Ullam Ketkumae...
DVD Cover
Directed byJeeva
Written byJeeva
Sujatha (dialogues)
Produced byMahadevan Ganesh
Usha Venkatramani
StarringShaam
Arya
Laila
Asin
Pooja
CinematographyJeeva
Edited byV. T. Vijayan
Music byHarris Jayaraj
Production
companies
G. V. Films
One Word Media Network Infotainment Ltd.
Distributed byAP International
Ayngaran International
Release date
3 June 2005
Running time
160 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Ullam Ketkumae... (transl. The heart wants more) is a 2005 Tamil-language romantic drama film directed and co-written by Jeeva, with dialogues by Sujatha. The film stars Shaam, Arya, Laila, Asin and Pooja as five college students. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Harris Jayaraj, while Vairamuthu penned the lyrics for the songs. The film tells the reunion of five friends who were together at college and exploring their relationships during the years. The film released after several delays in 2005 and went on to win critical and commercial success. The film marked the first successful film for Jeeva and Shaam while Arya and Asin received several film offers after the release of the film.

Plot

The film is all about a group of five college friends — Shyam, Emaan, Pooja, Priya and Irene. The friends gather for Emaan's wedding, years after everyone has parted ways.

The film starts with Pooja leaving the United States to go to Indian cricketer and her friend Emaan's wedding. Meanwhile, back in India, everyone else is helping Emaan with the preparations for his wedding and catching up with their long-lost college friends. The movie goes through series of flashbacks of old memories during their college days. Emaan and Irene meet for the first time after years. It turns out that they were once in love during their college days but Irene, who is from an unstable family, decides to part ways with Emaan after he loses focus on his long time goal of becoming a successful cricketer.

Another flashback occurs when Shyam gets reminded of Pooja. She is a fun-loving tomboyish and naive girl, who is best friends with Shyam. Shyam realizes that he is in love with Priya, but on the other hand, Pooja realizes that she is falling for Shyam. Shyam and Pooja had respectively decided to propose their love interests on the coming Valentine's Day. But on that day, Pooja learns beforehand that Shyam is in love with Priya instead. Heartbroken by what she has just learned, she decides to keep her love for him a secret. When Shyam proposes Priya, she rejects his love as she believes in a more traditional approach towards finding a life partner. She reveals to him that she will be getting married, right after their graduation, to the man of her parents' choice. Pooja eventually goes to the US for her higher studies and settles down there. Shyam has also tried to move on since then and becomes a fashion designer.

The film transitions back to the present on Emaan's wedding day. Everyone attends his wedding as Pooja finally arrives. She is no longer the same girl she was back then, as she is much more mature now and not as tomboyish as she was back then. Over sometime, Shyam has come to realize that he missed Pooja's presence and is much fond of her now. He realizes that he had failed to appreciate her all those times when she was there with him. The day after Emaan's wedding, Pooja leaves to catch her flight back to USA. Right before her departure, she decides to pass Shyam the Valentine's Day card that she had wanted to hand him during their college days and reveals her love for him. Shyam realizes that Pooja is the one that was meant to be for him and not Priya. The movie ends with Shyam accepting Pooja's love for him.

Cast

Production

I have done 15 films in Tamil. My favorite film is 'Ullam Kettkumae More'. I enjoyed doing the character very much. I enjoyed every moment of the shooting.

 — Laila in an interview, 2005[5]

In April 2002, where it was reported that Shaam and Richa Pallod were going to team up with director Jeeva, who had launched Shaam in 12B (2001), for a college love story titled Pepsi.[6][7][8][9] Susi Ganeshan had appealed for the title Pepsi for a film; however, since the title Pepsi was registered by Jeeva, Ganeshan ended up renaming his film Five Star (2002).[10] The title Pepsi had stemmed from the first letter from the names of the five friends — Priya, Emaan, Pooja, Shyam and Irene.[11] The film was later renamed and the film took part of the brand Pepsi's tagline in Tamil Nadu – Ullam Ketkumae More – as the new title.[5][11]

Laila was reported to be a part of the cast.[5][12] Asin signed the film aged eighteen and the film was meant to mark her début in Tamil films.[13][14] This was the second film that Asin worked on after the Malayalam film Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (2001).[15] While working as a software engineer, Jamshad was approached by Jeeva to audition for the film in 2003 after Jeeva spotted him walking in his neighbourhood.[16][17] Jeeva gave Jamshad the stage name of Arya for this film.[17][18] Pooja was also signed on to make her début.[19] Srinath, who worked as an assistant director under Jeeva in 12B, was cast in this film as Shaam and Arya's friend.[20] Rajesh dubbed for Malayalam actor Murali in the film.[21] Model Hemanth Kumar was cast as a college student.[4]

