Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014 film)

Kaaviya Thalaivan (transl. Epic Hero) is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film written and directed by Vasanthabalan and produced by S. Sashikanth and Varun Manian under their production companies YNOT Studios and Radiance Media Group. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Siddharth, Vedhika and Anaika Soti while Nassar, Thambi Ramaiah, Ponvannan, Mansoor Ali Khan and others appear in supporting roles. Music composed by A. R. Rahman. Set in the early 20th century, the film is about the lives of two theatre artistes and the competition that exists between them in a small drama troupe.

The project was announced by YNOT Studios in September 2012, and principal photography of the film was commenced on early June 2013. The soundtrack and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman; while cinematography was handled by Nirav Shah and editing by Praveen K. L. The costume designs were done by Perumal Selvam and Niranjani Ahathian, and Pattanam Rasheed was the make up artist.

The film was released on 28 November 2014, and won positive reviews from critics. It received awards from three categories at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, including Best Actor (Siddharth), Best Villain (Prithviraj), Best Music Director (A. R. Rahman). At the 2015 Vijay Awards, the film was nominated into eight categories, with receiving a win in two of them – Best Costume Designer and Best Make Up. The film was dubbed into Malayalam as Pradhi Nayagan, which was released in 2014 and into Telugu as Premaalayam, which released in 2016.