Traffic (2011 film)
Traffic | |
---|---|
Official poster | |
Directed by | Rajesh Pillai |
Produced by | Listin Stephen |
Written by | Bobby Sanjay |
Starring |
Sreenivasan Asif Ali Rahman Kunchako Boban Anoop Menon Vineeth Sreenivasan Sandhya Roma Remya Nambeesan Lena |
Narrated by | Sreenivasan |
Music by |
Mejo Joseph Samson Kottoor |
Cinematography | Shyju Khalid |
Edited by | Mahesh Narayanan |
Distributed by | Magic Frames |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Malayalam |
Box office | ₹5.95 crore (US$880,000)[1] |
Traffic is a 2011 Malayalam language Indian thriller film written by brothers Bobby and Sanjay and directed by Rajesh Pillai. The film features an ensemble cast consisting of Sreenivasan, Rahman, Kunchako Boban, Anoop Menon, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sandhya, Roma, Remya Nambeesan and Asif Ali.[2] The film has its narrative in a hyperlink format. The film opened on 7 January 2011, to a positive reception. It is widely regarded as one of the defining movies of the Malayalam New Wave.[3] A multi-narrative thriller that intertwines multiple stories around one particular incident, Traffic is inspired from an actual event that happened in Chennai.[4][5] Owing to its critical and commercial success, Traffic was remade into Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal, in Kannada as Crazy Star and is also remade in Hindi, with the same name. This was also the last film of the veteran actor Jose Prakash.[6]
Synopsis
On 16 September, superstar Sidharth Shankar (Rahman) gets ready for the release of his new film. On the same day, Traffic Constable Sudevan (Sreenivasan) joins back on duty, after having been suspended from service for taking bribes. The day is special for Dr. Abel (Kunchako Boban) who is celebrating his first wedding anniversary. Raihan (Vineeth Sreenivasan), an aspiring television journalist, starts his first job with an interview with Sidharth Shankar the very same day.
On the same day, at a crowded traffic junction in Kochi, Raihan and Rajeev (Asif Ali), travelling in a bike are fatally hit by a speeding car at the signal. Raihan iss all set to interview the superstar, Siddharth Shankar. Also at the junction, in another car, is the surgeon Dr. Abel.
Raihan goes into coma and is declared brain dead although he is kept alive using ventilator. Meanwhile, Siddharth’s ailing daughter's condition becomes worse and she urgently needs a heart transplant. At first Raihan's parents do not agree to take their son off the ventilator and donate their son's heart but Rajeev and Raihan's girlfriend persuade them into it. Now that the heart is available, the problem was with transporting it from Kochi to Palakkad. No chartered flights or helicopters are available and so the heart will have to be taken by road. Someone will have to drive the 150 kilometres in under two hours during the rush traffic.
City Police Commissioner Ajmal Nazar (Anoop Menon) is asked to carry out the mission. He initially refuses considering the complexity and risk involved in the mission. But finally he heeds to the persuasion of Dr.Simon D'souza (Jose Prakash). Sudevan, being an experienced driver who has driven as an escort for ministers, volunteers to be the driver of the Jeep because he wanted to regain the name he lost due to the bribe incident. Accompanying them on this mission is Dr Abel and Rajeev.
Everything goes smoothly for sometime. But at a point the police team loses contact with the vehicle and it mysteriously disappears. All goes well and they reach the hospital in time to save the girl's life.
Cast
- Sreenivasan as Sudevan Nair, a traffic police constable
- Kunchacko Boban as Dr. Abel Thariyan, a cardiac surgeon
- Vineeth Sreenivasan as Raihan, A journalist trainee working in Indiavision
- Asif Ali as Rajiv, Raihan's friend
- Anoop Menon as Ajmal Nazar IPS, the City Police Commissioner of Kochi
- Rahman as Sidharth Shankar, a movie star
- Sandhya as Aditi, Raihan's fiancee
- Roma as Miriam, Abel's sister working in Club FM
- Remya Nambeesan as Shwetha, Abel's wife.
- Saikumar as Raihan's father and a Doctor.
- Fathima Babu as Raihan's Mother
- Lena as Shruthi, Sidharth Shankar's wife
- Vijayakumar as Mathew, Private Secretary to Sidharth Shankar.
- Namitha Pramod as Riya, Sidharth Shankar's daughter.
