Virunnu
2024 Indian action drama film
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Virunnu (lit. Feast) is a 2024 Indian Malayalam-language action drama film directed by Kannan Thamarakkulam and written by Dinesh Pallath. The film stars Arjun Sarja and Nikki Galrani in lead roles,[1] with Mukesh, Sona Nair, Aju Varghese, Baiju Santhosh, Hareesh Peradi, Dharmajan Bolgatty, and Gireesh Neyyar portraying supporting roles.
| Virunnu | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Kannan Thamarakkulam |
| Written by | Dinesh Pallath |
| Produced by | Gireesh Neyyar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
|
| Edited by | V. T. Sreejith |
| Music by |
|
Production company | Neyyar Films |
Release date |
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| Country | India |
| Language | Malayalam |
The film is entirely in Malayalam, except for Arjun Sarja's portions which were shot in Tamil.[2][3][4] The Tamil version was released under the title Virundhu.
Plot
The movie opens with the mysterious death of a businessman named John Kalathil. As the investigation into John's death unfolds, his wife Elizabeth also meets a tragic end in a car accident. In her final moments, Elizabeth sees Hemanth and implores him to meet a man named Balan. What follows is a mishmash of events as Hemanth embarks on a quest to uncover the truth behind the deaths of John and Elizabeth.
Cast
- Arjun Sarja as Deva Narayanan
- Nikki Galrani as Perly
- Mukesh as John Abraham, Perly's father
- Sona Nair as Elizabeth
- Aju Varghese as Praveen
- Baiju Santhosh as Balan Uncle
- Hareesh Peradi as David Kalathil, Perly's grandfather
- Dharmajan Bolgatty as Murali
- Kochu Preman as Manoharan
- Gireesh Neyyar as Rajan
- Ajai Vasudev as Ponnan
- Sudheer Sukumaran as Binto
Production
In April 2021, it was reported that Arjun Sarja would play the lead role in the film.[5] The principal photography commenced on 3 May 2021,[6] but was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7][8][9] Filming resumed on 19 July 2021,[10][11][12][13] and the second schedule began on 21 January 2022.[14][15][16][17] The film was shot in Peermade, Thiruvananthapuram, Erattupetta and Thodupuzha.[18][19][20] The cinematography was by Ravi Chandran and Pradeep Nair. The editing was handled by VT Sreejith.[21]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack consists of the songs composed by Ratheesh Vega and Saanand George Grace,[22][23] while the background score was by Ronnie Raphael.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kalyanapattu" | B. K. Harinarayanan | Ratheesh Vegha | Vineeth Sreenivasan | 3:41 |
| 2. | "Nila Nilavithal" | Rafeeq Ahamed | Ratheesh Vegha | Gouri Lakshmi | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Sakka Podu Podu" | Mohan Rajan | Saanand George Grace | Jagatheesh | 2:30 |
| Total length: | 10:28 | ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kottu Kottu Getti Melam" | B. K. Harinarayanan | Ratheesh Vegha | Rahul Nambiar, Anjali Warrier | 3:43 |
| 2. | "Kana Kana Vizhiyoram" | Mohan Rajan | Ratheesh Vegha | Sharanya Srinivas | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Kottu Kottu Getti Melam (Male version)" | B. K. Harinarayanan | Ratheesh Vegha | Rahul Nambiar | 3:43 |
| 4. | "Sakka Podu Podu" | Mohan Rajan | Saanand George Grace | Jagatheesh | 2:30 |
| Total length: | 14:13 | ||||
Release
Reception
Virunnu received generally negative reviews by critics. Abishek Balaji of Cinema Express rated the film two out of five stars and wrote that "Arjun has a solid screen presence, and there are some gripping scenes. But the overdose of background music and quick cutaways gets exhausting".[28] Harshini SV of The Times of India rated the film one-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that "Unlike the usual pattern in Tamil cinema, Virundhu offers multiple twists and a cleverly designed climax, keeping you hooked throughout the second half. The actual surprises, including the story of a cult group, catch you off-guard. Their motives and routines are also interestingly captured and it’s here you get a glimpse of what the film could’ve been with a better-written screenplay".[29]