Oh Manapenne! Explained

Oh Manapenne!
Director:Kaarthikk Sundar
Screenplay:Deepak Sundarrajan
Sanjeev
Kaarthikk Sundar
Producer:Satyanarayana Koneru
Ramesh Varma Penmesta
Starring:Priya Bhavani Shankar
Harish Kalyan
Cinematography:Krishnan Vasant
Editing:Kripakaran
Music:Vishal Chandrashekhar
Studio:A Studios LLP
A Havish Production
SP Cinemas
Madhav Media
Third Eye Entertainment
Distributor:Disney+ Hotstar
Country:India
Language:Tamil

Oh Manapenne! (in Tamil pronounced as /maɳappeɳɳeː/) is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Kaarthikk Sundar in his directorial debut and written by Deepak Sundarrajan. A remake of the Telugu film Pelli Choopulu (2016), it stars Priya Bhavani Shankar and Harish Kalyan as a girl and boy who meet during a matchmaking event. How their aspirations bring them together forms the rest of the story.

The rights to remake Pelli Choopulu in Tamil were initially acquired by Gautham Vasudev Menon in 2016, and the film titled Pon Ondru Kandein was to be directed by Senthil Veerasamy, with Vishnu Vishal and Tamannaah Bhatia starring. The project faced delays and was ultimately shelved due to budgetary constraints; by November 2019, it had undergone a complete change in cast and crew. The new film, Oh Manapenne!, began principal photography in December 2019 and wrapped in February 2020. It was released on 22 October 2021 via Disney+ Hotstar.

Plot

Karthik, lethargic by nature, completes his B.E. by clearing his subjects after almost five years. His dream is to become a chef and open a restaurant, but he receives no support from his father. Shruthi is a very focused girl who works hard to fulfill her dreams of going to Australia. However, her father shows no interest, as she is a girl and he wanted a boy instead. When Karthik and Shruthi meet at a matchmaking event, her younger cousin, Barath, accidentally locks the door, which jams very often, and they get stuck eventually. To pass the time, they talk about their past.

Shruthi reveals that she was in love with a man named Arjun. They both wanted to start a food truck business. Arjun went to Bangalore to talk with his father about their love and business. Meanwhile, Shruthi started her plan eagerly and was ready to surprise Arjun by buying the truck. But things went wrong and Arjun did not come back, because he became engaged. Shruthi and her father waited for him but when they realised Arjun was not coming back, her father decided to get her married to someone else.

On his turn, Karthik reveals that he was unemployed and always went out with his two friends, Sathya and Faizal. So Karthik and his friends made cooking videos, as he is passionate about cooking. But it was not profitable enough, so they took to prank videos and were caught by Karthik's father, which ended their plan.

It is then revealed, after the door is fixed, that Karthik came to the wrong address for his matchmaking event. Later, Karthik goes to his actual matchmaking event, which is with a rich family. Meanwhile, Shruthi tells the man coming to her matchmaking event that she is not interested in the marriage. The family of Karthik's prospective bride wants him to be able to run a business, so he and Shruthi decide to operate the food truck themselves, with Karthik as the chef, and Shruthi in charge of the business side of things. At first, they face many difficulties, mainly because of Karthik and his friends' laziness as well as fighting with Shruthi and giving up the food truck.

Later, Karthik visits Shruthi's house and informs her father that he should be proud to have such a responsible daughter. He also claims that if he ever gets a son like him, he would wish to have a daughter like Shruthi and insists that he let her pursue her dreams. Because of this, Shruthi understands the good nature of Karthik and later convinces Karthi's father that he is a talented cook by cooking them Karthik's recipe. Then they kickstart their business with the support of both their parents. After this, their food truck became a major success. In the process, they fall in love without realising it, but Karthi has an engagement party a few days later, so they drift apart. After realising they love each other, they come back together through a radio show organised by Shruthi's friend Ramya. With the support of their family and friends, Karthik and Shruthi reunite successfully.

