Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha

Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon and produced by Ishari K. Ganesh. The film, the first instalment in the planned shared universe, stars Varun in titular role, alongside Raahei, Dhivyadharshini, Mansoor Ali Khan and Krishna. In the film, Joshua, a contract killer-turned bodyguard, seeks to protect his ex-girlfriend Kundhavi Chidambaram from a Mexican drug cartel.

The film began production in late 2019 but concluded only in 2021–2022, following delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The music was composed by Karthik, while S. R. Kathir and Anthony handled the cinematography and editing of the film.

Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha was released on 1 March 2024 to mixed reviews from critics.

Plot
Joshua, an ex-contract killer working for a private security agency in Chennai, is assigned to protect his ex-girlfriend Kundhavi Chidambaram, a lawyer based in New York City. It is revealed that Kundhavi is one of the members of a prosecution team hired to testifying against Leguiziamo alias El Chapo, the leader of a Mexican drug cartel. El Chapo placed a bounty on the team and had them killed, only Kundhavi survived the attack. Kundhavi soon became the main attorney to punish El Chapo, which resulted in El Chapo in hiring local thugs to finish her.

One night, a gang headed by Don Shiva and Koti, Joshua's childhood friend, arrives to kill Kundhavi at the hotel, but Joshua and his men take them down and Joshua gets injured in the process. Joshua learns about the persons behind the attack through his boss Madhavi. Kundhavi gets kidnapped again by Shiva and Koti, but Joshua saves her again and kills Shiva. Koti escapes again and learns that Joshua is his friend. Koti tells his men to leave Kundhavi, while secretly trying to kill her for money. However, Joshua knew about this and a fight ensues in which Joshua spares Koti due to their friendship.

Meanwhile, Kundhavi's father Chidambaram arrives to take Kundhavi to a safe place, but Madhavi realises that Chidambaram hired Koti and Shiva to kill Kundhavi as Chidambaram was involved in El Chapo's drug trade. Kundhavi and Joshua learn about this through Madhavi, where Joshua finishes Chidambaram's henchmen and Kundhavi kills Chidambaram in self-defense. Joshua promises Kundhavi that he will always be with her and will protect her from various dangers.

Pre-production
In September 2017, Gautham Vasudev Menon announced his new project with Arun Vijay in the leading role after reestablishing him in Yennai Arindhaal (2015), and it eventually marked the actor's 25th film in the leading role. The film was reported to be an action thriller with Arun Vijay playing the role of a bodyguard for a rich entrepreneur. Arun lost weight in order to sport a ripped physique in the film. Menon, who started working on the pre-production of the project, planned to shoot for the film during January 2018, whereas Arun trained for the project in Paris with action director Yannick Ben, but the film was put on hold in mid-2017 after Menon encountered financial constraints. While Menon planned to revive the project in April 2019, he approached Suriya for the leading role, but Suriya declined as he found the script too similar to that of his other film Kaappaan (2019).

Development
In July 2019, Menon agreed on terms to work on a film produced by Ishari K. Ganesh of Vels Film International, following the producer's sudden intervention to relieve Menon from financial constraints that he faced during the making of Enai Noki Paayum Thota (2019). In return, Menon agreed to make a film starring Ganesh's nephew Varun in the lead role. Varun, who was shooting for Seeru in which he had gained weight to 94 kilograms for the film, subsequently lost 22 kilos in order to achieve a sportive look, whereas Menon decided to revive the script with Varun, which was originally meant for Arun Vijay. Few media reports initially suggested that the film would be based on the script of Yohan: Adhyayam Ondru, which was originally planned with Vijay in 2011, but Menon denied this and claimed it was a separate story.

To prepare for his role, Varun trained with Yannick Ben and his team of stunt directors and parkour experts in Paris during mid-2019. Debutant actress Raahei was also cast in the film as a rich individual, who is protected by Varun's character. Darbuka Siva was initially announced as the music composer in November 2019 after working with Menon in Enai Noki Paayum Thota, but was later replaced by playback singer Karthik in February 2020. The antagonist of the film was not disclosed until July 2020, when it was announced that Krishna will play the main antagonist. Krishna trained stunt sequences under Yannick Ben, who also choreographed the action sequences for the film.

Filming
Principal photography began in October 2019. By November 2019, 50% of the film was completed in a single stretch through a schedule in Chennai. The makers shot seven action sequences during January 2020, which include car fights and chasing sequences and later prepared to shoot scenes in the United Kingdom and United States. As of June 2020, filming was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2021, the film was nearing completion, with only two or three days of "patch-work" remaining. Varun began dubbing his lines in April 2022.

Soundtrack
The music was composed by Karthik in his third film as composer after Aravaan (2012) and Tamilselvanum Thaniyar Anjalum (2016). The first single "Hey Love", sung by Shashaa Tirupati and written by Vignesh Shivan, was released on 29 February 2020. The video of the second single "Naan Un Joshua" was released on 17 July 2020, along with the single in music platforms. The third single "Tappasu Neram" was released on 11 December 2021. The fourth single "Joshua Siru Paeraasai" was released on 29 February 2024.

Release
Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha was released theatrically on 1 March 2024. The film began streaming on Amazon Prime Video from 28 March 2024.

Critical response
Manigandan KR of Times Now gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "Joshua is yet another typical Gautham Vasudev Menon film – one that has class stamped all over it!." Sudhir Srinivasan of The New Indian Express gave 3/5 stars and wrote "At a time when filmmakers, especially the established ones, are going for bigger and bigger, it's a relief to see one aim for something modest, something simple, something with no fluff—and pretty much deliver." Roopa Radhakrishnan of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha works largely due to its action set pieces and music. Joshua, as a character, may be formidable but the same cannot be said about this film."

Indiaglitz gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Action lovers and GVM fans will have a satisfying time." Ranjani Krishnakumar of The News Minute gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Gautham Vasudev Menon's latest has got love, action, mystery and tension. Yet, none of it captures our emotion or imagination, independently or as a whole. In the end, it's as tiresome as it's tired."

Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "In his most disappointing film yet, director Gautham Menon gives us a terribly weak lead protagonist who cannot hold afloat the emotionless narrative or the uninventive action set-pieces." Harshini S V of Film Companion wrote, "You could like or dislike a Gautham Menon film, but Joshua is a film where you struggle to see the director's touch."

Future
Joshua: Imai Pol Kaakha is the first of a planned shared universe. Dhruva Natchathiram: Chapter One – Yuddha Kaandam, which is the forthcoming sophomore instalment in the universe, has Dhivyadharshini reprising her role as Madhavi.