# Raayan

Raayan is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language neo-noir action crime film written and directed by Dhanush. It is produced by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures. The film stars Dhanush in the titular role, alongside Dushara Vijayan, S. J. Suryah, Sundeep Kishan, Kalidas Jayaram, Selvaraghavan, Prakash Raj, Aparna Balamurali, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Saravanan, Dileepan and Divya Pillai. In the film, a food truck owner in North Chennai struggles to protect his family when they inadvertently get muddled in a war between two rival gangs.
The film was officially announced in January 2023 under the tentative title D50, as it is Dhanush's 50th film as a leading actor, and the official title was announced in February 2024. Principal photography commenced in July 2023 at East Coast Road in Chennai along with Adhitya Ram Studios, where most of the filming took place, which was again followed by another schedule held in Karaikudi, and wrapped by mid-December. The film has music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography handled by Om Prakash and editing by Prasanna GK.
Raayan was released in theatres worldwide on 26 July 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over ₹160 crores worldwide, emerging one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of 2024 and the highest-grossing A-certified Tamil film of all time.

## Plot

Kathavaraayan "Raayan", a food truck owner in North Chennai, lives with his siblings consisting of two younger brothers Muthuvelraayan "Muthu" and Manickavelraayan "Manickam" and younger sister Durga, whom Raayan dotes on. Raayan took care of his siblings since childhood as their parents never returned. Manickam is a college student, while Muthu is a hot-headed alcoholic who is in love with Meghalai. Sekhar is a father-like figure who, fully aware of Raayan's background, supports Raayan and his family as a good family friend.
Durai and Sethuraman "Sethu" are two gangsters who are rivals in the area and have a feud with each other after Durai killed Sethu's father. R. Sargunam, a recently transferred police commissioner, wants to create a conflict between Sethu and Durai and kill them both in an encounter. One day, Sargunam sends a group of hired goons to ambush an attack on Sethu, who kills all of them. Sethu, believing that Durai was responsible for the recent attack on him, sends his men to kill Durai's son who was at the local bar. Muthu, who was also present at the bar, gets into a broil with Durai's son and his gang. Seeing this, Sethu's gang infiltrate their altercation with weapons and amidst the chaos kills Durai's son. Muthu ends up being the sole survivor. While most people believe that Sethu killed Durai's son, Durai finds out about Muthu and tells Raayan to hand over Muthu within 24 hours. However, Raayan, together with Muthu, and Manickam kill Durai and his gang.
Sethu, who is confused about Durai's death, finds out about Raayan and his brothers' involvement in his death and calls Raayan for a meeting. He requests Raayan to join his side and promises him and his family protection from the police, but Raayan refuses. Sethu begins to threaten Raayan, who in turn, also begins to threaten Sethu indirectly without outrightly stating that he is indeed the killer. Sethu then tries to assassinate Raayan by sending his goons, but one remaining henchman flees back to Sethu with the news that he witnessed Raayan singlehandedly killing all his henchmen there. Around that time, Raayan was planning his sister Durga's wedding with a government employee and agreed to shoulder the responsibility of the event expense around ₹5 lakhs and dowry leaving him in dire need of money. At the groom's family's request for dowry, Raayan agrees to hand over his profitable mobile hotel, and all their bank savings to the groom's family.
Fearing for their future, Raayan plans to kill Sethu the night before Durga’s marriage by entering Sethu's second wife, Annam's, house in an ambush attack. However, Raayan finds Durga tied up in that house and realises it is a trap set by Sethu, and fights Sethu's henchmen who ambushed him. However, on escaping, Sethu's henchman, Guru, abducts and sexually assaults Durga. Meanwhile, it was revealed that both Muthu and Manickam, who weren't able to land a job quickly, were now working for Sethu to supplement their household expenses; at realising their target was their brother, they panicked and stabbed him. After escaping from Guru, Durga runs back to where she left Raayan and saves him by admitting in a nearby clinic.
Sethu's gang tries to kill Raayan in the clinic but is saved by Durga and Sekhar. The trio escape to an isolated house far from the city and there Durga learns about Muthu and Manickam's betrayal. Meanwhile, Muthu and Manickam continue to work for Sethu, while Meghalai gives birth to Muthu's child. After almost a year, Raayan recovers from his injuries and kidnaps Annam; he asks Sethu to send Guru to him in place of Annam as he was behind Durga's rape. Sethu accepts and Guru gets killed by Durga.
Manickam wanted to amend things with Raayan and Durga, therefore he requests Sekhar to arrange a meeting with Raayan and plead for mercy. Overhearing the conversation, Sethu tricks Manickam and uses this opportunity to make Sekhar reveal Raayan's whereabouts, but he refuses and is killed by Sethu. His body was hung for public display, and brings out Raayan and Durga from their hideout. Sargunam uses this chance to arrange a meeting with Raayan and Sethu for a public compromise, however, Sargunam was secretly planning on killing them all in a common location. However, Sargunam changes his plan as there were many goons of Sethu with him, and falls back to plan B, that is a deal that he made with Raayan; in exchange for eradicating Sethu and his gang, Raayan and Durga were promised freedom, safety and new identity. During Bhogi celebrations, Durga stabs and kills Manickam for betraying Raayan. In the ensuing fight, Raayan kills Sethu and his gang brutally, and finally, but hesitantly, killing Muthu.
The next day, Sargunam waits for Raayan with the money, but his real intention was to kill him so that Sargunam's deals would not be leaked. However, Raayan was clever enough to figure out his plan and not arrive at their meeting spot. Meghalai gives her child away to Raayan and Durga citing that she does not want a child of his bloodline. Raayan and Durga pack their belongings and leave to Coimbatore for a peaceful life.

