Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum

Cast

Plot

The man with a gunshot wound is being pursued by the police in the dead of the night.He collapses on the side of a road where passerby notice him but avoid taking any action.A medical student comes across the bleeding man and tries to get him medical help but to no avail. Finally realizing that he has no other option than to take matter into his own hands he takes the stranger to his house and saves his life.This act comes to haunt him as his entire family is taken into police custody for aiding and abetting a criminal on the loose. The rest of the story is about how the medical student becomes tangled up in the cat and mouse game between the cops and the killer.

Production

On 16 February 2013 Mysskin announced his new production company Lone Wolf Productions and two days later newspaper ads came out with the title of his new film, Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum, and its design. The film was started with a pooja launch at the producer and directors office where only his close associates were present. Young actor Sri of Vazhakku Enn 18/9 fame was roped in to do the lead.

The shooting happened in and around Chennai. Most of the shooting was happening at night because the story is set against the backdrop of darkness.

In June 2013, a trailer of Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum was released on YouTube, Though Ilaiyaraaja was signed as the composer, the trailer had Austrian composer Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5.

Music

Ilaiyaraaja composed the film score. The film did not have any songs and Ilaiyaraaja after two decades composed the BGM only for a film. Instrumental pieces from the score were released before the film's release. Mysskin released the background score for free to download in his production website as a tribute to Ilaiyaraaja.

Release

The satellite rights of the film were secured by STAR Vijay. The film was given a "U/A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board

Reception

Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum opened to rave reviews. Sudhish Kamath wrote "Mysskin has once again proved that he’s one of the most exciting, even if inconsistent, filmmakers of our times. The actor-director is in sparkling form as he returns with a career best in this dark, gritty, moody, philosophical metaphor-infested chase film that’s mostly brilliant. Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum compares well with world cinema but with a little more restraint and understatement, Mysskin has every potential to breakout at the international festival circuit and make us proud someday". Sify wrote "Onayum Aatukuttiyum is a gripping edge of the seat emotional dark thriller which also entertains. Onayum Aatukuttiyum is a stylishly made thriller and a class act. Haricharan Pudipeddi of IANS gave 4 stars out of 5 and wrote "OA arrives sans fanfare, but it sweeps you off your feet with an engrossing narrative, told mostly through one night. OA is a cut above Mysskin`s previous works. He crushes all cinematic cliches with this effort and manages to gives us a film we deserve". The Times of India gave 3.5 stars ouf of 5 and wrote "on the whole, Onaiyum Aatukuttiyum, while a rung below Anjathey in the filmography of Mysskin, is a tense thriller, one of the interesting films of the year, that is yet another showcase for its maker".

Rediff too gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Mysskin has scripted a brilliant tale filled with human emotions and dark humour, cleverly maintaining the suspense element in the film until the very end". The New Indian Express wrote "Mysskin’s wolf and the lamb saga is refreshing, exciting and offers a different viewing experience to Tamil audience". Behindwoods gave 3.5 out of 5 and wrote "Mysskin’s Onaayum Aattukuttiyum is marked by apt performances, engaging screen play, intelligent narration and a sincere execution accompanied by technical brilliances. Indiaglitz have 3.25 out of 5 and wrote "OA has every desirable aspect of Myskin's previous thrillers viz. nail biting narration, neat performances, riveting re-recording, natural lights and as an addition to these there is no songs spoiling the narration in the movie".

Sudish Kamath later picked it as one of five films that have redefined Tamil cinema, writing, "Mysskin hits peak form as a storyteller with the most evolved sense of visual grammar in this part of the world". It was also featured in the year-end top Tamil films lists of Sify and Rediff.

Box office

The film good opening at the box office and collected ₹ 2 crore rupees in 3 days. The film ran for more than 5 weeks in many movie halls. It was declared as 'Hit' at the box office.

The film was premiered in television on Diwali day (2 November 2013), while the film was still running successfully in theaters.