# Mundasupatti

Mundasupatti (transl. Turban village) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language historical comedy film written and directed by Ram Kumar, and produced by C. V. Kumar under his banner Thirukumaran Entertainment and Fox Star Studios. It stars Vishnu Vishal and Nandita Swetha, with Anandaraj, Kaali Venkat and Ramdoss in supporting roles. The film is set in 1982 in a village where people believe bad luck will befall them if they are photographed. The story illustrates what happens when two photographers visit the village.
Mundasupatti is based on the eponymous short film Ram Kumar directed in 2011 for the reality series Naalaya Iyakkunar. Principal photography commenced in August 2013 and ended by October 2013, taking place primarily in Sakkimangalam. The technical crew includes composer Sean Roldan, cinematographer P. V. Shankar and editor Leo John Paul.
Mundasupatti released on 13 June 2014. The film received a positive critical response and became a box office success. It received two nominations at the 62nd Filmfare Awards South: Best Film – Tamil and Best Director – Tamil.

## Plot

In 1982, Gopi, a Sathyamangalam-based photographer, and his assistant Azhagumani arrive at a remote village called Mundasupatti on an assignment. The natives of this village are superstitious; they fear getting photographed, believing it will lead to death.

## Cast

* Vishnu Vishal as Gopi
* Nandita Swetha as Kalaivani
* Anandaraj as Komalapatti Zamindar Ekambaram
* Kaali Venkat as Azhagumani
* Ramdoss as Eswaran alias Munishkanth
* Gajaraj as Kalaivani's father
* Aadesh Bala as Shanmugam
* Pasupathi Raj as Meesakkarar
* Madurai Mohan
* Lollu Sabha Manohar
* Master Rahul
* Supergood Subramani as the fake swami
* Kovai Uma as Kalaivani's mother
* Kambam Meena as Karpagam
* Vinod Sagar as Mokkaiyan
* Winner Ramachandran

## Production
### Development

Ram Kumar had shot about 10 short films for the reality series Naalaya Iyakkunar, including Mundasupatti (2011). When Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi (2012), based on a short film released, he said he was inspired to make his own film. He took a year off to work on the script and to select his actors. He called it a challenge to convert the script for a short film into a full-length one and stated that he had added new characters for the film version. The film was jointly produced by C. V. Kumar of Thirukumaran Entertainment and Fox Star Studios as part of a two-film deal announced in early August 2013. Cinematography was handled by P. V. Shankar, and editing by Leo John Paul.

### Casting and filming

Vishnu Vishal was cast for the lead role, as the director wanted "someone who is funny, but very subtly so". Vishal, who had till then mainly played characters that were emotional, for the first time attempted a full-length comedy role, which he felt was "very refreshing", and added that "for the first time, I could relate to my character". Nandita Swetha was signed as the lead actress, as Ram wanted "someone who is dusky" for the role of Kalaivaani, adding that he was impressed by her performance in Attakathi (2012). Kaali Venkat, who had been part of the original short film, played the assistant to Vishnu's character. Ramdoss, seen in small roles previously, was given the role of Munishkanth, an aspiring actor; according to him, the role gave him "a lot of scope for acting". Ramdoss previously voiced the character in the short film because the actor who played Munishkanth was unable to commit to dubbing; after the feature film's release, "Munishkanth" became Ramdoss's stage name. Principal photography began on 28 August 2013, and wrapped by October 2013. The film was shot in a single schedule lasting 57 working days. Filming took place primarily in Sakkimangalam, which has houses that are over 100 years old.

## Soundtrack

The film's soundtrack was composed by Sean Roldan. The lyrics for all the songs were written by Muthamil, except one which was written by GKB. It was the first film project he had signed on, although two of his soundtrack albums got released before the release of Mundasupatti. The album was launched on 28 April 2014 at Suryan FM, Chennai.
Vipin of Music Aloud gave the album a score of 8.5 out of 10 and wrote, "There seems to be no stopping Sean Roldan". S Saraswathi of Rediff.com wrote, "Sean Roldan's rustic songs and background score are definitely the highlights of the film, especially the folk styled Rasa Maharasa and the beautiful melody Idhu Enna". Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle wrote, "The [other] standout of the film was Sean Roldan's background and music. His catchy but affectionate songs fit very well with the clayey tones of the film – which is to say that they mould and reshape the landscape in lieu with the plot". Karthik of Milliblog wrote, "Like Santhosh Narayanan, Sean Roldan is truly on a roll with his inventive spin on conventional Tamil film music."