## Cast

* Dhanush as Kathavaraayan "Raayan"
** Raghul R. as young Raayan
* Dushara Vijayan as Durga
** Dharsikha as young Durga
* S. J. Suryah as Sethuraman "Sethu"
* Sundeep Kishan as Muthuvelraayan "Muthu"
** Avanish as young Muthu
* Kalidas Jayaram as Manickavelraayan "Manickam"
** Dhanush Karthik as young Manickam
* Selvaraghavan as Sekhar
* Prakash Raj as Commissioner R. Sargunam
* Bose Venkat as Inspector Sengundran
* Aparna Balamurali as Meghalai
* Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Sethu's first wife
* Saravanan as Durai
* Dileepan as Guru
* Ilavarasu as Meghalai's father
* Divya Pillai as Annam Sethuraman
* Aranthangi Nisha as Sargunam's assistant
* Dr. Karthik Anjaneyan as Anjaneyan
* Devadarshini as Shalini
* Namo Narayana as Jagannathan
* Cell Murugan as Murugan
* Geetha Kailasam as Durai's wife
* Naveen Krubhakar as Ashwin
* Anbu Mayilsamy as Sethu's henchmen
* Kiccha Ravi as Kathavaraayan's father
* Ariyan Mehedi as Kathavaraayan's friend
* M. Soundarya Saravanan as Kathavaraayan's mother

## Production
### Development

On 29 December 2017, Dhanush announced that for his second directorial after Pa Paandi (2017), he would collaborate with Hema Rukmani and Murali Ramasamy, headers of Thenandal Studio Limited. He further stated that he would play the lead and the production would begin the following year. To which, on 7 September 2018, a muhurat puja was held in Chennai. Touted to be a bilingual film released in Tamil and Telugu-languages, it would feature Nagarjuna, Aditi Rao Hydari, S. J. Suryah, R. Sarathkumar and Srikanth. Music composer Sean Roldan, cinematographer Om Prakash and editor Prasanna GK were brought on board. Rukmani stated "It's an impressive story and is Dhanush's dream project that he's had in mind for a long time. He's very passionate about the film and when we heard the script, we understood why", during the press launch of the venture.
Tentatively titled DD2, the principal photography began the same month. In early March 2019, reporters claimed that the venture was shelved, citing that the venture was only shot in few bits, mainly due to the cast's schedule. Later, it was reported that it was not shelved, but was instead set on hold, as Dhanush was busy filming for Asuran (2019). In June 2020, Dhanush's elder brother, Selvaraghavan, was reported to have been approached by the actor to direct a part of venture, as Dhanush was busy with his current commitments. The project was later put on stall. However, it was reported that it would begin after the COVID-19 pandemic ends, which was later proved to be false. Following two years, in 2023, it was reported that instead of reviving the script, Dhanush would reportedly write a new story, to be funded by Kalanithi Maran of Sun Pictures. The production house publicly announced the project on 18 January, and was tentatively titled as D50. The film's official title, Raayan, was revealed on 19 February 2024.

### Casting

Dhanush would sport a tonsured head and stubble with a thick handlebar mustache for his character. Sundeep Kishan was cast in an important role, collaborating with Dhanush again after Captain Miller (2024). Kalidas Jayaram was confirmed to play an important role, replacing Vishnu Vishal who was initially approached for the role but had to decline due to busy schedules, including his film with director Ram Kumar and Aishwarya Rajinikanth's Lal Salaam (2024). Dushara Vijayan also joined the film in an important role, whilst S. J. Suryah was also cast in an important role.
Selvaraghavan, Prakash Raj, Aparna Balamurali, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, and Saravanan would reportedly play prominent roles. Varalaxmi would collaborate with Dhanush again after Maari 2 (2018) with this film. All of their inclusion were confirmed by the production house in late-February 2024. Dhanush had approached musician Deva to play the antagonist in the film as he wanted someone who could speak the North Chennai dialect; however, Deva declined the role.

### Filming

Principal photography began with an inaugural puja ceremony on 5 July 2023 at East Coast Road in Chennai with the presence of the film's cast and crew. Filming also went on there for a while, before they moved to a massive set with around 500 houses at Adithya Ram Studios in ECR, Chennai, where the rest of the schedule continued to be shot at. The schedule featured scenes involving Suryah and Sundeep. The second schedule commenced in mid-November in Karaikudi, which went on for a week. The team had invested ₹30 crore (US$3.4 million) in the sets of the backdrop of Royapuram, where the events in the film would mostly take place at. The filming reached near ending, as stated by Dhanush, on 1 October. On 14 December, Dhanush tweeted that the shooting had wrapped.

