Kannathil Muthamittal

Kannathil Muthamittal
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMani Ratnam
Written byMani Ratnam
Dialogues bySujatha
Based on
"Amuthavum Avanum"
by Sujatha
Produced byMani Ratnam
G. Srinivasan
StarringR. Madhavan
Simran
P. S. Keerthana
Nandita Das
CinematographyRavi K. Chandran
Edited byA. Sreekar Prasad
Music byA. R. Rahman
Production
company
Distributed byMadras Talkies
Release date
  • 14 February 2002 (2002-02-14)
Running time
137 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Kannathil Muthamittal (also released internationally as A Peck on the Cheek) is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language musical war film written, produced and directed by Mani Ratnam. It was based on a short story, "Amuthavum Avanum" by Sujatha.[1] The film stars R. Madhavan, Simran and P. S. Keerthana with Nandita Das, J. D. Chakravarthy, Prakash Raj and Pasupathy portraying other pivotal characters. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by A. R. Rahman, while Ravi K. Chandran handled the cinematography. Mani Ratnam presents the story of a child of Sri Lankan Tamil parentage adopted by Indian parents, whose desire is to meet her biological mother in the midst of the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was released on 14 February 2002.

The film premiered at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and was additionally screened at the 2003 San Francisco International Film Festival. The film received high critical acclaim upon release and went on to win six National Film Awards, three Filmfare Awards South,[2] six Cinema Express Awards,[3] seven Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and Best Film awards at six international film festivals.

Plot

In Mankulam, a Tamil village in northern Sri Lanka, Shyama marries Dileepan and becomes pregnant just as the Sri Lankan Civil War intensifies. Dileepan is an active insurgent fighting against the government forces as part of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). While in the forest, the couple is caught by an encroaching Sri Lankan Army detachment; Dileepan forces a reluctant Shyama to flee while he stays behind to delay the troops. As the military assault devastates the village, the residents evacuate to India. Shyama initially resists, hoping for Dileepan's return, but eventually boards a precarious refugee vessel for the sake of her unborn child. Mid-journey, an older refugee reports seeing a heavily wounded Dileepan in the forest, but it is too late to turn back. Arriving at a refugee processing center in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Shyama gives birth to a baby girl. Driven by a desperate hope that her husband is alive and a desire to join his cause, she abandons the infant at the camp and clandestinely returns to Sri Lanka.

Nine years later in Chennai, the young girl, Amudha, lives an idyllic life with her adoptive family: her father Thiruchelvan, an engineer and progressive writer who uses the pen name "Indira"; her mother Indira, a television newscaster; and her two younger brothers, Vinay and Akhil. On her ninth birthday, Thiruchelvan discloses to Amudha that she was adopted as an infant, and that her brothers are her parents' biological children. Shattered by the revelation, a traumatized Amudha emotionally withdraws from her family. In flashbacks, it is revealed that nine years prior, Thiruchelvan frequently visited the Rameswaram refugee camps for literary research, where he discovered the abandoned infant. Blocked from adopting her as a single man under Indian law, he proposed to his neighbor Indira, who had long harbored affection for him. They married, formalized the adoption, and named the child Amudha at Indira's suggestion.

Determined to find her biological roots, Amudha demands to meet her birth mother. When Indira insists that tracking an anonymous refugee is impossible, Amudha runs away to Rameswaram with her cousin to search the camp registry. Shocked by her persistence, her family intercepts her, and a sympathetic Thiruchelvan convinces Indira to take Amudha to war-torn Sri Lanka to search for Shyama. Arriving in Colombo, they are hosted by Dr. Harold Wickramasinghe, a Sinhalese physician and friend of Thiruchelvan who agrees to guide them into the volatile northern territories. Throughout the journey, Amudha's volatile and disrespectful behavior toward Indira strains the family dynamic as they witness the grim, everyday devastation of the civil war.

