Kuttrapathirikai

Kuttrapathirikai
Directed by	R. K. Selvamani
Produced by	Ravi Yadav
Starring	Ramki Rahman Roja Ramya Krishnan
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography	Ravi Yadav
Production company	Yadavalaya Films
Release dates	23 March 2007 (2007-03-23)
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Kuttrapathirikai (English: Charge Sheet) is a 2007 Tamil drama film directed by R. K. Selvamani. The film starred Ramki and Rahman in the lead roles, while Ramya Krishnan and Roja appeared in other pivotal role. The film produced by Ravi Yadav's Yadavalaya Films, had music scored by Ilaiyaraaja and has late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and the Sri Lankan civil war as its backdrop. The film began in 1991 and was stuck for thirteen years as the censor board refused to allow such a film with a drastic political message to be released, and the film finally released in March 2007 with several cuts.

Cast

• Ramki as Ramakrishnan
• Rahman as Arun
• Roja as Geeta
• Ramya Krishnan as Divya
• Vijayakumar as Karthikeyan
• Anupam Kher as Rajiv Gandhi
• M. N. Nambiar
• Mansoor Ali Khan as Sivarasan

Production

Production work for the film began in 1991 and it was announced that the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination and the Sri Lankan civil war would be its backdrop. The film was launched in July, 1991 and completed the same during December, 1992.

In December 2006, in a landmark judgement, the Madras High Court dismissed a petition filed on behalf of the Central Board of Censors against an earlier verdict by the court, allowing the screening of the film with an 'A' certificate after certain cuts. The court subsequently directed the board to award an 'A' certificate to the film within four weeks of their judgement. The petition had alleged that the film supported the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Sections of the Tamil Nadu Congress had also taken exception to some scenes in the film. Chief Justice of Madras High Court A. P. Shah and Justice K. Chandru viewed the film and found nothing objectionable in it. R. K. Selvamani revealed that the court had actually said there is no need to delete the portions, which the earlier verdict wanted to be cut. The scenes, which the censors wanted to cut, included the Tigers' training and police officers fleeing the venue, where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated.

Release

The film won positive reviews after release in March 2007 with a critic stating "it is an interesting attempt to thread reality and some wonderful domestic drama. The style of the narration and the camera angles are slightly dated. But you cannot hold the director responsible for that." Another critic however described the film as "worn-out".