'96 (film)

In October 2016, it was first reported that Trisha had agreed to be part of a project opposite Vijay Sethupathi that was to be directed by cinematographer C. Prem Kumar, who worked with the latter in Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012).[8][9] Two months later, Trisha announced the project via her Twitter and revealed the title as 96.[10] Prem Kumar originally had Manju Warrier in mind for the role of Janaki, but he was not able to reach her and was replaced by Trisha.[11] Furthermore, the film was considered to be a romantic thriller genre, but was later revealed to be a "light-hearted romance film revolving about the childhood sweethearts who rekindle their relationship at a school reunion gathering".[12]

From May 2017, Prem Kumar first talked about the film, telling that Vijay Sethupathi would play the role of a travel photographer, and that the film revolved around "characters who belong to the same batch: 1996", revealing the meaning of the film's title.[13][14] Prem Kumar had written the entire script in 20 days in December 2015 during the Chennai floods when he was stuck in his apartment.[15] According to Prem Kumar, the inspiration for the story came from his high school reunion.[16] He missed the reunion but when talking to his classmates who attended the function he became fascinated about two people they were speaking about and began meeting the two and developing a story around their characters.[15] The film's story was originally supposed to happen over a week, before the time span was changed to 24 hours, and eventually to a night.[15][17]

Trisha Krishnan and Vijay Sethupathi at the launch of the film

The technical crew of the film includes N. Shanmuga Sundaram and Mahendran Jayaraju as the cinematographers, Govind Vasantha as the music director, R. Govindaraj as the editor, Vinoth Raj Kumar handling the production design and Uma Devi and Karthik Netha as the lyricists.[18] Apart from the lead actors, Bagavathi Perumal, Devadarshini, Rajkumar, Aadukalam Murugadoss and Varsha Bollamma were roped in for supporting roles. Veteran actor Janagaraj made a comeback with this film, essaying the role of a school watchman. About his role, Kumar had said that "School watchmen, in general have child-like behaviour and innocence that schoolkids have. He wanted someone to have that naturally in him" and thought of Janagaraj in mind. After approaching Janagaraj in his home, he gave the script papers without taking much time to decide, he eventually agreed to be on board.[19]

The crew was then looking for suitable actors to play the younger versions of Sethupathi and Trisha's characters,[20] which delayed the commencement of principal photography.[21] The team eventually selected Aditya Bhaskar, son of actor M. S. Bhaskar, and Gouri G. Kishan for the roles, both making their acting debuts with the film.[22] Devadharshini's daughter, Niyathi Kadambi, played the younger version of her role. Subhashree Kaarthik Vijay, who was recruited as the costume signer, was a close friend of Prem Kumar and created the look of the lead female character Jaanu based on her own style.[23][24] The team shot a scene where the lead characters meet singer S. Janaki, though this was later deleted from the film. Post-release, the makers uploaded the scene to YouTube.[25]

Vijay Sethupathi's character Ram, was a travel photographer. Discussing about his portrayal, Prem Kumar stated that his life was considered to be "inconsistent and nomadic and his thoughts were unsettling like his job". The character was also unable to forget his first love in childhood, even though she was married, which had Kumar referred of a "few men who have remained the same as they were in their teens".[17] He also quashed rumours that the title 96 was not referred to Sethupathi, playing a 96-year-old man, unlike Orange Mittai (2015) and Seethakaathi (2018), where he played an aged person in the film.[16] Initially, Kumar wanted to write the script under the perspective of Trisha's character Jaanu, as she had a significant role and also his idea of writing characters with his women in mind, felt that women are superior to men and have many layers in their life, apart from other male writers who write stories on a man's point of view.[16]

The character also had a connection with music, since she had a rich and textured voice with that of singer S. Janaki.[26] Kumar believed that in some ways or the other, the film serves as a tribute to the singer.[26] Both the characters, along with the similar artists are in their mid-30s, where the "unusualness and experimentation stops after 25", however, the two characters were in abnormal situation, which excited Kumar to write the film.[27] The common aim is to depict the emotion of love without boundaries, as Kumar stated that "There is a sort of imperative about how a man and woman should be. The same way, love too is regulated. But love comes out even in uncommon situations. Love is the purest form of expression. That is what we have underlined in the film."[27]

Few scenes of the film was shot at Accord Metropolitan Hotel, Chennai.

Principal photography of the film began production on 12 June 2017 at Chennai.[28][29] After a brief schedule being completed, the team headed to Kumbakonam on 11 July, to shoot major portions of the film. Trisha, who was absent for the first shooting schedule of the film, joined the second schedule.[30] The film was reported to be shot in 30 various locations, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kolkata, Rajasthan, Kullu–Manali and Pondicherry, for the introductory song "Life of Ram", as the song is based on Sethupathi's life as a travel photographer.[31][32] Portions of the song were shot at Jog Falls in Karnataka, and Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh.[32] The team first headed to Pondicherry in August 2017, to shoot crucial sequences.[33] It has been reported that Janagaraj had joined the shoot and filmed some portions in Kumbakonam, where the school featured in the film was shot at Town Higher Secondary School.[34] The film was also shot at Intercontinental Chennai Mahabalipuram Resort, Accord Metropolitan Hotel, Chennai International Airport and also around T. Nagar, Nungambakkam and Kodambakkam.[35] Despite being delayed due to the lead actor's commitments in other films, which led to intermittent schedule breaks and Tamil Film Producers Council strike over Virtual Print Fee hike,[36] the film completed production in June 2018.[35]

