Honest Raj

Honest Raj is a 1994 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by K. S. Ravi. The film stars Vijayakanth, Gouthami and Aamani, while Devan, Manorama, Senthil, Vijayakumar, and Nizhalgal Ravi play supporting roles. It marked the debut of Ravi K. Chandran in Tamil cinema. The film, produced by G. Thyagarajan, had music composed by Ilaiyaraaja released to positive reviews on 14 April 1994 and became a blockbuster. The film's title is taken from Vijayakanth's earlier film, Pulan Visaranai (1990). The film was remade in Hindi as Rakshak (1996).[2]

Honest Raj
Theatrical release poster
Directed byK. S. Ravi
Written byM. S. Madhu (Dialogues)
Screenplay byK. S. Ravi
Story byK. S. Ravi
Produced byT. G. Thyagarajan
Starring
CinematographyRavi K. Chandran
Edited byAnil Malnad
Music byIlaiyaraaja
Production
company
Release date
14 April 1994[1]
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

"Honest" Raj (Vijayakanth), a police officer in a coma for four years, wakes up suddenly. Abhinaya (Gouthami), a newly appointed doctor, saves him from a killer with the help of Raj's assistant Velu (Senthil).

In the past, Raj lived with his mother Maragatham (Manorama) and took the IPS exam. They shifted to their relative's house in a village. Pushpa (Aamani), a village girl, fell in love with Raj. Raj's best friend Varatha (Devan) attempted to suicide after his father's creditors pressured him. Raj saved him, and Varatha lent his printing press company to Pazhani. Raj and Pushpa got married, and he passed the IPS exam successfully. Varatha found counterfeit money in his factory and started an illegal business with Pazhani. Bharatha then became rich and killed his partners.

Raj came back with his mother, wife, and son Babloo to see Varatha. Raj found an illegal business thanks to Kesavan (Nizhalgal Ravi), a former henchman of Varatha. Even though Varatha was his best friend, Raj tried to arrest him. Varatha soon killed his wife and mother. To save at least Babloo, Raj was hurt by bullets and lapsed into a coma. Gopalakrishnan (Vijayakumar), a veteran police officer, took care of Babloo.

Raj decides to take revenge and punish the culprit. Varatha kidnaps Babloo and threatens to kill him. Raj saves Babloo; kills Varatha, who does not want to surrender; and marries Abhinaya.

Cast

Soundtrack

The film score and the soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The soundtrack, released in 1994, features 5 tracks with lyrics written by Vaali.[3]

TrackSongSinger(s)Duration
1"Katuren Katuren"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam5:50
2"Izuthu Potheena"Mano, Janaki4:45
3"Katti Pudikkattma"Janaki5:42
4"Vanil Vidivelli"Mano, Janaki5:48
5"Day by Day"Viji Thomas5:14

Awards

Release & Reception

Honest Raj was released on 14 April 1994, during the Puthandu holiday.[1] The film opened up against other films like Indhu,[4] Veera,[5] Sakthivel and Seeman, which were released in the same week.[6][7]

The Indian Express wrote "Ravi's tightly knit screenplay and deft handling [..] give an added dimension to the characters and make the film engrossing."[8] New Straits Times wrote "Ravi's use of flashbacks and his treatment of the story lift this movie from ordinary and prevent it from turning dreary".[9] Kalki called it a good Vijayakanth after a long time.[10]

References
  1. "The Indian Express - Google News Archive Search".
  2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317671/movieconnections
  3. "Honest Raj Songs". raaga.com. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  4. "Indhu". The Indian Express. 14 April 1994. p. 4.
  5. Mannath, Malini (22 April 1994). "Two women in a boat". The Indian Express. p. 6.
  6. "Sakthivel". The Indian Express. 15 April 1994. p. 4.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "Seeman". The Indian Express. 15 April 1994. p. 4.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. "The Indian Express – Google News Archive Search".
  9. "New Straits Times – Google News Archive Search".
  10. https://kalkionline.com/kalkionline_archive/imagegallery/archiveimages/kalki/1994/may/22-05-1994/p48.jpg
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