Production

Pre-production

In late October 2016, Gautham Vasudev Menon bought the rights to remake the Telugu film Pelli Choopulu (2016) in Tamil, under his banner Ondraga Entertainment.[1] The film was titled Pon Ondru Kandein, and was to be directed by Menon's assistant Senthil Veerasamy.[2] In March 2017, Menon chose Vishnu Vishal and Tamannaah Bhatia as the lead actors.[3] S. R. Kathir was chosen as the cinematographer, with Darbuka Siva and Praveen Anthony as the music composer and editor respectively.[4] Though Vishal anticipated that filming would begin in July or August 2017,[5] the start of filming faced repeated delays,[6] and ultimately by December, Vishal opted out of the project as he could no longer allot new dates due to the delays. Followed by the uncertainty prevailing over the film's lead cast after Vishal's exit,[7] [8] adding to the reason was budgetary constraints which prompted Menon to shelve the project.[9]

Development

Though Menon initially planned on reviving the project with a new cast and lower budget,[10] by November 2019 the project had undergone a complete change in cast and crew. The new film was jointly produced by A Studios LLP, A Havish Production, SP Cinemas, Madhav Media and Third Eye Entertainment,[11] with Kaarthikk Sundar, a former associate of A. L. Vijay, making his directorial debut, and Satyanarayana Koneru and Ramesh Varma Penmesta handling production duties. The screenplay was written by Deepak Sundarrajan, cinematography was handled by Krishnan Vasant, and editing by Kripakaran. The title Oh Manapenne! was revealed on 1 October 2020, derived from the song of the same name from Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010). Kaarthikk said, "We wanted to have a title that refers to weddings/matchmaking. The names that we had zeroed in on were either too old or not interesting enough", but when he was listening to the song, he chose that as the film's title.[12] Kaarthikk chose not to do a shot-for-shot remake, but kept the original film's essence, and added, "Since Southern States have many commonalities, there was not much to change".[13]

Casting

In November 2019, Harish Kalyan was announced as the lead actor, and a month later Priya Bhavani Shankar as the lead actress.[14] In a December 2019 interview, Kaarthikk said that after watching Pelli Choopulu, he told Harish he would be a "perfect fit" as the lead actor if the film was to be remade in Tamil.[15] In an October 2020 interview, Kaarthikk said that when he thought of the lead characters of Pelli Choopulu, Harish and Priya came to his mind and he was convinced they could pull off the roles of a "boy-next-door" and "bossy character" respectively with conviction. In preparation for his role as a chef, Harish learnt cooking from Siddhanth, the owner of the barbecue food truck Spitfire BBQ, on whose life the original film was based. The team also approached Siddhanth to play a minor role.[16] [17] The film is the feature debut of theatre actor Abishek Kumar, who Kaarthik cast because of their friendship and Kaarthik's belief that he was a "natural actor".[18] Abishek said he sought to avoid deep preparation and method acting, and that he was "just trying to fit the role in the most natural way possible".[19]

Filming

Principal photography began on 11 December 2019, and wrapped in February 2020,[20] a week before the COVID-19 lockdown in India was declared. Post-production works began soon after filming wrapped. According to Kaarthikk, "The lockdown only helped us as we could patiently edit and get it done".

Music

The soundtrack was composed by Vishal Chandrashekhar.[21] It consists of four songs and two instrumentals. The song "Lazy Song" fuses Carnatic music with the western blues and jazz genres. It was released on 26 February 2021 as a single.[22] Another single "Bodhai Kaname" was released on 30 July 2021.[23] The third single "Aao Ji Aao" was released on 15 October 2021.[24]

Release and reception

Oh Manapenne! was released on 22 October 2021 via Disney+ Hotstar.[25] M. Suganth of The Times of India called it "a worthy remake that is as charming and delightful" as the Telugu original.[26] Ashameera Aiyappan of Firstpost said Oh Manapenne! "is a light, breezy film about love and aspirations. It might work better if watched as a stand-alone film, without the lingering presence of Pelli Choopulu looming ahead of it".[27]

