Winner is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Sundar C. The film stars Prashanth and Kiran Rathod in the lead roles, while Vadivelu, Vijayakumar, M. N. Nambiar and Riyaz Khan play other important supporting roles. The film, which has music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja and camera work handled by Prasad Murella, released on 27 September 2003 and became a commercial hit. This film is best known for Vadivelu's comedy.
Plot
Sakthi is studying Engineering in a college in Chennai, and he gets into quarrels every other day. Not able to withstand the threats from hooligans, his billionaire parents send him to his mother's village in Pollachi where his maternal grandfather Velayutham and grandmother Sivagami reside. Though his grandparents are rich and respected farmers, Sakthi has not met them due to a small dispute between his father and grandfather. In the village, an innocent third cousin of Shakthi, Kaipulla, lives with the old couple with hopes of becoming their heir. He has a small gang and roams around the village with his mates. Kaipulla is constantly challenged by Sakthi's distant relative body-builder Kattadurai, who is also a rich landlord. Sakthi visits his grandparents and decides to stay there for a month. A marriage of their relative is planned, and the whole family from all over Tamil Nadu assembles. Neelaveni, who accompanies her relatives, falls in love with Sakthi. Kattadurai is supposed to marry Neelaveni.
Many events follow. Kattadurai often clashes with Sakthi and gets beaten up. Amidst the wedding preparation, a group of former enemies including Vaira Kannan and Neelavani's aunt, along with Neelaveni's father, kidnap Neelaveni. After a huge tussle, Sakthi brings back Neelaveni.
Cast
Prashanth as Sakthi
Kiran Rathod as Neelaveni
Vadivelu as Kaipulla
M. N. Nambiar as Velayutham
Vijayakumar as Sathyamoorthy, Sakthi's father
M. N. Rajam as Sivagami
Riyaz Khan as Kattadurai Thevar
Raj Kapoor as Vaira Kannan
Jaya Murali as Dhanalakshmi, Sakthi's mother
Prathap Singh as Santhanapandi Thevar , Neelaveni's father
Vimalraj as Vaira Kannan's brother
Anuradha as Neelaveni's aunt
Santhana Bharathi as Neelaveni's uncle
Crane Manohar as Kaipulla's sidekick
Bonda Mani as Kaipulla's sidekick
Muthukaalai as Kaipulla's sidekick
Junior Balaiah as Kattadurai's uncle
Vichu Viswanath as Kattadurai's cousin
Singamuthu as Thief
Halwa Vasu as Train Station Master
Bharathi as Neelaveni's friend
Thalapathy Dinesh as Neelaveni's bodyguard
Vatsala Rajagopal as Neelaveni's grandmother
Shanmugasundari as Neelaveni's grandmother
Nirosha as Neelaveni's cousin
Nellai Siva as Astrologer
Kottai Perumal
Chelladurai
Soori as Kaipulla's henchman (uncredited)
Production
Actor Prashanth signed on to star in the film, being produced by R. Bhooma Ramachandran in late 2001, with Aarthi Aggarwal signed on the play the film's heroine. It was reported that she had impressed actress Khushbu with her performances in Telugu films and Kushboo thus recommended her to her film maker husband, Sundar C. However she was later replaced by Kiran Rathod and filming for project began as early as January 2002. The film was primarily shot in and around Chennai, Ilanji and Pollachi, while scenes showcasing a wedding at Kiran's house was shot at Vasan House, Chennai. Prashanth was briefly hospitalised after injuring himself filming an action scene for the film. Vadivelu got injured during a comedy scene at the beginning of the movie shoot.
Despite being completed by the end of 2002, the release of the film was held up after production issues and so the director Sundar C decided to prioritise his work on Kamal Haasan's Anbe Sivam.
Release
The film released on 27 September 2003 to positive reviews. A critic noted "It is a typical Sundar C. brand entertainer with comedy, stunts, romance and sentiment thrown in to make the product racy", concluding it was set to be a "box office winner". Another critic also noted "Vadivelu’s comedy is the highlight of the film. He has given a consistent performance in the film".
Post-release, the film's producer Ramachandran complained of the treatment he was given by Prashanth and his father during the making of the film. He claimed that the pair demanded extra salary and had initially insisted that the team cast Kareena Kapoor in the lead role. In 2010, the producer spoke of his bankruptcy and blamed Prashanth for his role in the losses he suffered.