Anegan

Plot

In 1960s Burma, Tamil worker Munaruna saves Samudra, a Burmese general's daughter, from a Ferris wheel accident, and they fall in love. Mallika, who loves Munaruna, marries his friend Saamuda after being rejected. The general revokes Tamil privileges, sparking violence, and the Tamils flee by ship. Mallika reveals the couple's hideout to the general; Munaruna is shot, and Samudra handcuffs herself to him, drowning together.

In present-day India, Samudra, now Madhu, tells her psychiatrist she has met Saamuda and Mallika as Jagan and Meera. She meets Ashwin, resembling Munaruna, and flirts with him. Meera hallucinates and dies by jumping from an office window. Madhu recalls a past birth as princess Shenbagavalli in love with king Ilamaran, resembling Ashwin, both killed by a traitor.

Production

In May 2013, K. V. Anand announced a collaboration with Dhanush, produced by AGS Entertainment. The title Anegan derives from a word in Thiruvasagam by Manikkavacakar. Anand described the film as a romantic thriller, unlike his previous issue-based films.

The technical crew included cinematographer Om Prakash, editor Anthony, art director D. R. K. Kiran, action choreographer Kanal Kannan, and writer duo Subha. Harris Jayaraj composed the music. Anand initially narrated the story to Vijay, who suggested Dhanush due to date issues.

Dhanush sported four looks, one paying homage to Kamal Haasan's look in Tik Tik Tik. Amyra Dastur was cast as the lead after Alia Bhatt was unavailable; Dastur took Tamil lessons from Dhanush and performed stunts. She portrayed three different roles.

Release

The makers initially delayed scheduling a release date due to uncertainty over Lingaa and I. The film was cleared by the censor board in December 2014 and released on 13 February 2015, opening on nearly 1000 screens worldwide, the biggest release for a Dhanush film at that time. It received exemption from entertainment tax.

A petition alleging poor portrayal of Vannar community women was dismissed. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Anekudu and released on 5 March 2015. Its television premiere on Sun TV on 14 April 2015 drew backlash from fans who felt it was too early, but the network proceeded.

Reception

M. Suganth of The Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars, calling it pure camp but hugely entertaining. Udhav Naig of The Hindu credited K. V. Anand for narrating a banal plot in an enterprising manner. Sudhir Srinivasan wrote that the film is a complex story told simplistically, settling for being a hit. S Saraswathi of Rediff.com noted the brisk pace but pointed out too many songs and unanswered questions.

Sify described it as gorgeously shot, crisply edited, and gripping. Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle found it decent but enjoyable only in parts. Gautaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times rated it 2 out of 5, calling it a mishmash with passé performances.

Did You Know?

• The film's song 'Danga Maari Oodhari' became a chartbuster upon release.
• The soundtrack album was released by Sony Music India in November 2014.
• The film shows traces of Magadheera, Enakkul Oruvan, Cloud Atlas, and The Fountain, according to a review.