Notes and References

  1. News: 26 October 2016 . Pelli Choopulu remake rights acquired by Gautham Menon . . live . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190418233640/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/pelli-choopulu-tamil-remake-rights-acquired-by-gautham-menon-348659-2016-10-26 . 18 April 2019.
  2. News: Kumar . Karthik . 25 March 2017 . Pellichoopulu's Tamil remake is called Pon Ondru Kanden . . live . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629115212/https://www.hindustantimes.com/regional-movies/pellichoopulu-s-tamil-remake-is-called-pon-ondru-kanden/story-xYVGugclZUea9Vw0tkjI1H.html . 29 June 2020.
  3. News: 25 March 2017 . Vishnu Vishal to romance Tamannaah in Pelli Choopulu Tamil remake, titled Pon Ondru Kanden . . live . 11 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180913171807/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/vishnu-vishal-to-romance-tamannaah-in-pelli-choopulu-tamil-remake-titled-pon-ondru-kanden-4584942/ . 13 September 2018.
  4. News: 26 March 2017 . Tamil remake of Pellichoopulu is Pon Ondru Kanden . . live . 11 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212040059/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/mar/26/tamil-remake-of-pellichoopulu--is-pon-ondru-kanden-1586223.html . 12 February 2021.
  5. News: Balachandran . Logesh . 26 March 2017 . Vishnu signs Pelli Choopulu Tamil remake . . live . 11 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111181150/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/vishnu-signs-pelli-choopulu-tamil-remake/articleshow/57827409.cms . 11 November 2020.
  6. Web site: 21 October 2017 . 'Pellichoopulu' Tamil remake to roll from November . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212053225/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/pellichoopulu-tamil-remake-roll-november-70335 . 12 February 2021 . 12 February 2021 . The News Minute.
  7. Web site: Pudipeddi . Haricharan . 30 December 2017 . Pon Ondru Kanden: Vishnu Vishal opts out of Pellichoopulu's Tamil remake; future of the film uncertain . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212040331/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/pon-ondru-kanden-vishnu-vishal-opts-out-of-pellichoopulus-tamil-remake-future-of-the-film-uncertain-4281601.html . 12 February 2021 . 11 February 2021 . Firstpost.
  8. News: 31 December 2017 . Vishnu Vishal opts out of Pon Ondru Kanden . . live . 11 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212040059/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/vishnu-vishal-opts-out-of-pon-ondru-kanden/articleshow/62306857.cms . 12 February 2021.
  9. News: 19 July 2018 . Why was Pelli Choopulu remake shelved? Producer Gautham Menon reveals . . live . 7 May 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190418200823/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/vishnu-vishal-tamannaah-pelli-choopulu-remake-shelved-gautham-menon-reveals-1289983-2018-07-19 . 18 April 2019.
  10. News: 19 July 2018 . Gautham Menon plans to re-launch Pon Ondru Kanden with new cast . . live . 12 February 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210212040328/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2018/jul/19/gautham-menon-plans-to-re-launch-pon-ondru-kanden-with-new-cast-7054.html . 12 February 2021.
  11. Web site: 27 February 2020 . 'Pelli Choopulu' Tamil remake shooting wrapped up . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629114811/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/pelli-choopulu-tamil-remake-shooting-wrapped-119079 . 29 June 2020 . 29 June 2020 . The News Minute.
  12. News: 1 October 2020 . Harish and Priya's romcom film titled 'Oh Manapenne' . . live . 1 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201001141415/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/harish-and-priyas-romcom-film-titled-oh-manapenne/articleshow/78427803.cms . 1 October 2020.
  13. Web site: Sundar . Anusha . 6 October 2021 . Oh Manapenne: Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar starrer soon to stream on Disney+ Hotstar . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211006134159/https://silverscreenindia.com/streaming/news/oh-manapenne-harish-kalyan-and-priya-bhavani-shankar-starrer-soon-to-stream-on-disney-hotstar/ . 6 October 2021 . 10 October 2021 . Silverscreen India.
  14. News: 11 December 2019 . Priya Bhavani Shankar part of Pelli Choopulu Tamil remake . . live . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200629114847/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2019/dec/11/priya-bhavani-shankar-part-of-pelli-choopulu-tamil-remake-15995.html . 29 June 2020.