In the opening day of its release, the film had collected ₹45 lakh (US$56,000) at the Chennai city box office,[73] and worldwide the film had earned ₹3.5 crore (US$440,000).[74] Within the first four days, the film earned a net revenue of ₹2 crore (US$250,000) from Chennai, and was considered to be the fifth highest grossing Tamil films of the year.[75] Within the second week of its release, more screens were allotted to the film following its positive word-of-mouth.[64] As of 26 October 2018, the film earned ₹50 crore (US$6.3 million) worldwide at the box office,[76] with a cumulative gross of ₹26 crore (US$3.3 million) from Tamil Nadu box office.[77]

In Kerala, the number of screens were increased from 80 to 106 screens within the second week, despite other new films released on the week — Ratsasan, NOTA and another Sethupathi-starrer Chekka Chivantha Vaanam.[77] The film was considered "blockbuster" at the Kerala box office, grossing ₹7 crore (US$880,000), the film received a share of ₹3 crore (US$380,000), against its theatrical rights being valued at ₹50 lakh (US$63,000). It became Vijay Sethupathi's first solo hit in the state.[78] In Karnataka, the film earned ₹3 crore (US$380,000), and received a netted revenue of ₹50 lakh (US$63,000) from rest of Indian territories.[77] The film also earned ₹13.5 crore (US$1.7 million) from overseas centres.[77]

The film received critical acclaim from critics and audience, praising the script, cinematography, direction and music and the performances of Sethupathi and Trisha. '96 appeared on many year-end lists as one of the best Tamil films of 2018, by top publications such as The Indian Express,[79] HuffPost,[80] The Hindu,[81] The News Minute[82] and The Week.[83]

Anupama Subramaniam of Deccan Chronicle, who gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, was in high praise of director Prem Kumar as she wrote that he had "not made a film, but woven pure and impeccable poetry on celluloid", going on to add that "Prem's honest attempt of portraying the true essence of love without taking any cinematic liberties makes '96 the kind of genre-defining film that creates a benchmark for many years to come", while hailing Trisha's performance as her "best-ever till date".[84] A critic from the Indo-Asian News Service gave it a rare 5 stars out of 5 and said, "as we get to the climax and we get one of the most heartwarming moments of the film, it makes '96 a highly satisfying story of unfulfilled romance".[85] Behindwoods called '96 a "breezy and heartwarming romantic tale that Tamil cinema audience shouldn't miss".[86] Sify named it "one of the best films in a long time", while giving it a 4 rating out of 5.[87] Janani K. of India Today gave it 4 stars out of 5 and called it a "poignant romantic tale" and a "tribute to unconditional love".[88] Mythily Ramachandran of Gulf News called the film "a classic love story that will be fondly remembered".[89]

Sreedhar Pillai of Firstpost called the film a "refreshingly fresh romantic trip down the memory lane with outstanding performances by its charming lead pair".[90] M. Suganth of The Times of India gave it 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that "there is a lot to fall in love with '96, a wistful romantic film about a past romance [...] But what sets Prem Kumar's film apart from the others is that it gives equal importance to the romance of its female lead".[91] Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu said that the film "will take you on a nostalgic trip to your school days and old flames".[92] Manoj Kumar R. of The Indian Express gave 3 out of 5 and praised Sethupathi's performance saying that the actor "sails through the film effortlessly in his role" and Trisha "also aced her performance as a married woman who can't stop indulging in emotional infidelity".[93]

Vikram Venkatesen of The Quint wrote "96 has very well changed Tamil romance for good, thanks to its high dependence on music and realism in conveying nostalgia".[94] Priyanka Thirumurthy of The News Minute wrote, "the film's screenplay is gripping. It has you on the edge of your seat for what are seemingly the most inane activities – school attendance, conversations over coffee and even a ride in the metro".[5] Sudhir Srinivasan of The New Indian Express felt that '96 "works beautifully in theory [...] in the head. Long-lost lovers fitting together again — like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle — just for an evening, after more than a decade, is a dreamy idea. But that's the effect of the film too."[95] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote, "The only problem is the slump in the second half [...] But the premise is so affecting, it keeps us invested" and concluded, "I walked out of the film satisfied that whatever Ram and Janaki decide to make of their future, his ink-splattered shirt from school and the dupatta of her uniform will live together, happily ever after".[96]

In late October 2018, a month after'96's release, Suresh, an assistant director of Bharathiraja, alleged that he had written a script called 92 and that '96 was based on his own script.[113][114] Few days later Prem Kumar hosted a press conference and said that he had registered his script in 2016 and also added that he had written a spin-off novel of what happens to the lead character afterwards.[115][116] The film was also reported to have "uncanny similarities" with Blue Jay (2016),[117] with Prem Kumar admitting to it, although he added that he had already registered his film before Blue Jay released.[118] Director R. Chandru had accused that the movie had similarities with his film Charminar (2013).[117]

On the day of its release, the film's early morning shows scheduled for 6:00 a.m. has been cancelled during the last minute, leading to disappointments within the audience.[119] It has been reported that the stalling of the morning shows is due to the financial tussles between Vishal, an erstwhile president of Tamil Film Producers Council (TFPC) and producer S. Nanthagopal, and had described in an audio note saying that he had stopped the release. A project starring Vishal and Nanthagopal did not materialize, and the producer failed to repay the funds, that both of them had arranged, the amount was under the tune of ₹1.5 crore.[120][121] A tripartite agreement signed between the producer and actor was signed in front of the TFPC members, with one of them stated that the funds will be repaid before the release of '96, but as Nanthagopal failed to repay the funds before its release, the makers stalled the film, leading to its first show being cancelled.[122][121] Following the issue, the lead actor Vijay Sethupathi decided to withdraw his salary being offered for the film.[123][124] However, despite the smooth release and the theatrical run, in November 2018, Nadigar Sangam had banned producer Nanthagopal, and also advised the artists not to work with any of the projects produced by the company, over this issue.[125]