Thirumalai
Thirumalai is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action romance film written and directed by Ramana. The film stars Vijay and Jyothika, with Manoj K. Jayan, Avinash, Vivek, Raghuvaran, Kausalya and Karunas in supporting roles. Produced by Kavithalayaa Productions banner, Thirumalai shows Vijay playing a bike mechanic of the Pudupet area in Chennai. This film was a turning point in Vijay's career as he transitioned himself into a leading action hero from a romantic hero in his acting career. Filming began in May 2002 and was planned for a 2002 Christmas release, along with the Suriya starrer, "Mounam Pesiyadhe  but the delays in actors replacement and some reshot scenes made it release only in October 2003, during Diwali but was declared as a successful venture at the box office despite its delays. The film was remade in Telugu as Gowri" with Sumanth and Charmme Kaur in 2004. It was also remade in Bengali Bangladesh in 2007 as "Kotha Dao Sathi Hobe" starring Shakib Khan and Apu Biswas. Plot. Thirumalai (Vijay), a mechanic, falls in love with Swetha (Jyothika). However, Swetha's father, Ashok (Avinash), the owner of a TV channel, is unhappy with their relationship. He asks Arasu (Manoj  K. Jayan) to help create fights between the couple. Production. The filming began in May 2002, when Vijay was simultaneously shooting for his previous action flick, "Bagavathi" (2002). Directing the film was debutant Ramana who had apprenticed with director R. K. Selvamani. The shooting finally ended in November 2002. On 15 January 2003, Vijay stated that he had started dubbing for his portions of the film. Vijay also sported a new look, which he maintained for his subsequent films until "Puli" (2015). Namrata Shirodkar was chosen initially to play the female lead. But the director was not satisfied with her  onscreen presence and she was replaced by Jyothika. This is her second film with Vijay after "Kushi" (2000). A set resembling a market place with a mechanic shop in it was erected at Mohan Studios at a cost of about 50 lakh. Designed by art director Kathir, shooting took place there for 30 days. The film's shooting occurred in Chennai, Nellore and Vishakhapatnam, while the songs were filmed in Egypt and Switzerland. Music. Music was composed by Vidyasagar. The audio's album consisting of five songs, was released on 6 December 2002. The audio was also well received among  the audience. Release. The film was released on 24 October 2003. Reception. "Ananda Vikatan" rated the film 39 out of 100. "Nowrunning" gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated "Yet another poor-boy rich-girl romance with parental opposition and mafia interference". Chennai Online wrote "There's nothing fresh here that we haven't seen in an earlier Vijay film. The Vijay-Jyotika pair, after their successful combination in Kushi, was expected to re-create the same magic on screen. But it doesn't happen". Thiraipadam wrote "Thirumalai sees director Ramana working within two big limitations. He  has an age-old poor boy-rich girl love story in hand and has to contend with Vijay's mass image. Considering these restrictions, he has done a commendable job. By fashioning the hero's character a little differently and designing a fast screenplay that contains several stock situations but resolves them differently, he overcomes those negatives to deliver an entertaining feature". Behindwoods wrote " Things were never going easy for Vijay until Thirumalai happened and resurrected his image as a mass hero that he’s become today. The film was a well executed commercial potboiler which showcased Vijay excelling at  all aspects of his role."