Yugi (film)
Yugi (titled Adrishyam in Malayalam) is a 2022 Indian bilingual murder mystery film directed by Zac Harris, shot in Tamil and Malayalam simultaneously, stars Kathir, Natty and Narain in the lead roles for the Tamil version, while Sharaf U Dheen and Joju George played the lead roles in the Malayalam version alongside Narain. It was released on 18 November 2022.
Yugi | |
---|---|
Directed by | Zac Harriss |
Written by | Packiaraj |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Pushparaj Santhosh |
Edited by | Jomin |
Music by | Ranjin Raj Dawn Vincent |
Production company | Juvis Productions |
Release date |
|
Country | India |
Languages | Tamil Malayalam |
Plot
A detective, along with his team, goes in search of a missing girl. What follows are shocking revelations about Karthika, a girl who became the victim of power and economic exploitation.
Cast
- Kathir / Sharaf U Dheen as SI Rajkumar Prabhakaran
- Narain as Nandakumar
- Natty / Joju George as Sethu
- Athmiya Rajan as Shalini
- Anandhi as Karthika
- Pavithra Lakshmi as Pavithra Mariamma
- Prathap Pothan as Purushothaman
- Namo Narayana
- Munishkanth as Kokki Kumar
- Vinodhini Vaidyanathan as Dr. Chandrika
- Prankster Rahul
- John Vijay as Guruprasad
- R. N. R. Manohar as the opposition party leader
- Zinil Zainuddin
- Anjali Rao
- T. M. Karthik
Production
In late 2019, director Zac Harriss and writer Packiaraj, sought out to make a Tamil film and pitched the idea to artistes to secure their dates. Upon discussions with Narain, the makers chose to film it as a bilingual with separate actors in Tamil and Malayalam.[1][2] In Malayalam, the film starred Narain, Joju George and Sharaf U Dheen, while in Tamil, the film starred Narain, Natty and Kathir. The filming was done simultaneously for both the versions.[3][4]
Soundtrack
Soundtrack was composed by Ranjin Raj.[5]
- Tamil
- "Kadavul Thandha" - Pradeep Kumar, Saindhavi
- "Neeradum" - Ranjin Raj
- "Moolaya Saanam" - Sivam
- Malayalam
- "Imakal" - KS Harishankar, Nithya Mammen
- "Imakal Chimmathiravum" - Ranjin Raj
- "Chandrakaladharane " - Joju George
Reception
The film was released on 18 November 2022 across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. A critic from Cinema Express wrote the film was "a tedious revenge thriller with one too many twists" and that "the exposition and the unraveling in this film feels so overwhelming that we lose interest halfway".[6] A reviewer from The Times of India noted "Yugi is interesting in bits and pieces, but fails to deliver as a whole". The reviewer added "the technical aspects of the film are quite decent and the background score really helps to elevate certain moments, which would have otherwise been flat".[7] A critic from The Hindu wrote that "Despite its powerful star cast and potential to weave a gripping narrative, the loud treatment, haphazard editing, and horrific lip sync make Adrishyam an underwhelming watch".[8] A reviewer from Manorama Online opined that "Director Zac Harris has done a decent job keeping the mystery intact, though he hasn’t been able to infuse much freshness into the plotline".[9]
References
- Anand, Shilpa Nair (23 November 2022). "Actor Narain says the script gave him the confidence to go ahead with 'Adrishyam/Yugi'". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
- "Narain Interview: I want to stop doing cop roles". Cinema Express.
- "Exclusive! Narain had given us the idea of turning Adrishyam and Yugi it into a bilingual: Zac Harriss". OTTPlay.
- "Exclusive! Adrishyam, Yugi gave me the chance to work with new-gen actors like Kathir and Sharafudheen: Narain". OTTPlay.
- "Yugi (Original motion picture soundtrack)". Spotify.
- "Yugi Movie Review: A tedious revenge thriller with one too many twists". Cinema Express.
- Balachandran, Logesh. "Yugi Movie Review: An intense thriller that could have been made better". The Times of India.
- Praveen, S. R. (18 November 2022). "'Adrishyam' movie review: An underwhelming thriller riddled with technical issues". The Hindu.
- Alexander, Princy. "'Adrishyam' Review | Narain, Sharafudheen captivate in decent mystery drama". Manorama Online.