While scouting a rural jungle tract, Thiruchelvan and Wickramasinghe are captured by an armed LTTE patrol. Thiruchelvan defuses the situation by reciting regional Tamil poetry, prompting the insurgent commander, Pasupathy, to recognize him by his literary pseudonym. Thiruchelvan explains their humanitarian mission, revealing that their only lead is the name Shyama. Pasupathy reveals that Shyama is his sister, a deeply committed LTTE guerrilla operative currently living in hiding. Moved by the family's devotion, Pasupathy promises to escort Shyama to a designated park in a nearby town the following day.

The next morning, the family waits at the rendezvous point, but the meeting is violently disrupted when a sudden skirmish erupts between the Sri Lankan Army and an LTTE unit. During a frantic evacuation under heavy artillery fire, Indira is wounded in the arm by a stray bullet. Confounded and deeply guilt-ridden by the violence her obsession has caused, a remorseful Amudha apologizes to Indira for her behavior and begs to return to India. The next day, as they travel to the airport, a resilient Indira insists on returning to the park one last time. Shyama arrives just as the family pulls up. In an intensely emotional reunion, Amudha presents her biological mother with a childhood photo album and questions her about the abandonment. Shyama gently comforts her, explaining the agonizing circumstances of the war. When Amudha begs her to return with them to Chennai, Shyama tearfully refuses, stating her allegiance remains with her war-ravaged homeland, expressing hope for a peaceful future where they can reunite freely. As Shyama slips back into the jungle, Amudha embraces Thiruchelvan and Indira, tearfully kissing her mother as they head back home.

Cast

Production

Development

Like other Mani Ratnam projects, the film began production with very little official publicity in early 2001 with the media covering the project as either Manjal Kudai (Yellow Umbrella) or Kudaigal (Umbrellas).[5] The film was reported of a trilogy of films based on love and peace in the backdrop of war after Roja (1992), Bombay (1995) and Dil Se (1998). The film was originally conceived as a taut racy thriller that centres on a script based on a female leader of a guerilla group – with Mani Ratnam later choosing to base the film on human relationships with the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War.[6] The title of the film was finally announced as Kannathil Muthammittal (If the cheek is kissed) in July 2001, after a famous phrase from a poem written by Subramanya Bharathi.

Casting

R. Madhavan was signed up to play a leading role in the film, with the venture becoming his third straight Mani Ratnam project after Alai Payuthey and the Mani Ratnam production, Dumm Dumm Dumm. For the role of Indira, Mani Ratnam considered casting Soundarya or relative newcomer Bhumika Chawla, before finalising Simran to portray the character.[7] Assistant director Sudha Kongara also considered Brindha Sivakumar for Simran's role.[8] Madhavan and Simran thus shot for two films simultaneously together, as they had also been cast in K. Balachandar's Paarthale Paravasam as a married couple.[9] Nandita Das was also hired for the film, making her debut in Tamil films.[10] P. S. Keerthana, the second daughter of actors Parthiban and Seetha, was cast the child artiste in the film, while Prakash Raj was also hired to play a Sinhalese character. Mani Ratnam approached actor Vikram to make a special appearance as Keerthana's biological father in the film, but his refusal meant that J. D. Chakravarthy was later handed the role.[11]

Filming

The shoot began in Chennai with a ten-day schedule in the Besant Nagar area.[12] Parts of the film shown to be Colombo in the film were shot in Puducherry.[13] Further schedules were carried out in the forests of Kerala to depict the base of the LTTE in northern Sri Lanka.[14] Nandita Das in a later interview mentioned that the team shot for nearly thirteen hours a day.[10] As most of the cast were non-native Tamil speakers, dubbing artistes were used with actresses Sukanya and Deepa Venkat lending their voices for Nandita Das and Simran respectively. Furthermore, Mounika lent her voice for Easwari Rao's character, while Thalaivasal Vijay spoke lines for Chakravarthy.