Art director Thota Tharani created a college campus for the film to be shot in, with his work drawing appreciation.[22] A scene featuring an inter college day cultural had 100 students from various states take part in the shooting while decorations and a podium were put up for a marriage scene in Taj Connemara hotel.[23] Raju Sundaram choreographed five songs including a song shot at hot water springs in New Zealand.[23]

The film went through production hell, with three years being spent on the announcement till release.[24] The film was supposed to be the debut film of Arya, Asin, and Pooja.[25][26][27] Th delay of the film enabled the lead actors to gain popularity with other releases: Arinthum Ariyamalum (2005) for Arya,[28] M. Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi (2004) for Asin,[29] and Jay Jay (2003) and Attahasam (2004) for Pooja.[30][31][32] Despite giving indications that the film would release after delays on 14 April 2004 it was further pushed back due to financial issues.[33][34] In May 2005, the Supreme Court finally cleared the decks for the release, as earlier the Madras High court by a 25 February order appointed "Joint Receivers" for the film, which was objected by Prasad Labs who had gone to Supreme Court.[23] It was agreed that the collections from the film will be received by "joint receivers" who will pay Prasad Labs for 72 prints of the film.[35]

Music

The music and background score were composed by Harris Jayaraj and became popular upon release.[36][37] The songs were released on YouTube by Think Music India in 2020.[38]

Ullam Ketkumae
Soundtrack album by
Harris Jayaraj
Released22 April 2005
Recorded2005
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length27:28
LanguageTamil
LabelHit Musics
Vega Music
Bayshore
Divo
Think Music
ProducerHarris Jayaraj
Harris Jayaraj chronology
Thotti Jaya
(2005)		 Ullam Ketkumae
(2005)		 Anniyan
(2005)
Track-List
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Ennai Pandhada"VairamuthuSrinivas, Srimathumitha4:52
2."Kanavugal"Pa. VijayKarthik, Tippu, O. S. Arun, Premji Amaran, Febi Mani5:33
3."O Maname"VairamuthuHariharan4:55
4."Mazhai Mazhai"VairamuthuP. Unnikrishnan, Harini4:55
5."Dho Dho"VairamuthuFranko, KK5:45
6."Lieko Laima"Pa. VijayRanjith1:28
Total length:27:28

Release and reception

Ullam Ketkumae was released on 3 June 2005 and became a commercial success at the box office with pundits describing the film as a "super hit".[39][36] A critic from Sify gave the film a verdict of above average and stated that "On the whole, Jeeva has been successful to make an entertainer with a very good story. Everything, from the choice of lead actors, their lines and gestures, interpersed with perfect song-n-dance is perfectly coordinated".[40] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online opined that Laila's performance was the "surprise packet" and that "Jeeva's camera provides some colourful visuals and together with Harris Jairaj's peppy numbers adds to the film's entertainment value. Ullam Kelkumae is an urban Autograph, worth a watch".[41] Visual Dasan of Kalki praised Jeeva's realistic characters, the acting of the cast, and Harris Jayaraj's music. He said the film can be rewatched for the feelings it induces.[42] The film took a 90 percent opening in four Chennai screens with large collections reported at the Devi theatre in Chennai in the opening weekend.[39] The film opened at number two at the Chennai box office despite stiff competition, just below the Rajinikanth starrer Chandramukhi.[43] The film was also dubbed in Telugu as Preminchi Choodu and released on 30 March 2006.[44]

This was the first commercially successful film for both Jeeva and Shaam.[45][36] They both had previously collaborated for 12B, which did not fare as well.[46]

Legacy

Ullam Ketkumae was notably one of the first Tamil films in the reunion genre.[23] Several news websites including The Times of India and The New Indian Express listed this film as one to watch on Friendship Day along with several other films including Thalapathi (1991), Kadhal Desam (1996), Friends (2001), Chennai 600028 (2007), Naadodigal (2009), and Nanban (2012).[47][48][49]

The success of the film brought a series of offers for Shaam, whose career was struggling prior to release.[45][50] The success of the film prompted ABCD, another film starring Shaam, to release two months later.[51] Arya and Asin were able to consolidate their positions as rising actors.[52][13]

