Stone Bench Creations Explained

Stone Bench Creations
Type:Private company
Location:Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Area Served:Worldwide
Key People:Karthik Subbaraj
Kaarthekeyen Santhanam
Kalyan Subramanian
Subsid:
  • Stone Bench Films
  • Stone Bench Originals

Stone Bench Creations is an Indian film production company based in Chennai, India. It was established in 2016 by Indian director Karthik Subbaraj. As of 2023, the company has produced 16 feature films, including productions made in the Tamil and Malayalam film industries. It has collaborated and been produced with filmmakers including Rathna Kumar, Karthik Subbaraj, Ponram, Ashok Veerappan and Malayalam film director Jithin Issac Thomas. The production company made its debut with the film Bench Talkies. Stone Bench also produced more than five original content for the streaming services Netflix, Amazon Prime, ZEE5, Disney+ Hotstar and SonyLIV. Stone Bench also presents other language films in Tamil Nadu, including 777 Charlie.

History

Stone Bench was founded by Indian film director Karthik Subbaraj in 2015. Subbaraj's brother-in-law, Kaarthekeyen Santhanam, works as the main producer for the studio.[1] The company made its debut film production with Bench Talkies in 2015, which it self-distributed. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi, Guru Somasundaram and Sananth Reddy in the lead roles. It is a collection of six short films directed by six different directors. On 25 March 2015, it was released in a limited number of theaters.[2] The film received mixed reviews from critics. A critic of The Times of India gave it 3 out of 5, stating that "the compilation of six films from six filmmakers in different genres makes it an entertaining experience."[3]

After their debut production, the production company announced their second production, Aviyal, which is the second part of Bench Talkies.[4] It was released on 12 February 2016 in theaters, and had a special premiere at the 13th Chennai International Film Festival on 10 January 2016. On 11 March 2016, it was released on over 70 screens in Tamil Nadu, 30 screens in Kerala, and a few screens in the United States.[5]

Filmography

Production

Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year! scope="col"
FilmLanguageActorsDirector(s)Note
2015Bench TalkiesTamilVijay Sethupathi, Rishinanth Rajendran, Guru SomasundaramKarthik SubbarajAnil Krishnan

Gopakumar

Charukesh Sekar

Monesh

Rathna Kumar

Anthology filmProducer[6]
2016AviyalTamilNivin Pauly, Bobby Simha, Amrutha SrinivasanAlphonse PuthrenShameer Sultan

Mohit Mehra

Lokesh Kanagaraj

Guru Smaran

Anthology filmProducer[7] [8]
2017Meyaadha MaanTamilVaibhav, Priya Bhavani ShankarRathna Kumar
2018 MercuryTamilPrabhu Deva, SananthKarthik Subbaraj[9]
2019 PettaTamilRajinikanth, Vijay SethupathiKarthik SubbarajExecutive Producer
2020PenguinTamilKeerthy SureshEashvar Karthic[10]
2021BoomikaTamilAishwarya Rajesh, VidhuRathindran R. Prasad[11] [12]
2022BuffoonTamilVaibhav, AnaghaAshok Veerappan[13]
2022AmmuTeluguAishwarya Lekshmi,Naveen Chandra, Bobby SimhaCharukesh Sekar[14] [15] [16]
2022DSPTamilVijay Sethupathi, Anukreethy VasPonram[17] [18]
2023Attention PleaseMalayalamVishnu Govindhan, Athira Kallingal, Sreejith Jithin Issac Thomas[19]
RekhaMalayalamUnni Lalu, Vincy Aloshious, Vishnu GovindhanJithin Issac Thomas[20]
Jigarthanda DoubleXTamilRaghava Lawrence, SJ SuryahKarthik Subbaraj[21]
2024RathnamTamilVishal,Priya Bhavani ShankarHari
Suriya, Pooja HegdeKarthik Subbaraj[22]

Distribution

Year! scope="col"
TitleLanguageActorsDirector(s)Note
2022777 CharlieTamilRakshit ShettyKiranraj KDistribution – Tamil Nadu

Streaming originals

Year! scope="col"
TitleActor(s)Director(s)PlatformNote
2018KallachirippuAmrutha Srinivasan, VikasRohit NandakumarZEE5
2020TriplesJai, Vani BhojanCharukesh SekarDisney+ Hotstar[23]
2020Putham Pudhu KaalaiSudha Kongara

Gautham Vasudev Menon

Suhasini Mani Ratnam

Rajiv Menon

Karthik Subbaraj

Amazon PrimeAnthology film (Miracle)
2021NavarasaBobby SimhaKarthik SubbarajNetflixProducer episode : Peace
2022Kaiyum KalavumSanchana Natarajan, RohitRojuSonyLIV