  15. News: Kumar . Pradeep . 11 December 2019 . Harish Kalyan to star in 'Pelli Choopulu' Tamil remake . . live . 29 June 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191214022057/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/harish-kalyan-to-star-in-pelli-choopulu-tamil-remake/article30275260.ece . 14 December 2019.
  16. News: 5 August 2021 . Harish impresses Oh Manapenne unit with his culinary skills . . dead . 6 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210805071746/https://www.dtnext.in/News/Cinema/2021/08/05004130/1310263/Harish-impresses-Oh-Manapenne-unit-with-his-culinary-.vpf . 5 August 2021.
  17. News: CR . Sharanya . 7 August 2021 . Harish Kalyan learnt cooking to play a chef in Oh Manapenne . . live . 8 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210808070749/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/harish-kalyan-learnt-cooking-to-play-a-chef-in-oh-manapenne/articleshow/85132004.cms . 8 August 2021.
  18. News: CR . Sharanya . 10 January 2021 . Abishek Kumar makes his film debut; stars in Oh Manapenne . . live . 22 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210122053204/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/abishek-kumar-makes-his-film-debut-stars-in-oh-manapenne/articleshow/80189285.cms . 22 January 2021.
  19. Web site: Ganguly . Shrija . 10 January 2021 . Journey to the Big Screen from Theatre Via Comedy: 'Accidental' Comedian Abishek Kumar on His Foray into Tamil Cinema . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210624201029/https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/news/journey-to-the-big-screen-from-theatre-via-comedy-accidental-comedian-abisek-kumar-on-his-foray-into-tamil-cinema/ . 24 June 2021 . 18 June 2021 . Silverscreen India.
  20. Web site: 26 February 2020 . Shoot wrapped for Tamil remake of 'Pelli Choopulu'! . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200305115853/https://www.sify.com/movies/shoot-wrapped-for-tamil-remake-of-pelli-choopulu-news-tamil-uc0pXFggeaejc.html . 5 March 2020 . 29 June 2020 . Sify.
  21. Web site: Oh Manapenne (2021) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211019014503/https://www.raaga.com/tamil/movie/oh-manapenne-songs-T0004945 . 19 October 2021 . 19 October 2021 . Raaga.com.
  22. News: Raman . Sruthi . 26 February 2021 . I would love to explore Carnatic fusion, since that is sort of my forte: Sinduri Vishal . . live . 13 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303054713/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/music/i-would-love-to-explore-carnatic-fusion-since-that-is-sort-of-my-forte-sinduri-vishal/articleshow/81230172.cms . 3 March 2021.
  23. Web site: 30 July 2021 . Second single Bodhai Kaname from Harish Kalyan's Oh Manapenne . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210802034832/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/music/second-single-bodhai-kaname-from-harish-kalyans-oh-manapenne/articleshow/84892781.cms . 2 August 2021 . 1 August 2021 . The Times of India.
  24. Aao Ji Aao Lyric Video Oh Manapenne Harish Kalyan Priya Bhavanishankar Kaarthikk Sundar . 15 October 2021 . Think Music India . Think Music . 15 October 2021 . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/XGQ5X9Du6uM . 10 January 2022 . live . YouTube.
  25. Web site: 12 October 2021 . 'Oh Manapenne' to premiere on Disney + Hotstar on October 22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20211012054238/https://www.sify.com/movies/oh-manapenne-to-premiere-on-disney--hotstar-on-october-22-news-tamil-vkme3mijjcghg.html . 12 October 2021 . 12 October 2021 . Sify.
  26. Web site: Suganth . M . 21 October 2021 . Oh Manapenne! Review: Oh Manapenne! is a well-cast remake that's as charming as Pelli Choopulu . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211021121650/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/web-series/reviews/tamil/oh-manapenne/ottmoviereview/87019422.cms . 21 October 2021 . 22 October 2021 . The Times of India.
  27. Web site: Aiyappan . Ashameera . 22 October 2021 . Oh Manapenney movie review: Harish Kalyan, Priya Bhavanishankar lead a faithful remake . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20211022041539/https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/oh-manapenney-movie-review-harish-kalyan-priya-bhavanishankar-lead-a-faithful-remake-10074461.html . 22 October 2021 . 22 October 2021 . Firstpost.

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