Music

Kannathil Muthamittal
Soundtrack album by
A. R. Rahman
Released13 January 2002
Recorded2001–2002
StudiosPanchathan Record Inn and AM Studios, Chennai
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length35:12
LanguageTamil
LabelsTips Music (Tamil)
Bayshore Records
Adithya Music (Telugu)
ProducerA. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman chronology
Alli Arjuna
(2002)		 Kannathil Muthamittal
(2002)		 Boys
(2002)

The soundtrack featuring six songs was released on 13 January 2002 by the label Tips Music. This film marked the debut of playback singer Chinmayi into the film industry at the age of 15. The score and soundtrack fetched A. R. Rahman his fourth National Film Award for Best Music Direction. Lyricist Vairamuthu too won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, for the song "Kannathil Muthamittal".[15] For the Telugu dubbed version Amrutha, it was released under Aditya Music with lyrics by Veturi.

All tracks are written by Vairamuthu.

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Vellai Pookal"A. R. Rahman5:18
2."Sundari"Hariharan, Tippu, Sujatha Mohan, Karthik, Srimathumitha4:52
3."Oru Dheivam Thantha Poove" (Male)P. Jayachandran, Chinmayi6:37
4."Signore Signore (lyrics:B.H.Abdul Hameed)"Swarnalatha, Anupama, Karthik, Rafique, Noel James3:31
5."Vidai Kodu Engal Naadae"M. S. Viswanathan, Balram, Febi Mani, A. R. Reihana, Manikka Vinayagam6:12
6."Oru Dheivam Thantha Poove" (Female)Chinmayi, P. Jayachandran6:35
7."Sattena Nenaindhadhu Nenjam"Minmini2:07
Total length:35:12

Release

The film opened to positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 80% of 5 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[16]

Gauthaman Baskaran of The Hindu Frontline wrote the film is "certainly a must for those who still believe in meaningful cinema", while praising Mani Ratnam's "grip on the medium".[17]

Accolades

List of accolades received by Kannathil Muthamittal
The President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presenting the Best Child Artist Award for the year 2002 to Keertana for her role as Amudha (along with Shweta Prasad, for the Hindi film "Makdee") at the 50th National Film Awards
Total number of awards and nominations[a]
Totals 40 42
References

This is a list of awards and nominations received by the 2002 Indian Tamil-language film Kannathil Muthamittal. The film was highly appreciated upon its release and went on to win several awards and nominations at different award ceremonies the following year. It also had a highly acclaimed soundtrack which got A. R. Rahman his fourth National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the second consecutive time after Lagaan for both his songs and background score.[18] The film holds a record of six National Film Awards wins which is the highest by any Tamil Film tied with Aadukalam and also being the highest for the year 2002. The film has won a total of 40 awards since its release.[19]

Indian awards

Award Date of ceremony[b] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
National Film Awards 29 December 2003 Best Feature Film in Tamil Mani Ratnam (Madras Talkies) Won [20]
Best Child Artist P. S. Keerthana Won
Best Music Direction A. R. Rahman Won
Best Lyrics Vairamuthu Won
Best Audiography H. Sridhar
A. S. Laxmi Narayanan		 Won
Best Editing A. Sreekar Prasad Won
Filmfare Awards South 24 May 2003 Best Director – Tamil Mani Ratnam Won [21]
Best Actress – Tamil Simran Won
Best Cinematographer – South Ravi K. Chandran Won
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 23 February 2006 Second Best Film Mani Ratnam (Madras Talkies) Won [22]
Best Director Mani Ratnam Won
Best Art Director Sabu Cyril Won
Best Actor R. Madhavan Won
Best Child Artist P. S. Keerthana Won
Special Prize Award Nandita Das Won
Best Female Playback Singer Chinmayi Won
Cinema Express Awards 21 December 2002 Best Film – Tamil Mani Ratnam (Madras Talkies) Won [23]
Special Jury Award for Best Director Mani Ratnam Won
Best Actress – Tamil Simran Won
Best Child Artist P. S. Keerthana Won
Best Stunt Director Vikram Dharma Won
Best Choreographer Brindha Won
International Tamil Film Awards 31 October 2003 Best Movie Mani Ratnam (Madras Talkies) Won [24]
Best Director Mani Ratnam Won
Best Actress Simran Won
Best Supporting Actor Prakash Raj Won
Best Cinematographer Ravi K. Chandran Won
Best Upcoming Singer Chinmayi Won
Ajanta Fine Arts Awards 2003 Best Female Playback Singer Won
Best Media Associates Awards Won
South Indian Cinematographers Association Awards 25 November 2003 Best Cinematographer Award Ravi K. Chandran Won [25]
Best Child Artist P. S. Keerthana Won