References

  1. ↑ "5 memorable Tamil films that KPAC Lalitha was part of". The Times of India. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  2. ↑ Padmanabhan, Geeta (20 October 2005). "Artists, attitude, appreciation". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  3. ↑ Vaishvedhidha (14 November 2019). "CRICKETERS YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHO ALSO ACTED IN MOVIES!". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 30 October 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  4. 1 2 Rangarajan, Malathi (15 February 2008). "A bloody climax". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "Laila, the 'accidental' actress". The Hindu. 18 August 2005. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "Taking everything in his stride". The Hindu. 17 July 2002. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "'Virumandi' to 'Uriyadi': Five Tamil films that changed their titles before their release". The Times of India. 15 June 2020. Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  8. ↑ Tulika (17 April 2002). "rediff.com, Movies: Gossip from the southern film industry". Rediff. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Riding high on '12B' fame". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 June 2002. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "A tale of two names". The Hindu. 18 October 2002. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Title trick". The Hindu. 29 March 2004. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "An appointment with a star". The Hindu. 20 February 2003. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2003.
  13. 1 2 "On a high". The Hindu. 11 June 2005. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  14. ↑ "Bouquets and diktats". The Hindu. 19 September 2010. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  15. ↑ "Asin, up close and personal". Rediff. 1 November 2005. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  16. ↑ "Interaction with Shaam and Jeeva". The Hindu. 1 July 2005. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  17. 1 2 "Jeeva gave the onscreen name Arya". The Times of India. 13 August 2014. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Chat transcript of the Arya chat!". Sify. 13 June 2005. Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  19. ↑ "Oram Po... here she comes". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 November 2007. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Jeeva's blue-eyed boy: Srinath". The Times of India. 14 January 2007. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  21. ↑ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (24 April 2020). "Life has come full circle". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Campus caper". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 19 April 2004. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "15 Years of Ullam Ketkumae: A nostalgic lookback at the romantic drama that sparked off a reunion pop-culture". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  24. ↑ Subramanian, Anupama (12 June 2015). "I open up to all my heroines: Arya". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 16 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  25. ↑ Suganth, M. (16 January 2017). "When the first film isn't the debut film!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  26. ↑ Srinivasan, Sudhir (24 May 2015). "Acting is the last thing an actor should do". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  27. ↑ Indira Lakshminarayana, Shruti (29 June 2011). "Pooja: Shah Rukh Khan is very famous in Sri Lanka". Rediff. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  28. ↑ "Arindhum Ariyamalum". Sify. 21 May 2005. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  29. ↑ "M. Kumaran Son of ..." The Hindu. 8 October 2004. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 15 October 2004.
  30. ↑ "Jay Jay". The Hindu. 21 November 2003. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  31. ↑ "Ajith tastes success!". Rediff. 23 November 2004. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  32. ↑ "Director Jeeva dead". The Hindu. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  33. ↑ "No superstar releases on Tamil New Year". Sify. 8 April 2004. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  34. ↑ "A bubbly team this time". The Hindu. 2 April 2004. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  35. ↑ "At last, 'Ullam Ketkume' releases!". Sify. 30 May 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  36. 1 2 3 Gopalakrishnan, S. (26 June 2020). "ஒளிப்பதிவாளர் - இயக்குநர் ஜீவா நினைவு நாள்: குறைந்த படங்களில் நிறைய சாதித்த கலைஞன்!" [Cinematographer – Director Jeeva Memorial Day: Artist who has achieved a lot in lesser films!]. Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  37. ↑ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (15 January 2019). "I killed my youth working". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  38. ↑ "Check Out Popular Tamil Music Audio Songs Jukebox From 'Ullam Ketkume'". The Times of India. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  39. 1 2 "'Ullam Ketkume' – A sleeper hit!". Sify. 7 June 2005. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  40. ↑ "Ullam Ketkume". Sify. 6 June 2005. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  41. ↑ Mannath, Malini (10 June 2005). "Ullam Ketkume". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 14 October 2006. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  42. ↑ Dasan, Visual (26 June 2005). "உள்ளம் கேட்குமே..." [Ullam Ketkumae...]. Kalki (in Tamil). Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  43. ↑ "Chennai weekend box-office (June 3–5)". Sify. 7 June 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  44. ↑ Pulla, Priyanka. "Preminchi Choodu Review". Full Hyderabad. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  45. 1 2 "I believe in inner resolve". The Hindu. 30 June 2005. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  46. ↑ Poornima (19 April 2003). "Dhool, the only real Tamil hit". Rediff. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  47. ↑ "'Ullam Ketkumae' to 'Endrendrum Punnagai': Five Tamil films to enjoy with your friends". The Times of India. 6 April 2020. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  48. ↑ "'Thalapathi' to 'Nanban': Must watch films on Friendship Day". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  49. ↑ "From Kadhal Desam to Naadodigal: 12 must-watch Tamil movies that celebrate friendship". The New Indian Express. 4 August 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  50. ↑ "Shaam- A new lease of life!". Sify. 28 June 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  51. ↑ Pillai, Sreedhar (30 June 2005). "Shaam is all smiles!". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  52. ↑ "Arya- In demand!". Sify. 16 June 2005. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
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