Notes and References

  1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xl1Y51A_Xg
  2. Web site: 2015-03-05 . 'Bench Talkies – The First Bench' hits screens today . 2023-03-16 . Only Kollywood . en-US . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316091318/https://www.onlykollywood.com/bench-talkies-the-first-bench-hits-screens-today/ . live .
  3. News: Bench Talkies Movie Review . The Times of India . 2023-03-16 . 0971-8257 . 2018-06-15 . https://archive.today/20180615152908/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/bench-talkies/movie-review/46487303.cms . live .
  4. Web site: 2015-07-27 . Bench Talkies 2 Titled Aviyal . 2023-03-16 . Silverscreen India . en-US . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316091301/https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/news/bench-talkies-2-titled-aviyal/ . live .
  5. Web site: Subramanian . Anupama . 2016-03-09 . Aviyal to arrive soon! . 2023-03-16 . Deccan Chronicle . en . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316094119/https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/kollywood/090316/aviyal-to-arrive-soon.html . live .
  6. News: 2015-03-07 . Short in the arm . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-03-20 . 0971-751X . 2021-06-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210611121109/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/short-in-the-arm/article6969419.ece . live .
  7. News: 2015-03-04 . Short cut to success . en-IN . The Hindu . 2023-03-20 . 0971-751X . 2023-03-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230318154838/https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/short-cut-to-success/article6958962.ece . live .
  8. Web site: Bench Talkies – A View . 2023-03-20 . www.moviecrow.com . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320072653/https://www.moviecrow.com/News/7482/bench-talkies---a-view . live .
  9. News: Karthik . Janani . Prabhudheva, Karthik Subbaraj to team up . The Times of India . 2023-03-20 . 0971-8257 . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320072651/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/prabhudheva-karthik-subbaraj-to-team-up/articleshow/58594004.cms . live .
  10. Web site: 2019-10-17 . First look of Keerthy Suresh's 'Penguin' out . 2023-03-20 . The News Minute . en . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320072653/https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/first-look-keerthy-sureshs-penguin-out-110688 . live .
  11. Web site: 2019-09-16 . Stone Bench Films' Fourth Production Goes On The Floors . 2023-03-17 . Silverscreen India . en-US . 2023-03-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317051551/https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/news/stonebenchfilms-karthiksubburaj-aishwaryarajesh-fourthfilm/ . live .
  12. Web site: 2021-08-09 . Aishwarya Rajesh starrer Boomika promises to be a gripping horror movie . 2023-03-20 . The Indian Express . en . 2021-08-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210812012636/https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/tamil/aishwarya-rajeshs-boomika-promises-to-be-a-gripping-horror-movie-7445422/ . live .
  13. Web site: Vaibhav's next titled Buffoon . 2023-03-20 . . en . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320072651/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2021/mar/29/vaibhavs-next-titled-buffoon-23663.html . live .
  14. Web site: Jha . Lata . 2022-10-16 . Amazon Prime Video to stream first Telugu original film 'Ammu' . 2023-03-16 . mint . en . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316095541/https://www.livemint.com/industry/media/amazon-prime-video-to-stream-first-telugu-original-film-ammu-11665904690193.html . live .
  15. Web site: 2022-10-07 . Prime Video announces global premiere of its Telugu original movie, 'Ammu': Best Media Info . 2023-03-16 . www.bestmediainfo.com . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316095712/https://bestmediainfo.com/2022/10/prime-video-announces-global-premiere-of-its-telugu-original-movie-ammu- . live .
  16. Web site: Very relatable, says Aishwarya Lekshmi about character in 'Ammu' . 2023-03-17 . DT next . 18 October 2022 . en . 2023-03-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317051551/https://www.dtnext.in/cinema/2022/10/18/very-relatable-says-aishwarya-lekshmi-about-character-in-ammu . live .
  17. Web site: First look of Vijay Sethupathi-Ponram's DSP out . 2023-03-17 . DT next . 11 November 2022 . en . 2022-12-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221201185046/https://www.dtnext.in/cinema/2022/11/11/first-look-of-vjs-ponrams-dsp-out . live .
  18. Web site: Karthik Subbaraj to present Vijay Sethupathi-Ponram film . 2023-03-17 . . en . 2023-02-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230216114156/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/tamil/news/2022/nov/10/karthi-subbaraj-to-present-vijay-sethupathi-ponram-film-36479.html . live .
  19. Web site: 2022-08-20 . Attention Please: Karthik Subbaraj Forays into Malayalam Cinema with Jithin Isaac Thomas Directorial . 2023-03-16 . LatestLY . en . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316100826/https://www.latestly.com/entertainment/south/attention-please-karthik-subbaraj-forays-into-malayalam-cinema-with-jithin-isaac-thomas-directorial-4104566.html . live .
  20. Web site: Exclusive! Rekha director Jithin Issac Thomas: I try to make sure that.. . 2023-03-16 . OTTPlay . en . 2023-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230316095543/https://www.ottplay.com/news/exclusive-rekha-director-jithin-issac-thomas-i-try-to-make-sure-that-the-visuals-in-my-films-are-as-raw-as-possible/1d537f9324392 . live .
  21. Web site: Jigarthanda Double X teaser out! SJ Suryah and Raghava Lawrence's intense face-off is unmissable . 2023-03-17 . India Today . en . 2023-03-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230317051551/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/jigarthanda-double-x-teaser-out-sj-suryah-and-raghava-lawrences-intense-face-off-is-unmissable-2308002-2022-12-11 . live .
  22. News: 28 March 2024 . Suriya and Karthik Subbaraj team up for ‘Suriya 44’ . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240520220637/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/suriya-and-karthik-subbaraj-team-up-for-suriya-44/article68002188.ece . 20 May 2024 . 2 June 2024 . . en.
  23. Web site: Jai, Vani Bhojan team up for web series? . 2023-03-20 . . en . 2023-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230320072653/https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/news/2020/may/05/jai-vani-bhojan-team-up-for-a-web-series-18317.html . live .