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Vaazhai
Vaazhai (Tamil pronunciation: [ʋaːɻaɪ] transl. Banana) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language children's drama film written, directed and co-produced by Mari Selvaraj. It is produced by Disney+ Hotstar, Navvi Studios and Farmer's Master Plan Production. The film stars Ponvel M., Raghul R. (both debutants), Kalaiyarasan and Nikhila Vimal, with J. Satish Kumar, Dhivya Duraisamy, Karnan Janaki and Nivedita Rajappan in supporting roles. It revolves around Sivanaindhan, who works at a banana plantation while going to school; however, he hates working there.
The film, the first production of Navvi Studios, was officially announced in November 2022. Principal photography commenced the same month. It was shot for the most part in Thoothukudi, and wrapped by January 2023. The film has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography handled by Theni Eswar and editing by Suriya Pradhaman.
Vaazhai was released in theatres worldwide on 23 August 2024. Upon release, it received positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success, grossing approximately ₹45 crore (US$5.3 million) against an estimated budget of ₹5 crore (US$590,000).
In mid-1998, in the village of Karungulam, southern Tamil Nadu, the primary occupation is harvesting raw banana bunches and transporting them to lorries, for which a meager payment of ₹1 (equivalent to ₹5.00 or 5.9¢ US in 2023) per bunch is made. Sivanaindhan and Sekar are two adolescent friends. Sivanaindhan has a crush on his social science teacher, Poongodi, and even swears a false oath when caught with her lost handkerchief. Despite being a bright student, Sivanaindhan is forced to lug banana bunches during weekends due to poverty. He and Sekar, fearing the labour-intensive work, sought excuses to avoid it. However, Sivanaindhan's mother insists he works to repay the advance credit she had received, pledging her son's labour.
Vembu, Sivanaindhan's elder sister, is in love with Kani, a socialistic thinker who, along with a few villagers, demands a hike of ₹1 (equivalent to ₹5.00 or 5.9¢ US in 2023) extra per bunch through their village broker, Muthuraj. The trader reluctantly agrees to avoid a work stoppage. One weekend, Sivanaindhan escapes from work by faking a thorn injury, leaving him to take care of their cow. However, he abandons the cow and goes with Poonkodi to the rice mill. Upon returning, he finds the cow to have entered Muthuraj's field, leading to a confrontation. Kani intervenes, losing his job as a loadman and being forced to lug bunches like the other villagers. The humiliation and his mother's tears prompt Sivanaindhan to promise that he would work without hesitation during the ten-day half-yearly exam holidays to pay off debts and never utter a lie ever again.
A few months pass, and Sivanaindhan's family struggles to bear the increasing debts. As his mother's declining health prevents her from working temporarily, she sells their cow, much to Sivanaindhan's grief, who is now forced to work on school days to fill in for her. Meanwhile, he gets selected for a dance performance at the upcoming school's annual day function and is called to practice the following Saturday. However, he can't confront his mother and unwillingly goes for lugging with his sister, Vembu, but he convinces her and escapes from the crowded lorry to attend the dance practice on an empty stomach. Starving, he attempts to pluck bananas from a nearby field on his way home only to be caught by the field's caretaker and brutally thrashed, but, he somehow escapes. Left with no choice, he heads home where he is caught by his mother and runs away to avoid beatings for having lied, fainting near the pond.
When he wakes up, he finds the entire village in mourning, with around nineteen corpses, eventually discovering those of Vembu, Kani, Sekar, and Muthuraj, who died in a lorry accident while transporting bananas. The trader is blamed for the tragedy, as he refused to provide proper transportation and forced the labourers to climb onto the overloaded lorry. Sivanaindhan, weakened and hungry, sneaks into his kitchen to eat but is discovered by his mother. Afraid, the famished Sivanaindhan runs away and passes out in a banana field, while his mother laments herself for starving him and almost sending him to his death on that truck along with her daughter.
The screen cuts to an archived newspaper article from Dinathanthi, reporting the death of twenty plantain farm workers near Srivaikundam, who were buried alive under bananas loaded in the lorry when it overturned. A note follows, dedicating the movie to those victims, as told by a survivor.
