Kaatru Veliyidai
Kaatru Veliyidai (transl. Amidst the air) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic war film, produced, written and directed by Mani Ratnam. Made under the Madras Talkies banner, it features music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography by Ravi Varman and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. The film stars Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari, with Lalitha, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Delhi Ganesh and RJ Balaji and Shraddha Srinath playing other pivotal roles. Set in the backdrop of the Kargil War of 1999, the film narrates the story of an Indian Air Force pilot who recalls his romance with a doctor in the lead up to the war, while being kept as a prisoner of war at a jail in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Kaatru Veliyidai marked Aditi's comeback and Shraddha's debut in Tamil cinema.
| Kaatru Veliyidai | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mani Ratnam |
| Written by | Mani Ratnam |
| Produced by | Mani Ratnam |
| Starring | Karthi Aditi Rao Hydari |
| Cinematography | Ravi Varman |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | Score: A. R. Rahman Qutub-E-Kripa Songs: A. R. Rahman |
Production company | Madras Talkies |
| Distributed by | Sri Thenandal Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Principal photography of the film commenced in July 2016, with the shoot taking place in Ooty, Hyderabad, Ladakh, Chennai and Belgrade, before being completed in January 2017. The film was released worldwide on 7 April 2017 along with a Telugu dubbed version titled Cheliyaa . The film won two National Film Awards at the 65th National Film Awards: Best Music Direction for A. R. Rahman and Best Female Playback Singer for Shashaa Tirupati.