Uttama Villain (2015) on Netflix
Manoranjan, a film star, learns he has months to live and asks his mentor Margadarsi to direct one last comedy. He has an estranged son and a daughter he never raised.
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- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb7.3/104,224 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes68%
Trailer
Plot summary
Manoranjan is a leading film star whose home life is troubled. He was forced into a marriage with Varalakshmi, the daughter of the director Poornachandra Rao, while he was involved with Yamini, and he and his son Manohar do not get along. He also has a daughter, Manonmani, raised by Yamini's husband Jacob Zachariah. Then advanced brain cancer gives him only months to live, a fact his family does not know. He withdraws from Poornachandra Rao's production to make one last film with his mentor Margadarsi, a fantasy comedy about Uttaman, a street artist believed immortal, who with the princess Karpagavalli opposes the king Muttharasan. Arpana, his doctor and the woman he is involved with, tells Margadarsi the reason, and he agrees to direct.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Uttama Villain (2015)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Uttama Villain's 1 May 2015 release collapsed across India when morning and afternoon shows were cancelled over unpaid dues between Thirrupathi Brothers and Eros International, and Kamal Haasan flew back from Dubai to mediate. With the Tamil Film Producers Council and Nadigar Sangam intervening, the film finally opened with matinee shows on 2 May 2015.
- Before release, the Vishva Hindu Parishad's Tamil Nadu wing demanded a ban on Uttama Villain, claiming a song's lyrics belittled a conversation between Prahalada and Hiranyakashipu and that the film portrayed Lord Vishnu objectionably.
- Uttama Villain's failure pushed Thirrupathi Brothers into decline: its later films stalled or went unreleased, and only Rajinimurugan (2015) came out, delayed until the eve of Pongal in January 2016. In 2024 the producer N. Lingusamy blamed the film for his company's financial problems and accused Kamal Haasan of failing to compensate the losses.
- Kamal Haasan's own daughter, Shruti Haasan, was considered to play his on-screen daughter in the film, but her unavailability meant the team cast a new actress instead.
- Kamal Haasan pulled a muscle while shooting Uttama Villain and was advised to rest a day, but he kept his commitment to an award ceremony, where the makers released the film's teaser.
- Kamal Haasan said the first-look poster showed Theyyam make-up painted on his face rather than a mask, and that painting it took four hours.
