnar among other places. Says Hari, "For the cycle race we shot, we collected about a 1,000 people for the scene. We took about five days to shoot. The total shooting for the film was wrapped up in 59 days".

Critical reception

Hindu praised simbhu's performance as "restraint and maturity".

Soundtrack

The soundtrack comprises six songs composed by Harris Jayaraj. All lyrics written by Snehan except for "Collegikku". The soundtrack received positive reviews upon release and became a commercial hit.