Dikkiloona

Plot

Mani, an ex-hockey player, works as a lineman for the electricity board and leads a stressful married life with his wife Priya. In 2027, Priya is upset because Mani did not achieve success as a hockey player and earns a meagre salary; she frequently berates him. With help from his friend Albert, a cleaner for a team of scientists developing a time machine, Mani travels back to 2020, two days before his wedding. He introduces himself to his past self as EB Mani, but the groom Mani initially suspects he is a doppelgänger from an illicit relationship.

EB Mani reveals private details and blackmails the groom with a video to stop the marriage, giving him an exit watch to travel to 2027. There, the groom sees his future: a strained relationship with Priya, disrespect from his in-laws, and a failed hockey career. He learns that Priya regrets the marriage and that her friend Meghna would be a more supportive wife. The groom returns to 2020, stops the wedding, and proposes to Meghna, intervening during the timeline when Karthik is proposing to her.

Production

KJR Studios and K. S. Sinish's Soldiers Factory announced the project on 5 September 2019, with Santhanam playing triple roles—protagonist, antagonist, and comedian—and appearing nude in one scene. The title was inspired by the word used by Goundamani and Senthil in the film Gentleman (1993). Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh was cast in October 2019 for a supporting role, marking his Tamil cinema debut. Anagha and Shirin Kanchwala joined as female leads, with Munishkanth, Anandaraj, Yogi Babu, Rajendran, Nizhalgal Ravi, Shah Ra, Arun Alexander, and film critic Prasanth Rangaswamy also cast. Principal photography began in November 2019 in Chennai; Harbhajan Singh shot his portion in December 2019. Filming wrapped in March 2020 before the COVID-19 lockdown.

Music

The soundtrack for Dikkiloona was scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja, marking his first collaboration with Santhanam since the actor shifted to leading roles. Lyricists Ku. Karthik, Arunraja Kamaraj, and Saravedi Saran contributed the words. Yuvan created a remix of Per Vachalum Vaikama Ponalum, a classical piece from Michael Madana Kama Rajan (1990) originally by his father Ilaiyaraaja, which dropped as a single on 3 September 2021. Sony Music India released the complete album on 6 September 2021.

Reception

Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote that the film does not use the time machine concept well nor serve as a great vehicle for a leading man. M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 3.0 out of 5 stars, noting that supporting comedians like Anandaraj, Munishkanth, and Lollu Sabha Maran are amusing, and that the film might have worked better as an out-and-out comedy; he described it as diverting fare that is forgotten once it ends.