Rathnam (film)

Rathnam is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Hari and jointly produced by Stone Bench Films, Zee Studios and Invenio Origin. The film stars Vishal in the titular role, alongside Priya Bhavani Shankar, Samuthirakani, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Yogi Babu, Murali Sharma, Hareesh Peradi, Mohan Raman and Vijayakumar. It marks the third collaboration of Vishal and Hari after Thaamirabharani and Poojai.

The film was officially announced in April 2023 under the tentative title Vishal 34, as it is Vishal's 34th film as the lead actor, and the official title was announced in December 2023. Principal photography commenced in July 2023. It was shot sporadically in several legs, with filming locations including Thoothukudi, Trichy, Karaikudi, Vellore, Tirupati, Chennai, and wrapped by late-January 2024. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, while cinematography and editing were handled by M. Sukumar and T. S. Jay.

Rathnam was released on 26 April 2024 to mixed reviews from critics.

Plot
Rathnam, a henchmen working for MLA Panneer Selvam in Vellore, protects Malliga, a medical student who bears a resemblance to Rathnam's late mother Loganayagi, from the relentless pursuit of land grabber Beema Rayudu and his brothers Subba Rayudu and Raghava Rayudu.

Development
On 23 April 2023, Vishal Film Factory announced that its founder, Vishal, was to join hands with director Hari for an upcoming project, tentatively titled Vishal 34. The project marks as Vishal's third film with Hari after Thaamirabharani (2007) and Poojai (2014). The shooting was reported to commence after Vishal finishes his commitments to Mark Antony (2023). A muhurat puja was held on 23 April. In mid June, Priya Bhavani Shankar was reported to play the lead female role, playing so under Hari's direction for the second time after Yaanai (2022). In July, she was confirmed doing the role. Reportedly, the team was in talks with Sai Pallavi and Aishwarya Lekshmi to play the lead female role before finalising Priya. In early July, Devi Sri Prasad was chosen to compose the soundtrack and background scores for the film.

Filming
Principal photography commenced on 16 July 2023, with the first schedule in Chennai. In August, the location was changed to Thoothukudi. The schedule reportedly featured an action sequence. On 29 August, Vishal, via X (formerly Twitter), revealed that the schedule had concluded. The second schedule commenced in early October in a village in Tuticorin called Kimarasakkanapuram. Vishal had helped the villagers there to get a drinking water facility during the schedule. Principal photography wrapped by 23 January 2024.

Music
The music and background score is composed by Devi Sri Prasad, in his sixth collaboration with Hari after Aaru (2005), Singam (2010), Venghai (2011), Singam II (2013) and Saamy Square (2018); maiden with Vishal. The first look song "Vaarai Rathnam" was released on 1 January 2024. The first single "Don't Worry Da Machi" was released on 9 March 2024. The second single “Ethanaala” was released on 29 March 2024. The third single "Uyire En Uyire" was released on 19 April 2024. The last single "Yeduvaraiyo" was released on 24 April 2024. The entire soundtrack album was released on 26 April 2024 after the film's release.

Later, the production house announced that the audio rights for the film were acquired by Aditya Music.

Theatrical
Rathnam was released on 26 April 2024.

Home Media
The satellite and digital rights of the film were acquired by Amazon Prime Video and Zee Tamil. The film had its digital premiere on the streaming platform from 23 May 2024.

Critical response
Abhinav Subramanian of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "It‘s your typical Hari formula – action-packed, fast-paced, and unrelenting – but even by his standards, it feels sluggish at times." Manigandan KR of Times Now gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Rathnam is not a perfect commercial action entertainer. It has its share of faults and limitations but it is truly what we described it as -- an entertainer." K. Janani of India Today gave 2/5 stars and wrote "'Rathnam' is a clichéd mass masala entertainer that is neither massy nor has masala."

Akchayaa Rajkumar of The News Minute gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Neither stellar performances from Priya Bhavani Shankar and Samuthirakani nor the plot twists towards the end would save the audience from the headache and potential ear damage that Rathnam might cause." Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Vishal and Hari come together for an action-drama again, which is as dated as their old collaborations." Anusha Sundar of OTTplay gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Even as Vishal stands tall and brings some action blocks to life, the caricature made out of his and other characters makes Rathnam a childish film. It is obsolete and loaded with unintentional quips."

Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "With old tropes and old action, Vishal and Hari are unable to capture the audience's attention with this one. Rathnam is a template masala Hari film and just old wine in an old bottle." Bhuvanesh Chander of The Hindu wrote "In his latest outing with Vishal, Hari attempts to adapt some of his tropes to the sensibilities of the modern-day audience, but the ideas he plays around with and the story he wishes to tell still belong in the 2000s." Ram Venkat Srikar of Film Companion wrote "With all the thoughts it wanted to blend, Rathnam could have been a lot more than what it ended up being."