International awards

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Film Fest New Haven 2004 Special Award – Achievement Award Mani Ratnam Won [26]
Audience Award – Best Feature Film (International) Kannathil Muthamittal (Mani Ratnam) Won
Jury Award – Best Feature Film (International) Won
Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles 22 April 2003 Audience Award for Best Picture Won [27]
[26]
Jerusalem Film Festival 10–19 July 2003 In Spirit for Freedom Award Won [28]
Zimbabwe International Film Festival 2003 Best Picture Won [26]
RiverRun International Film Festival 2004 Audience Award – Best Feature Film Won [29]
Westchester Film Festival Best International Film Won [26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Awards in certain categories do not have prior nominations and only winners are announced by the jury. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.
  2. ↑ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References

  1. ↑ "Song of the Day: Vidai Kodu Engal Naadae from 'Kannathil Muthamittal'". 3 May 2019. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "The Winner: 50th Manikchand Filmfare Awards 2002 - Filmfare - Indiatimes". Archived from the original on 28 August 2004. Retrieved 28 August 2004.
  3. ↑ "'Kannathil Muthamittal' bags 6 Cinema Express awards". The Hindu. 22 December 2002. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2012.
  4. ↑ Wilson, Brian (20 June 2016). "Cantantes Lionel Richie y Brian Wilson nacieron un día como hoy". Andina (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "S U B A S". Cinematoday3.itgo.com. Archived from the original on 31 July 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Wistful after V-Day". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 16 February 2002. Archived from the original on 30 November 2004.
  7. ↑ "rediff.com, Movies: Simran: Absolutely hot!". Rediff.com. 14 June 2001. Archived from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  8. ↑ "Brindha Sivakumar reveals that she was offered to play Simran's role in 'Kannathil Muthamittal'". The Times of India. 23 March 2024.
  9. ↑ "A success story unfolds". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 9 November 2001. Archived from the original on 23 June 2012.
  10. 1 2 "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India – Arts Tribune". Tribuneindia.com. 27 July 2001. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Man of Steel | The Caravan – A Journal of Politics and Culture". caravanmagazine.in. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "Screen the business of entertainment-Regional-Telgu-News". Screen. Archived from the original on 23 July 2001. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  13. ↑ "Director Mani Rathnam and P S Keerthana Chat Transcript". Geocities.ws. Archived from the original on 28 April 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "It's All There". The Times of India. July 2001. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  15. ↑ "50th National Film Awards". International Film Festival of India. Archived from the original on 19 March 2018. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  16. ↑ "Kannathil Muthamittal". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media.
  17. ↑ ""Kannathil Muththamittal" - Frontline". Archived from the original on 26 February 2009.
  18. ↑ "50th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
  19. ↑ "Kannathil Muthamittal Awards". Awards for Kannathil Muthamittal (A Peck on the Cheek). Archived from the original on 29 April 2008. Retrieved 19 November 2007.
  20. ↑ "Prize Winning Unit". The Hindu. 1 August 2003. Archived from the original on 23 December 2003. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  21. ↑ "Ajith Simran bag Filmfare awards". The Times of India. 17 May 2003. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  22. ↑ "Tamil Nadu state awards announced". Rediff.com. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  23. ↑ "Kannathil Muthamittal gets six Cinema Express Awards". The Hindu. 22 December 2002. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
  24. ↑ "The Hindu : <bold1>ITFA ceremony in Malaysia </bold1>". The Hindu. 31 October 2003. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Kannathil Muthamittal wins 2 at the SICA". The Hindu. 25 November 2003. Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  26. 1 2 3 4 "Accolades". Madras Talkies. Archived from the original on 14 May 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ↑ "A Peck on the Cheek (Kannathil Muthamittal)" (PDF). Film Movement. Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  28. ↑ "The 20th JFF". jff.org. Archived from the original on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  29. ↑ "2004 Award winners". riverrunfilm.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.


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