Chanakya is a 2005 Indian Tamil language action comedy film directed by A. Venkatesh and produced by Vishwas Sundar. It stars R. Sarathkumar Namitha, Laya and Vadivelu in the lead roles. The music was composed by Srikanth Deva with cinematography by Madhu Ambat and editing by V. T. Vijayan. Chanakya released on 23 September 2005 to average reviews.
Ganesh (R. Sarathkumar) is an auto driver and kind-hearted man who goes out of his way to earn money to help the poor and the needy. He likes to be in the limelight. Knowing well that the media would sensationalize anything that has to do with popular people in the city, he kidnaps a businessman, and in another instance, he implicates and submits himself to the police for a murder of an MLA that he does not commit. While he draws maximum publicity in the media, he creates a miserable life for the police. By his repeated pranks, Ganesh establishes himself as a person crazy only for publicity. People begin to call him “Publicity” Ganesh.
Devanayaki (Namitha) owns a restaurant, and several autos run in her name in the local area. She is head over heels in love with Ganesh and goes about wooing him. In most of her screen time, she is singing and dancing with Ganesh. Meanwhile, Anjali (Laya) approaches Ganesh to act in her ad films in return for handsome money, but she is actually an undercover agent investigating Ganesh’s past.
Ganesh has a sorrow past. His past life and the reason for his current deeds are told in a flashback. Ganesh’s father (also Sarath Kumar) is an upright person who works as a clerk in a collectorate in a coastal village. A natural disaster strikes that area, and leaves many homeless in its wake. To ameliorate their problems, the government allocates Rs. 20 crore to help the affected people rehabilitate. Unfortunately, the local assistant collector (Vincent Asokan), the local MLA, and the local SP together form a trio and forget the grant, even while pretending to protect the best interest of the people. Ganesh’s father comes to know about the trio’s involvement behind the heist and vows to expose them to the public, but the “representatives of authority” frame false charges and deceitfully turn the public outrage against Ganesh’s father. In a melee, Ganesh’s family is burnt alive. Ganesh escapes to the city, and avenges the death of his family.
How Ganesh deceptively orchestrates the killing of the shenanigans is told lucidly in the remaining part of the story.
Directed by A. Venkatesh
Produced by Vishwas Sundar
Written by Subha (dialogues)
Story by Panju Arunachalam
Starring R. Sarathkumar, Namitha, Laya, Vadivelu
Music by Srikanth Deva
Cinematography Madhu Ambat
Edited by V. T. Vijayan
Production Vishwas films
Release date 23 September 2005
Running time 152 minutes
Country India
Language Tamil
Visitor Rating: 2 Stars