Crimson Red Sky) is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film[1] directed by Mani Ratnam, co-written with Siva Ananth.
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam was released on 27 September 2018 to positive reception from critics and audiences, praising the direction and performances of the cast, but criticising it for lacking strong women characters.
In Chennai, regardless of being escorted by enormously armed men, Senapathi, a sixty-year-old crime boss, and his wife, Lakshmi, are ambushed by two assassins disguised as policemen, but they manage to sustain themselves with wounds.
Thyagu is married to Renu and has two kids, while Ethirajan alias Ethi, Senapathi's youngest son who administers an independent arms business in Serbia, is committed to Chaaya.
Varadhan insists his friend Inspector Rasool Ibrahim, who has been lately suspended for violating human rights, on tracking the assassins and strongly suspects that Senapathi's longtime rival Chinnappadasan is the potential mastermind behind the hit.
A gunman attempts to shoot Thyagu in the lawn; a mob tries to bring Ethi down while he is involved in a football match while Varadhan's car is ambushed.
Recently discharged from the hospital, Senapathi finds peace with Chinnappadasan at the naming ceremony hosted for Priya's child and tells him he knows the real mastermind.
Varadhan takes over the reins and ceases the transaction of money to fund Thyagu's deals, and Renu is imprisoned by the police on false charges.
Dreading harm to his kids, Varadhan sends them off to live with Priya and her husband in Coimbatore, and he flees with Chitra and a group of trusted accomplices from Chennai.
Following a brief break after the release of Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), Mani Ratnam chose to begin pre-production on his next film by June 2017 and brought in composer A. R. Rahman and cinematographer Santosh Sivan for the project.
[5] In July 2017, reports in the media suggested that Mani Ratnam's next film would feature four male characters, and actors Vijay Sethupathi, Arvind Swami, Fahadh Faasil and Dulquer Salmaan were in negotiations to play various roles.
[12] In the months leading up to the start of the shoot, there was speculation in the media that Silambarasan would be banned from the project after allegations were made by producer Michael Rayappan about the actor's deliberate lack of co-operation during the making of Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan (2017).
[19][20] In late January 2018, Aditi Rao Hydari, who had appeared as the lead actress of Mani Ratnam's previous project Kaatru Veliyidai (2017), was also confirmed to be a part of the cast.
[23][24] For a supporting role, actress Jayasudha agreed to work on the film in November 2017, while Prakash Raj joined the cast during the following month to portray her husband.
[33] In late January 2018, prior to the start of the shoot, Lyca Productions agreed to purchase the rights of the film on a "first copy" basis and release it worldwide.
[34] Three days prior to the start of the shoot in February 2018, the film's title was announced as Chekka Chivantha Vaanam in Tamil, and as Nawab for the dubbed Telugu version.
[35] Principal photography began on 12 February 2018 on the outskirts of Chennai, with scenes shot on the East Coast Road and at the Apollo Hospital in Vanagaram during the first schedule.
[41][42] In May 2018, the team travelled to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to shoot scenes involving Arun Vijay and Aishwarya Rajesh, as a part of three week schedule.
"[57] The Indian Express, rated 3 out of 5 stars for the film and summarised that "Chekka Chivantha Vaanam feels like the work of a fresh director with an impressive understanding about the craft of filmmaking.
[59] News18 rated the film with 4 out 5 stars, and summarised that "Ratnam's Chekka Chivantha Vaanam, which is undeniably his best work of this decade, is a slow-burning, highly rewarding story of a crime-ridden family that gets torn apart by power, greed and deceit.