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En Swasa Kaatre

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1999 film by K. S. Ravi

En Swasa Kaatre
DVD cover
Directed byK. S. Ravi
Written byK. S. Ravi
Produced by
  • R. M. Sait
  • J. Ansar Ali
Starring
CinematographyArthur A. Wilson
Edited byBabu-Raghu
Music byA. R. Rahman (soundtrack), Sabesh-Murali (score)
Production
company		Nikaba Films International
Release date
  • 26 February 1999 (1999-02-26)
Running time177 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

En Swasa Kaatre (transl. Breath of My Life) is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic crime film written and directed by K. S. Ravi. The film stars Arvind Swamy and Isha Koppikar, while Raghuvaran, Prakash Raj and Thalaivasal Vijay play supporting roles. The film was produced by newcomers R. M. Sait and Ansar Ali, friends of composer A. R. Rahman. The film was released on 26 February 1999 and did average commercial business.

Plot

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A seemingly down-to-earth man, Arun, leads a life of a computer hacker by day and a thief by night. When he meets Madhu, whom he fancies, he wishes to turn over a new leaf. But Arun's rogue foster brother Guru, who has been blackmailing him since he was young to do his dirty deeds, does not think likewise. A deep love-hate relationship between them which unfolded during their childhood days, traps Arun into a life of crime. How Arun chooses between his family and love forms the crux of the story.

Cast

Production

In 1998, composer A. R. Rahman signed on to work with his friends R. M. Sait and Anwar Ali's Love Letter, with speculation suggesting that Rahman was producing this film along with his friends. Rahman suggested to his friends to instate K. S. Ravi as director, having previously worked with him in Mr. Romeo (1996). The project went through production troubles, with three of Arvind Swamy's projects at the time – Engineer, Mudhal Mudhalaaga and Sasanam – also in a similar situation. The film was soon retitled En Swasa Kaatre and was rumoured to be partially based on the Mission Impossible films. Isha Koppikar was meant to mark her debut with the film but the delays prompted her other films to release before En Swasa Kaatre. Director Kathir had scouted for an actress in North India to play the lead role in his venture Kadhalar Dhinam and had auditioned Isha Koppikar for the role. He subsequently recommended her to his friend K. S. Ravi to cast her in En Swasa Kaatre. Sonali Bendre replaced Kopikkar in Kadhalar Dhinam.

The film was also delayed due to a dispute between Arvind Swamy and Nikaba Films, the producers. Nikaba had omitted to pay Arvind Swamy's remuneration for acting in the film, and the actor promptly got a stay order on the release of the producer's next film Ooty.

Music

The soundtrack was composed by A. R. Rahman. Parts of the song "En Swasa Katre" are syncopated as in Carnatic music compositions. In the Theendai song, Rahman had used a similar religious chant which had carnatic allusions like the ones in Enigma (Germany), which had Gregorian chants. The song "Jumbalakka" was reused in the Hindi film Thakshak. It was also featured in the 2019 film Kaithi where it became a trend in Tamil Nadu after its release. "Kadhal Niagra" was reused with change in instrumentation and vocals and with a considerable extend in length as "Kay Sera Sera" in Pukar. A slightly revised version of "Thirakatha" was a song that was used in the score of Million Dollar Arm. Due to Rahman's busy schedule, he left the project before completing the background score. Sabesh–Murali were signed to quickly compose the remaining score.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Jumbalakka"VairamuthuRafee6:20
2."Kadhal Niagara"VaaliPalakkad Sreeram, Harini, Anupama5:01
3."Thirakkatha Kattukulle"VairamuthuP. Unnikrishnan, K. S. Chithra7:09
4."En Swasa Katrae"VairamuthuM. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra5:15
5."Chinna Chinna Mazhai Thuligal"VairamuthuM. G. Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra5:48
6."Theendai Mei Theendai"VairamuthuS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra6:48
Total length:36:21

Reception

Kala Krishnan Ramesh of Deccan Herald said that "the story of En Swasa Katre, is one with much potential, largely unexplored by an inadequate plot and screenplay, which, along with the dialogues, and direction, are by K S Ravi", with the critic adding that "Arvind Swamy is not bad, as for as an Arvind Swamy can be so. And the same goes for Prakash Raj. Worth taking a look at." Arul S. of The New Indian Express described that "En Swasa Kaatre may not be a must-see but it is certainly a can-see." K. N. Vijiyan of New Straits Times wrote "See this one if you are a Arvindswamy fan or go just to enjoy the visuals". D. S. Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote, "The cinematography of Arthur A. Wilson particularly the outdoor work in a song with a waterfall as backdrop and the elegant sets of Thotta Tharani are the plus points of this production", but was critical of the dance choreography. He added, "The incidents the director has created to tell the love story have been handled with taste".

The film did average commercial business. Despite the relative high-profile nature of the film, K. S. Ravi disappeared from the film industry after the film's release and did not make any other films until his death in 2010.

References

  1. மஹந்த் (8 March 1998). "மீனாவுக்கு கண்டன கணைகள்!". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 88–89. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  2. "And the Pongal windfall..." Rediff.com. 16 January 1999. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  3. "Isha in Tamil". Rediff.com. 13 October 1998. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  4. "Isha Koppikar". Sify. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  5. "Blessing in disguise". Rediff.com. 8 December 1999. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  6. "En Swasa Katre (1999)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  7. Verma, Shreemi (12 February 2016). "VIDEO: Dia Mirza Was A Background Dancer Before Winning Miss Asia Pacific!". MissMalini.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  8. Rao, Subha J (7 November 2019). "Kaithi director Lokesh Kanagaraj reveals plan to expand film into a franchise: 'I have the idea for both a prequel and sequel'". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  9. Agarwal, Malini (27 June 2012). "Kay Sera Sera, Play It Again Prabhu". MissMalini.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  10. Jeyaraj, D. B. S. (27 July 2019). "Singer-Actress Doris Day's evergreen signature song 'Que Sera Sera'". Daily FT. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  11. "ARR's Thirakkatha Kattukulle goes Hollywood". Only Kollywood. 30 April 2014. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  12. "Re: [arr] Speechless/Mind blowing/Amazing BGM never heard before". The Mail Archive. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 27 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
  13. Ramesh, Kala Krishnan (28 March 1999). "Movie: En Swasa Katre (Tamil)". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2013 – via chirag-entertainers.com.
  14. S, Arul (4 April 1999). "It's a can-see". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  15. Vijiyan, K. N. (6 March 1999). "Good brother, evil brother". New Straits Times. pp. Arts 4. Archived from the original on 17 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2023 – via Google News Archive.
  16. Ramanujam, D. S. (5 March 1999). "Film Reviews: En Swasa Kaatrae / Kaun". The Hindu. p. 27. Archived from the original on 7 April 2001. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  17. Reddy, Y. Maheshwara (16 May 1999). "Isha Koppikar speaks". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2023.

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