Vaazhai
Vaazhai (Tamil pronunciation: [ʋaːɻaɪ] transl. Banana) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language children's drama film written, directed and co-produced by Mari Selvaraj. It is produced by Disney+ Hotstar, Navvi Studios and Farmer's Master Plan Production. The film stars Ponvel M., Raghul R. (both debutants), Kalaiyarasan and Nikhila Vimal, with J. Satish Kumar, Dhivya Duraisamy, Karnan Janaki and Nivedita Rajappan in supporting roles. It revolves around Sivanaindhan, who works at a banana plantation while going to school; however, he hates working there.
The film, the first production of Navvi Studios, was officially announced in November 2022. Principal photography commenced the same month. It was shot for the most part in Thoothukudi, and wrapped by January 2023. The film has music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, cinematography handled by Theni Eswar and editing by Suriya Pradhaman.
Vaazhai was released in theatres worldwide on 23 August 2024. Upon release, it received positive reviews from critics and became a commercial success, grossing approximately ₹45 crore (US$5.3 million) against an estimated budget of ₹5 crore (US$590,000).
In mid-1998, in the village of Karungulam, southern Tamil Nadu, the primary occupation is harvesting raw banana bunches and transporting them to lorries, for which a meager payment of ₹1 (equivalent to ₹5.00 or 5.9¢ US in 2023) per bunch is made. Sivanaindhan and Sekar are two adolescent friends. Sivanaindhan has a crush on his social science teacher, Poongodi, and even swears a false oath when caught with her lost handkerchief. Despite being a bright student, Sivanaindhan is forced to lug banana bunches during weekends due to poverty. He and Sekar, fearing the labour-intensive work, sought excuses to avoid it. However, Sivanaindhan's mother insists he works to repay the advance credit she had received, pledging her son's labour.
Vembu, Sivanaindhan's elder sister, is in love with Kani, a socialistic thinker who, along with a few villagers, demands a hike of ₹1 (equivalent to ₹5.00 or 5.9¢ US in 2023) extra per bunch through their village broker, Muthuraj. The trader reluctantly agrees to avoid a work stoppage. One weekend, Sivanaindhan escapes from work by faking a thorn injury, leaving him to take care of their cow. However, he abandons the cow and goes with Poonkodi to the rice mill. Upon returning, he finds the cow to have entered Muthuraj's field, leading to a confrontation. Kani intervenes, losing his job as a loadman and being forced to lug bunches like the other villagers. The humiliation and his mother's tears prompt Sivanaindhan to promise that he would work without hesitation during the ten-day half-yearly exam holidays to pay off debts and never utter a lie ever again.
A few months pass, and Sivanaindhan's family struggles to bear the increasing debts. As his mother's declining health prevents her from working temporarily, she sells their cow, much to Sivanaindhan's grief, who is now forced to work on school days to fill in for her. Meanwhile, he gets selected for a dance performance at the upcoming school's annual day function and is called to practice the following Saturday. However, he can't confront his mother and unwillingly goes for lugging with his sister, Vembu, but he convinces her and escapes from the crowded lorry to attend the dance practice on an empty stomach. Starving, he attempts to pluck bananas from a nearby field on his way home only to be caught by the field's caretaker and brutally thrashed, but, he somehow escapes. Left with no choice, he heads home where he is caught by his mother and runs away to avoid beatings for having lied, fainting near the pond.
When he wakes up, he finds the entire village in mourning, with around nineteen corpses, eventually discovering those of Vembu, Kani, Sekar, and Muthuraj, who died in a lorry accident while transporting bananas. The trader is blamed for the tragedy, as he refused to provide proper transportation and forced the labourers to climb onto the overloaded lorry. Sivanaindhan, weakened and hungry, sneaks into his kitchen to eat but is discovered by his mother. Afraid, the famished Sivanaindhan runs away and passes out in a banana field, while his mother laments herself for starving him and almost sending him to his death on that truck along with her daughter.
The screen cuts to an archived newspaper article from Dinathanthi, reporting the death of twenty plantain farm workers near Srivaikundam, who were buried alive under bananas loaded in the lorry when it overturned. A note follows, dedicating the movie to those victims, as told by a survivor.