# Manam Kothi Paravai

Manam Kothi Paravai (transl. The heart's Woodpecker) is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by S. Ezhil. The film stars Sivakarthikeyan and Athmeeya, while Ravi Mariya, Ilavarasu, and Soori, and Singampuli play supporting roles. The music is composed by D. Imman with cinematography by Sooraj Nallusami and editing by Gopi Krishna. The film opened to moderate reviews from critics, but it was the first commercial hit in Sivakarthikeyan's career. The film was remade in Kannada as Anjada Gandu (2014) and in Telugu as Vinavayya Ramayya.

## Plot

Kannan is a carefree youth who assists his father Ramaiah in his construction business and spends time with his friends. He is in love with his neighbor Revathy, whose father and uncles are the most dreaded goons in the village. They are both childhood friends. Kannan gets a shocker when he decides to reveal his love to Revathy. Her family has arranged her a marriage with an influential man. To avoid the arranged marriage, Kannan's friends from Mumbai kidnap Revathy. However, in a complete twist, Revathy declares she has no romantic interest in Kannan and at first says he is just a friend, but she later reveals that she loves Kannan too, so much so that if others knew it, it would be a problem to him and prove to be a risk to his life. Meanwhile, the bride-to-be's family searches frantically to find their girl. They get hold of Kannan and his friends. Revathy and Kannan are separated. After two years, Kannan returns from Oman after having worked as a site engineer there, to meet his love. He meets her with avidity, and they talk for a while when she asks him to leave immediately for fear that her father would harm him. Kannan, still a passionate lover, asks Revathy if they could marry, now that she is not married to anybody else. Revathy's father barges in unexpectedly and asks Kannan to leave the house, but with Revathy.

## Cast

* Sivakarthikeyan as Kannan Ramaiah
* Athmeeya as Revathy
* Ravi Mariya as Natraj, Revathy's brother
* Ilavarasu as Ramaiah
* Soori as Nalla Thambi
* Singampuli as Modu Mutti
* Srinath as Nayar
* Aadukalam Naren as Revathy's father
* Vennira Aadai Moorthy as Nayar's grandfather
* Vanitha Krishnachandran as Thirumathi Ramaiah
* Sugunthan as Landlord
* Chaams as Das, Kannan's friend
* M. R. Kishore Kumar as Radha, Kannan's friend
* Sampath Ram as 'Mathoor' Narayanan, Revathy's proposed groom
* Jay Kumar
* Anbarasan
* Supergood Subramani as Tea master

## Production

Producer Ambeth Kumar and Ranjeev Menon are friends of director Ezhil. When they asked him how the shooting of Manam Kothi Paravai was proceeding, he made them listen to the songs tuned by D. Imman. Impressed, they decided to produce it.
It was initially expected that Yuvan Shankar Raja, whom Ezhil had worked with in his previous release Deepavali, would compose the music, but as the budget of this film could not afford to have Yuvan as the music composer, Ezhil opted for D. Imman. After the lead role in Marina and an important role in the recently released 3, Sivakarthikeyan is taking up a full-fledged lead role again for Manam Kothi Paravai.
The film, which is set in a village, has been shot at Ezhil's native place Kayathur, near Mayavaram and Sivakaarthikeyan's Thiruvizhimizhalai.

## Soundtrack

The music of Manam Kothi Paravai was scored by D. Imman in his first collaboration with both Ezhil and Sivakarthikeyan. The soundtrack was released on 12 April 2012, which features 8 tracks with lyrics written by Yugabharathi. Universal Music is back in the Tamil market after a 30-year hiatus with 'Manam Kothi Paravai'. A critic from Milliblog said "Manam Kothi Paravai’s soundtrack surpasses anything that composer Imman has produced so far, including his most famous soundtrack, Mynaa. The tunes and music he puts together here demonstrate a maturity not seen in the composer’s work so far and makes for fantastic listen."

## Critical reception

A critic from The Hindu said "MKP is a comedy it turns serious and when you settle down for the drama, matters turn ludicrous. Consistency in treatment is a casualty." Sify said "On the whole the film fails to deliver." Behindwoods said "Manam Kothi Paravai moves at a very relaxed pace. With not too many events packed into it, the movie might come across as a long haul if you are looking for a love story that is both entertaining and endearing. Parts of it are entertaining and parts of it, endearing". The Times of India gave the film 2.5 out of 5 and said "Ezhil seems to have tried to do a Kalavani here but those familiar with his repertoire will realize he is more comfortable with melodrama". A critic from IndiaGlitz said "On the whole, the movie may resemble the likes of 'Kalavani' and 'Uthamaputhiran'. But forget the lengthy second half and some clichéd sequences, 'Manam Koththi Paravai' will stick to your hearts". The New Indian Express said the film was "A romantic comedy low on humour".