### Post-production

Sumesh Gopal and Anish Dayanandan are the visual effects supervisors, under Digital Bricks Entertainment Pvt Ltd., the film's principal visual effects studio. The dubbing began works in late February 2024, and was completed by early March. Rahman concluded the re-recording session on 28 May, which was confirmed by Dhanush through his social media pages.

## Music

The music and background score is composed by A. R. Rahman, in his fourth collaboration with Dhanush after Raanjhanaa (2013), Maryan (2013), and Atrangi Re (2021). The first single, "Adangaatha Asuran", was released on 9 May 2024, the second single "Water Packet" on 24 May, and the third single, "Raayan Rumble" released on 5 July. The audio launch was held on 6 July 2024 at Sri Sai Ram Engineering College in Chennai, releasing the album.

## Release
### Theatrical

Raayan was initially scheduled to release on 13 June 2024 in theatres, but was postponed due to reasons unknown. It was released worldwide on 26 July 2024, two days prior to Dhanush's birthday, in theatres. Apart from its original Tamil language, dubbed versions in the Telugu and Hindi languages were also released. The release date was also initially scheduled to release on 11 April, but was postponed to May due to general elections. This was followed by it postponing again to June due to unspecified reasons. The film received an A (adults only) certificate from the censor board, being the first Dhanush film since Vada Chennai (2018) to do so. The film also received a 15 by the British Board of Film Classification for strong violence and bloody images.

### Distribution

Sun Pictures released the film in Tamil Nadu themselves through Red Giant Movies. Asian Suresh Entertainment acquired the distribution rights of the film in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for reportedly ₹5 crore. Sree Gokulam Movies bought the distribution rights for Kerala, and AV Media Counsultancy did so for Karnataka. Ayngaran International acquired the overseas distribution rights. Home Screen Entertainment acquired the distribution rights for Singapore and the Middle East, DMY Creations for Malaysia, Prime Media for North America, and MKS Talkies for Australia and New Zealand.

### Home media

The film began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from 23 August 2024 in Tamil, alongside Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada languages. It had its television premiere on 31 October the same year.

## Reception
### Box office

Raayan grossed ₹23.75 crore (US$2.7 million) worldwide on its opening day, which was the second highest first day gross for a Tamil film, with over ₹16 crore (US$1.8 million) from India and behind Indian 2. The film surpassed Karnan (2021) to become the biggest opening for one of Dhanush's film. It grossed an estimated ₹75.42 crore (US$8.6 million) worldwide on its opening weekend of three days. The film earned ₹122.75 crore (US$14 million) in ten days and ₹126.75 crore (US$15 million) in next two days days. By the third weekend film total collection stands at ₹109.50 crore (US$13 million) in India and ₹149 crore (US$17 million) worldwide. Raayan grossed an estimated revenue of ₹160 crore (US$18 million) in its final run, becoming the highest-grossing Tamil film of the year to that point, and the highest-grossing A-certified Tamil film of all-time.

### Critical response

Raayan received mixed reviews from critics. Rohit Panikker of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Raayan is a bloodbath that even the most ardent fan of such blood and gore would find exhausting, especially since it falls in the line of a long spate of recent releases that are similarly-conceived." Divya Nair of Rediff gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Raayan is an interesting one-time watch written for the masses with a little meat here and there for the critics to bite on."
M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Raayan has a raw and rage-filled setting, and is populated by characters who are rugged, violent, deceptive and also vulnerable." S. Devasankar of Pinkvilla gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush as the director brings a flair of the Tamil gangster action flicks from the late 2000s, but with a modern twist, which works out wonderfully on the silver screen. Everything said Raayan passes off as a good one-time-watch, guaranteeing an emotional yet fun ride that one can catch with their friends."
Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush, the actor and director, stands tall in a film powered by AR Rahman’s brilliant music, and top-notch performances only to fall just short of realising its potential." Anusha Sundar of OTTplay gave 3/5 stars and wrote "[...] Yes, the writing is bogged down by certain uncertainty and convenience, which does not let many characters to get developed, and in fact get eliminated before they are got to known. But Raayan is also a valiant effort of Dhanush’s that lets many departments shine through, and plays out a canvas for a experimentation in commercial cinema."
Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush's 50th film is a simple revenge story. The interval block shows streaks of brilliance of his directorial skills. However, as a writer, 'Raayan' lacks emotional depth. For the revenge angle to work, emotions matter." B. V. S. Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Dhanush turned director for this film and relied on gore and violence revolving around a wafer-thin plot. This is truly disappointing since some of his films like Asuran and Karnan had boasted of bold themes in the past."
Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "Dhanush’s Raayan totally packs a punch and is a must-watch for its captivating performances and unexpected story twists. It’s a stellar 50th career film for Dhanush." Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "In his sophomore directorial, Dhanush attempts to turn an ordinary story into something more with a well-written setting and measured storytelling, but falls disappointingly short."