Narthaki (transl. Dancer) is a 2011 Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Vijayapadma and produced by Punnagai Poo Gheetha. Focusing on the issue of transgender people, the film stars Kalki Subramaniam, Vivin and Girish Karnad. Music for the film was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar and the film opened to mixed reviews in May 2011.[1]

Narthaki
Film poster
Directed byG. Vijayapadma
Produced byPunnagai Poo Gheetha
CinematographyM. Kesavan
Edited byT. K. Thangavel Kumaran
Music byG. V. Prakash Kumar
Production
company
SG Films Pvt Ltd
Release date
  • 13 May 2011 (2011-05-13)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Cast

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Production

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'Punnagai Poo' Gheetha readily agreed to finance the venture after Vijayapadma approached her with the script, as she was keen to make off-beat ventures.[4] The movie was shot for a period of two months in places such as Thanjavur, Thiruvaiyaru, Mumbai and Chennai. The film's lead performer, Kalki Subramaniam, revealed that the script was derived from the real life incidents of transgender people. The team were initially upset that the film was awarded an "A" certificate, but were unable to change the decision of the censor board.[5][6][7]

Release

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The film opened to mixed reviews in May 2011. Rediff.com noted "if anything, it's the screenplay that falters at many places" and "the pace lags and picks up randomly", with "the dialogues, while trying to sound honest, appear quite clichéd at times and trite". The reviewer however adds that Narthaki "attempts to break new ground and address the pain of a community that has suffered for ages" and that "it showcases the fact that humanity needs to rise above such prejudices and accord transgenders the respect they deserve and for that, it needs to be watched".[8] Similarly Behindwoods.com gave it a single star out of five, but added it is "an attempt that needs to be encouraged" and that "it is worth noticing since it provided answers for many questions among the general public that have very little information about the sexual minorities."[9] Narthagi shared the Best Social Awareness Award at the 2012 Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards.

Soundtrack

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Narthagi
Soundtrack album by
Released7 April 2011
GenreFeature film soundtrack
G. V. Prakash Kumar chronology
Aadukalam
(2010)
Narthagi
(2011)
Deiva Thirumagal
(2011)

The film's soundtrack was composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, with lyrics written by Na. Muthukumar. Reviewing the album, Behindwoods.com noted the composer "has boldly taken up an experimental project".[10]

References

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  1. ^ AKILA KANNADASAN (17 January 2011). "The correct picture". The Hindu.
  2. ^ "மீண்டும் பயமுறுத்த வரும் 'சிவி 2' SIVI 2 Movie Team Interview | K.R. Senthil Nathan | 96tv". YouTube.
  3. ^ "kutty superstar harish". YouTube.
  4. ^ "Gv Prakash Does It In 30 Mins - Narthaki - 'punnagai Poo' Geetha - Vijaya Padma - Kalki - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com". behindwoods.com.
  5. ^ "Transgenders enraged with Censor Board". The Times of India. 14 January 2017.
  6. ^ "Protest against film getting 'A' certificate". Sify. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016.
  7. ^ "Narthaki By March 25 - Narthaki - Gv Prakash Kumar - G Vijaya Padma - Punnagai Poo Geetha - Tamil Movie News - Behindwoods.com". behindwoods.com.
  8. ^ "Review: Narthagi is a courageous attempt". Rediff. 13 May 2011.
  9. ^ "NARTHAKI REVIEW - NARTHAKI MOVIE REVIEW". behindwoods.com.
  10. ^ "NARTHAKI MUSIC REVIEW - NARTHAGI MP3 DOWNLOAD - TAMIL MOVIE NARTHAGI MUSIC REVIEW - TAMIL SONGS DOWNLOAD - TAMIL FILM MUSIC - NARTHAGI MP3 - SEEDAN SONGS". behindwoods.com.
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