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The Smile Man

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The Smile Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
  • Syam
  • Praveen
Written byKamala Alchemis
Produced by
  • Salildas
  • Aneesh Haridasan
  • Anandan T
Starring
CinematographyVikram Mohan
Edited bySan Lokesh
Music byGavaskar Avinash
Production
companies
  • Magnum Movies
  • Ka Film Company
Distributed byGRR Movies
Release date
  • 27 December 2024 (2024-12-27)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

The Smile Man is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language crime-mystery drama film directed by duo directors, Syam and Praveen, while being written by Kamala Alchemis.[1] The film stars R. Sarathkumar in the lead role, making his 150th film, with an ensemble cast consisting of Sri Kumar, Sija Rose, Ineya, George Maryan, Suresh Chandra Menon, Rajkumar, Kumar Natarajan, Baby Azhiya and others in supporting roles.[2]

The film is produced by Salil Das, Anish Haridasan, and Anandan T under Magnum Movies and Ka Film Company banners. The technical crew consists of cinematographer Vikram Mohan, editor San Lokesh and music composer Gavaskar Avinash.[3]

The Smile Man released on 27 December 2024.

Premise

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The film revolves around a retired police officer, Chidambaram Nedumaaran with early signs of Alzheimer's, who is assigned to capture a serial killer before he loses his memory.[4]

Cast

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Production

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Development

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In mid-February 2022, an announcement was made regarding actor R. Sarath Kumar's 150th film titled The Smile Man[6] to be directed by Memories (2023) fame duo Syam and Praveen[7] and written by Kamala Alchemis.[8] The film also stars Sri Kumar, Sija Rose, Ineya, George Maryan, Suresh Chandra Menon, Rajkumar, Kumar Natarajan, Baby Azhiya and others in supporting roles.[9] The film is produced by Salil Das, Anish Haridasan, and Anandan T under Magnum Movies and Ka Film Company banners,[10] and the technical crew consists of cinematographer Vikram Mohan, editor San Lokesh and music composer Gavaskar Avinash.[11]

Filming

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Principal photography was planned in places around Palakkad and Coimbatore, which began after the announcement in mid-February 2022[12] and got wrapped in June 2023.[13][14]

Release

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Theatrical

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The Smile Man released on 27 December 2024.[15] The film received a U/A certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification.[16]

Home media

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The digital streaming rights of the film is acquired by Aha Tamil.[5]

Reception

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Critical response

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A critic from Dinamalar rated the film 2.75/5 stars, criticizing the screenplay for being slow-paced, which they found unusual for a crime thriller film.[17] Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "The Smile Man feels like a missed opportunity. It’s yet another run-of-the-mill serial killer story. It’s not a terrible film, just a terribly average one."[18] Janani K of India Today gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The Smile Man is a lost opportunity considering the potential it showed. If only the screenplay had been handled better, the film could have had a much stronger impact."[19] Anusha Sundar of OTT Play gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The Smile Man adds itself to one among the dozen serial killer stories that gets made as part of trend. With a non-coherent storytelling and distanced emotions, the film fails to neither resonate nor engross."[20]

Narayani M of Cinema Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Just like Iraivan, The Smile Man employs a lethargic and straightforward approach to finding the killer. Since the writing is confusing, the makers could have stuck to showcasing their killer up front and his emotionally distant backstory."[21] Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "From the investigation that leads to the killer or the flashback to Chidambaram that the film holds back so preciously, nothing sticks. [...] Unfortunately, his much-awaited 150th outing may not leave him as a smiling man."[22]

References

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  1. ^ "சரத்குமாரின் 'தி ஸ்மைல் மேன்' டீசர் எப்படி? - விறுவிறு க்ரைம் த்ரில்லர்!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 19 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  2. ^ Mullappilly, Sreejith (20 November 2024). "The Smile Man Teaser: Sarathkumar is a cop with a cognitive issue chasing a copycat killer". Cinema Express. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Sarathkumar's 'The Smile Man' teaser". The Times of India. 20 November 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  4. ^ "Sarathkumar to play a retired cop with Alzheimer's in The Smile Man". OTTPlay. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  5. ^ a b M, Narayani (23 December 2024). "The Smile Man Trailer: Sarathkumar must find a serial killer before he loses his memory". Cinema Express. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  6. ^ Rajendran, Gopinath (21 February 2022). "Sarath Kumar's 150th film titled The Smile Man". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Sarathkumar All Set to Essay the Role of Cop in his 150th Film The Smile Man". News18. Archived from the original on 17 January 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  8. ^ "First look of Sarath Kumar's 'The Smile Man' out". The Hindu. 15 July 2024. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 19 July 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Sarath Kumar's 150th project, being directed by Syam-Praveen duo, has been titled The Smile Man". OTTPlay. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  10. ^ Features, C. E. (15 July 2024). "First look of Sarath Kumar's The Smile Man out". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  11. ^ "Smile Man teaser OUT: Sarathkumar plays an Alzheimer's patient in his 150th film". OTTPlay. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  12. ^ Rajendran, Gopinath (22 February 2022). "Sarath Kumar's 150th film announced". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  13. ^ Features, C. E. (13 June 2023). "It is a wrap for Sarathkumar's The Smile Man". Cinema Express. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  14. ^ "Sarath Kumar's Samaran and The Smile Man moving at a brisk pace, makers upbeat about Por Thozhil's success". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  15. ^ Kumar, Akshay (13 December 2024). "Sarathkumar's The Smile Man gets a release date". Cinema Express. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
  16. ^ Features, C. E. (19 December 2024). "Sarathkumar's The Smile Man clears censorship formalities". Cinema Express. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  17. ^ "தி ஸ்மைல் மேன் - விமர்சனம் {2.75/5} - The Smile Man Cinema Movie Review : தி ஸ்மைல் மேன் - தி சீரியஸ் மேன்". Dinamalar. 27 December 2024.
  18. ^ "The Smile Man Movie Review : Another cop, another killer, another disappointment". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  19. ^ "The Smile Man review: Sarath Kumar's film fails to realise its full potential". India Today. 27 December 2024. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  20. ^ "The Smile Man Movie Review: Yet another run of the mill serial killer story". OTTPlay. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  21. ^ M, Narayani (27 December 2024). "The Smile Man Movie Review: Even Sarathkumar can't salvage this insipid thriller". Cinema Express. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  22. ^ Chandar, Bhuvanesh (27 December 2024). "'The Smile Man' movie review: Problems galore in this mirthless, pretentious psycho-thriller". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
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