Blue Star (film)

Blue Star is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language sports drama film directed by S. Jayakumar in his directorial debut and jointly produced by Pa. Ranjith under his production banner Neelam Productions along with R. Ganesh Murthy and G. Soundarya under Lemon Leaf Creation Pvt Ltd. The film stars Ashok Selvan as the main protoganist, with Keerthi Pandian, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj, Prithvi Rajan , Bagavathi Perumal, Elango Kumaravel and Lizzie Antony  in supporting roles, and Saju Navodaya in an extended cameo. The film features music composed by Govind Vasantha with cinematography handled by Thamizh A. Azhagan and editing done by Selva R. K. It was released on 24 January 2024 to positive reviews from critics.

Plot
Set in the 1990s, the film is based in Arakkonam and follows the rivalry between two groups belonging to different castes against the backdrop of cricket. The plot follows their transition from enemies to friends and the trope between the different teams, while addressing the sport's segregation and inequalities, explored when both the team captains are exposed to discrimination and segregation from another world of cricket.

Production
The film was announced on 15 August 2022 with the character of Ranjith based on Jayakumar's elder brother and Sam based on the director himself. Filming commenced in the same month, and concluded in January 2023. The first look and title were revealed on 20 May 2023.

Music
The soundtrack was composed by Govinda Vasantha. The first single "Blue Star Anthem was released on 20 May 2023. The second single "Railin Oligal" was released on 13 September 2023. The third single "Arakkonam Style" was released on 24 November 2023. The soundtrack was released on 21 January 2024.

Release
The film was released on 24 January 2024, on the eve of Republic Day.

Home media
The post-theatrical streaming rights of the film were acquired by Amazon Prime Video. Satellite rights of the film were acquired by ZeeTamil.

Reception
Blue Star received positive critical reviews.

Bhuvanesh Chander of The Hindu wrote, "Starring Ashok Selvan and Shanthnu Bhagyaraj as two angsty youngsters from rival communities locking horns on and off the cricket ground, Blue Star is a serious film telling a grounded tale that, for over 160 minutes, immerses you into a world so real, so familiar and so imperfect, that nothing shakes you off its spell." Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India rated the film 3/5 praising the performances of the cast, the direction and music. Akchayaa Rajkumar of The News Minute rated the film 3.5/5 and wrote, "Tamil cinema has seen a wave of anti-caste films over the past few years and almost all of them have explored the caste dynamics of and oppression enforced by intermediary castes on Dalits. Blue Star takes this one step forward and explores the discrimination doled out to both intermediary castes and Dalits by a privileged caste".