- Krishna as Jicku, a common friend of Abel and Shwetha.
- Sudip Joshy as Miriam's husband
- Reena Basheer as Sudevan's wife
- Nisha Sarang as Sudevan's sister
- Anjana Menon as Vyga
- Renjith Reghu as Deepu
- Prem Prakash as a doctor
- Dr. Roni as a journalist
- Gauri Krishna
- Mahima as Aditi's friend
- Jose Prakash as Dr.Simon D'souza (Special appearance)
- Nivin Pauly (Special Appearance)
- Jayakrishnan
Production
The film is directed by Rajesh Pillai.[7] Writers of the film Bobby and Sanjay, who scripted Ente Veedu Appoontem and Notebook explain: "The director wanted the film to be of a different mould altogether. Here every character is of equal importance as the story moves ahead. It was quite a challenging task but an enjoyable experience as well."[8] They add that the film is inspired by a true incident. A similar mission was successfully carried out by the Tamil Nadu police in a more complex Chennai city.[8] Also, in a scene, the character played by Anoop Menon talks about the incident.
Traffic is one of the first multi narratives made in this decade in Malayalam film. The film has Sreenivasan, Rahman, Kunchakko Bobban and Asif Ali as the four lead protagonists whose stories are narrated through the sequences.[9] Vineeth Sreenivasan, who recently made his debut as a writer and director with Malarvadi Arts Club, says that it was the exciting script that attracted him to the project. "It is a particularly exciting day for my character as he is all set to join a news channel but as it turns out fate had other plans in store for him," adds the actor.[8] On the theme, Rajesh says,"I felt it was a theme that could connect with viewers regardless of their age. It's a contemporary theme that reassures us that if we approach something with honesty, even nature will come to our support."[10] The film will be the second on screen pairing of Vineeth and Sreenivasan, after their first film Makante Achan.[7] Sandhya plays Aditi, who is in love with Raihan. "Aditi is perhaps more worldly-wise than usual for someone her age. But she has her own reasons for being so", says the Malayali actor who created quite a stir with her performance in the Tamil film. This movie was said to be better than its other remakes.
Reception
Critical response
The film opened on 7 January 2011 to positive reviews. Veeyen of Nowrunning.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film in which he lends color to coincidence and unveils before us a cogitation on the dynamics of chance. A strikingly crafted film that is raw and genuine, it crawls right under your skin and stays there."[11] IndiaGlitz enthusiastically praised the film's "riveting plot, great performances, soulful music... and skilful direction".[12] A review at Cinefundas also praised the acting, adding that "the real hero of the film is the script".[13] Sify.com called it "an overwhelming experience" and rated it as "very good."[14] The Malayalam website Movieraga called it an "excellent movie" and went on to state that the new blood of Malayalam cinema cannot be seen as second-grade any more.[15]
Traffic was screened in the Malayalam Cinema Today section at the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in 2011.[16]
Soundtrack
Traffic | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Soundtrack album by Mejo Joseph | ||||
Released | 25 December 2010 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | Film soundtrack | |||
Length | 25:32 | |||
Language | Malayalam | |||
Label | Satyam Audios | |||
Producer | Listin Stephen | |||
Mejo Joseph chronology | ||||
|
The songs featured in the soundtrack album are composed by Mejo Joseph and Samson Kottoor, with lyrics penned by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma and S. Ramesan Nair.
