Aayirathil Oruvan (Tamil: ஆயிரத்தில் ஒருவன், English: One Man in a Thousand) is a 2010 fantasy adventure Tamil–language film directed by Selvaraghavan in his fifth feature film. Produced by R. Ravindran at a budget of 32 crore rupees ($7,140,126), it features music composed by G. V. Prakash Kumar, cinematography by Ramji and editing by Kola Bhaskar.[1] The film stars Karthi Sivakumar, Reemma Sen and Andrea Jeremiah in the lead roles with Parthiban playing a pivotal role.
| Aayirathil Oruvan | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Selvaraghavan |
| Produced by | R. Ravindran |
| Written by | Selvaraghavan |
| Starring | Karthi Sivakumar Reemma Sen Andrea Jeremiah R. Parthiban |
| Music by | G. V. Prakash Kumar |
| Cinematography | Ramji |
| Editing by | Kola Bhaskar |
| Studio | Dream Valley Films |
| Distributed by | Ayngaran International |
| Release date(s) | 14 January 2010 |
| Running time | 183 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamily |
| Budget |  32 crores ($7,140,126)[1] |
| Gross revenue | 51 crores ($11,379,576)[2] |
The film begins with an episode in 1279 AD, when the successor of the last great Chola Emperor, pending invasion, sends his people to a mystery location, to survive the threat. The story resumes with an archaeologist, a coolie and a member of the army going in search of the archaeologist's father to the ruined city that was the place the exiled Chola Prince retreated to. An expedition is promptly arranged, and on the course they stumble on the lost Chola civilization and its king and find unexplained links between them and the culture. The shocking events and the problems that arise forms the crux of the story.
Aayirathil Oruvan languished in development hell due to slow progress of the shoot and the extensive pre- and post-production works, evading release dates ranging one year.[3] Shooting began in July 2007, and took place in various locations with a record number of extras in areas including Chalakudy, Kerala and Jaisalmer, Rajasthan amongst other regions throughout India.[4] Prior to release, the film was given an adult rating by the Central Board of Film Certification and worldwide theatrical and television rights for the film were sold for a record Rs.35 crores.[5][6] The film released coinciding with the festival of Thai Pongal on 14 January 2010, with a Telugu dubbing version following suit weeks later. Upon release, the film received contrastingly mixed reviews whilst proceeding to become a successful venture
| Aayirathil Oruvan | ||||
| Soundtrack by G. V. Prakash Kumar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | 14 June 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008-2009 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 51:23 | |||
| Label | Sony Music | |||
| Producer | G. V. Prakash Kumar | |||
| Professional reviews | ||||
Rediff
  Behindwoods | ||||
| G. V. Prakash Kumar chronology | ||||
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| By Moviebuzz | ||||
| Selvaraghavan’s two years in the making, action adventure Aayirathil Oruvanis a brave attempt at trying to come out with something new in the placid world of Tamil cinema. Breaking away from the shackles of the stereotypes, the director transports us to a whole new world and at the end of it all, we are dumb stuck by the visuals, the packaging and the new way of storytelling.The film has a terrific first half with a basic thread, comedy, action, eye catching song picturisation, stunning visuals and grandeur. The film combines ultra-violent action with murky mysticism. The Government appoints a secret team led by archaeologist Anitha Pandian (Reemma) and a military officer Ravi (Azhagamperumal) to track down the missing links after a scientist and archaeologist (Pratap Pothen) vanishes into thin air while he was on his mission to discover the lost Chola civilization! To help them reach the lost city, Lavanya, daughter of the missing archaeologist is roped in for the mission. And helping the group to carry their belongings through the rough and tough jungle terrain and sea is the Coolie gang led by Muthu (Karthi), a boorish, uncouth, foul mouthed guy with roving eyes. They go through some of the most inhospitable terrain full of hidden danger and nature’s fury. Suddenly after a tedious expedition, they stumble on the lost Chola civilization and its king (Parthipan) and find unexplained links between them and the world’s earliest culture. What follows is a series of happenings that will leave you glued to the screen. The subtle message that Selva tries to convey is that a group of people cut away from civilisation, struck with poverty and knowledge is far superior to the present generation who lack values, culture or basic human kindness. All this leads to some unexpected twists and turns in the climax till you find that history repeats once again as Muthu rescues and run away with the King’s son to the darkness, like what happened centuries back! Aayirathil Oruvan starts with a bang, but it doesn’t unfold quickly. The second half takes a u-turn and is riddled with holes in the plot line and is confusing and tedious. It looks like another film and there are long gaps of silence in the climax which will make an ordinary viewer restless. Directing an interweaving screenplay, Selva’s narrative structure bursts with sporadic agility along with top class camera work by Ramji. GV Prakash’s background score and his music is tangy. Un Mela Aasadhan..sung by Dhanush, Aishwarya Dhanush and Andrea and picturised on the lead trio is a rocker. The remixed old MGR song on Karthi and the coolies is a treat. Reemma brings an uninhibited joie to her role as Anitha and thanks to the ability of the director has extracted a fine performance from her. Andrea is likeable and seems to have enjoyed doing the film. Parthipan is adequate as the king. But it is Karthi, who is a scream. Right from his introduction scene till the end, he is lovable and provides humour. Actually Karthi with his punchlines is getting the loudest claps as the crazy MGR fan and has made a sensational comeback three years after his debut film. The film has to be seen in the right perspective. Selvaraghavan is trying to explore the frontiers of commercial cinema. For this alone he should be applauded. | ||||