## Marketing and release

To promote Mundasupatti, the makers created an interactive application on the website, www.mymundasupattistyle.com that allowed visitors to create their own avatars akin to characters from the film. The idea was well received and had gone viral on social networking sites.
A special screening of Mundasupatti was arranged for distributors and exhibitors couple of days prior to the release. Subsequently, the film opened across nearly 207 screens in Tamil Nadu, which was considered "very high" for a film starring Vishal. The film released on 13 June 2014 alongside five other Tamil releases, but according to Sify, it got "the best of screens and prime shows in multiplexes". Mundasupatti had its television premiere on 2 October 2014 on Star Vijay.

## Reception
### Critical response

The film received generally positive feedback from critics. M Suganth of The Times of India gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Director Ram Kumar, who is the latest promising find from the TV show Naalaya Iyakkunar, certainly knows how to end a joke with a punchline. The film is a tad overlong ... and some of the comedy feels repetitive but Ram Kumar manages to keep things playful and entertaining at all times ... that we look past some of the indulgences". Sify wrote, "Mundasupatti is a rip-roaring rocker! It is a full length laugh riot which is fresh and entertaining. The wacky story and treatment of debutant director Ram Kumar, makes it tickling and an absolute fun ride". Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle gave 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, "They say that a tragedy today is bound to be a comedy tomorrow – an unfortunate incident, a set of beliefs to explain that incident, and the culture of fear and superstition that this broods are all probable misnomers that we all will look back at and have a mighty laugh. Take it a step further by adding situational comedy to an initial tragedy and what we have is a film that succeeds in many levels with the possible muse of timing and pacing". Sinndhuja Ramprasad of Silverscreen.in wrote, "Mundasupatti is set in the 80s. Fascinatingly so. It is perhaps a bizarrely comical version of a Stephen Leacock essay, but fashionably vintage and very Indian".
Malini Mannath of The New Indian Express wrote, "the debutant director has lived up to the expectations, establishing his credentials with his very first effort. The plot is refreshing, the screenplay engaging, the dialogue sparkling with wit and humour. The director moves his narration deftly and with confidence. Mundasupatti with no big names to boast of, yet again proves it. It's a film not to be missed". Baradwaj Rangan wrote for The Hindu, "I wish more had been done with the central conceit. This is not a lazy film by any stretch. But a comedy should be light on its feet. Linger too much, and it can begin to seem out of focus". S Saraswathi of Rediff.com gave it 2.5 out of 5 stars and called the film "an entertaining rom-com" and "a decent attempt by debutant D Ram Kumar", but criticised that "the narration is extremely slow paced and the film too long, taking away some of the fun". Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times gave 2.5 out of 5 and concluded, "Mundasupatti has some delightful moments of freshness to offer".

### Box office

Mundasupatti collected ₹3.1 crore (equivalent to ₹5.0 crore or US$570,000 in 2023) in its opening weekend in Tamil Nadu, which was the highest ever opening for a C. V. Kumar film to that point.

## Accolades

| Event | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
| 4th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debut Director | Ram Kumar | Nominated | [32] [33] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Comedian | Ramdoss | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Story, Screenplay Writer | Ram Kumar | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Background Score | Sean Roldan | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Make Up | Vinoth Sukumaran | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Costume Designer | James | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Debut Director | Ram Kumar | Won | [34] [35] |
| 9th Vijay Awards | Best Child Artist | Rahul | Nominated | [34] [35] |
| 62nd Filmfare Awards South | Best Film – Tamil | Mundasupatti | Nominated | |
| 62nd Filmfare Awards South | Best Director – Tamil | Ram Kumar | Nominated | |
| Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Debut Director | Ram Kumar | Won | |
| 8th Edison Awards | Best Retro Actress | Nandita Swetha | Won | [38] [39] |

## Dropped sequel

In July 2014, C. V. Kumar announced his plans to make a sequel to Mundasupatti; however it was later dropped.