- Track listing
# | Song | Artist(s) | Composer | Lyricist |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Kannerinjal" | Vipin Warrier, Hesham Abdul Wahab | Mejo Joseph | S. Ramesan Nair |
2 | "Pakalin" | Sithara | Mejo Joseph | Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma |
3 | "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake" | Chinmayi | Samson Kottoor | S. Ramesan Nair |
4 | "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake" | Samson Kottoor | Samson Kottoor | S. Ramesan Nair |
5 | "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake (Instrumental)" | Kalyan | Samson Kottoor | S. Ramesan Nair |
6 | "Theme Music" | Instrumental | Samson Kottoor |
Remakes
Owing to its critical and commercial success, Traffic was remade in Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal (2013). Its Hindi remake, Traffic has been released in May,2016.[17][18]
Awards
Award | Category | Result | Recipient | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [19] | |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
Best Film | Won | Listin Stephen | [20] | |
Best Supporting Actress | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [21] | |
Second Best Actor – Male | Won | Anoop Menon | ||
Second Best Actor – Female | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
Lohithadas Award |
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [22] |
Best Film | Nominated | Listin Stephen | [23] | |
Best Director | Nominated | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | Anoop Menon | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Nominated | Remya Nambeesan | ||
Best Character Actor | Nominated | Sreenivasan | ||
Asiavision Movie Awards |
Best Popular Movie | Won | Listin Stephen | [24] |
Second Best Actor | Won | Anoop Menon | ||
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Special Performance Award | Won | Rahman | ||
Trendsetter Award | Won | Listin Stephen | ||
Nana Film Awards |
Best Film | Won | Listin Stephen | [25] |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Editor | Won | Mahesh Narayanan | ||
Mathrubhumi Kalyan Silks Film Awards |
Best Screenplay | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | [26] |
Best Path Breaking Film of the Year | Nominated | Listin Stephen | ||
Surya Film Awards |
Most Popular Director | Nominated | Rajesh Pillai | |
Best Editor | Won | Mahesh Narayanan | ||
Kochi Times Awards |
Best Script | Won | Bobby – Sanjay | [27] |
Amrita Film Awards 2012 |
Best Supporting Actor (Female) | Won | Lena Abhilash | [28] |
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Trendsetting Film Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Jaihind Film Awards 2012 |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | |
Film Guidance Chalachitra Awards 2011 |
Best Supporting Actress | Won | Remya Nambeesan | [29] |
Reporter TV Film Awards 2012 |
Best Film | Won | Listin Stephen | [30] |
Best Director | Won | Rajesh Pillai | ||
Best Script | Won | Bobby-Sanjay | ||
Best Editor | Won | Mahesh Narayanan | ||
Best Supporting Actress | Won | Lena Abhilash | ||
References
- ↑ Manoj Nair (21 May 2011). "Malayalam movies: Non-linear narratives are making the box-office ring louder". India Times. Economic Times.
- ↑ Coming up: A complex Traffic – Rediff.com Movies
- ↑ Sathyendran, Nita (2013-07-03). "Shot at direction". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
- ↑ "Hithendran Incident".
- ↑ "Traffic Movie Review".
- ↑ "Veteran Malayalam actor Jose Prakash passes away". The Times of India. 24 March 2012.
- 1 2 "Vineeth and Sreenivasan in 'Traffic'". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- 1 2 3 Vijay George (30 September 2010). "It happened one day...". Chennai, India: The Hindu. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
- ↑ "'Traffic' to start this July". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
- ↑ Vijay George (13 January 2011). "Traffic gets green signal". Chennai, India: The Hindu.
- ↑ "Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film!". Nowrunning. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
- ↑ "Traffic – This is a 'Traffic' of change". IndiaGlitz. 8 January 2011.
- ↑ "Traffic – Malayalam Movie Review". CineFundas.com. 7 January 2011.
- ↑ Movie Review:Traffic review
- ↑ Review: Traffic | MOVIERAGA
- ↑ "A slice of Kerala". The New Indian Express.
- ↑ "Malayalam 'Traffic' to Be Remade in Tamil?". Top 10 Cinema. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ↑ "ട്രാഫിക് ഹിന്ദിയിലും". (in Malayalam) Kerala Kaumudi. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- ↑ "Kerala State Film Awards". Nowrunning.com.
- ↑ "Filmfare Awards South 2012". Kollyinsider.com.
- ↑ "Kerala Film Critics Awards 2012". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 18 May 2012.
- ↑ "ലോഹിതദാസ് പുരസ്കാരം ബോബിക്കും സഞ്ജയിനും". Mathrubhumi.
- ↑ "Asianet Film Awards 2011". Trivandrum.co.in.
- ↑ "Asiavision Movie Awards". Asiavisionawards.com.
- ↑ "Nana Film Awards 2011". Nana.com.
- ↑ "Mathrubhumi Film Awards 2011". Sanscinema.com.
- ↑ "Kochi Times Film Awards 2011". The Times of India.
- ↑ "Amrita Film Awards 2012". Amritatv.com.
- ↑ "Film Guidance Chalachitra Award 2011". Oneindia.in.
- ↑ "Reporter TV Film Awards 2012". Metromatinee.com.
External links
- Traffic at the Internet Movie Database
- Traffic at Nowrunning.com
- Traffic at Oneindia.in
- Traffic review at Rediff.com