Lyca Productions
Company typePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
Founded2014; 10 years ago (2014) in Chennai, India
FounderSubaskaran Allirajah
Headquarters
Chennai
,
India
Key people
G.K.M. Tamil Kumaran
ProductsFilms
ParentLycamobile
Websitelycaproductions.in

Lyca Productions is an Indian entertainment company, which was established by Subaskaran Allirajah in 2014. A subgroup of Lycamobile, (Part of Lyca Family) the production studio has been involved in the production and distribution of Tamil films, Hindi films,Telugu films and Malayalam films made in India. It has produced some of Tamil cinema's biggest budget films, such as 2.0 (2018), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023)

History

Pirivom Santhippom (2008) was the first film produced by A. Subhaskaran under Gnanam films.[citation needed] Lyca Productions chose to collaborate with Ayngaran International to produce and signed on AR Murugadoss and Vijay to be a part of their debut project.[1] A social drama tackling the issue of farmers committing suicide due to corporate encroachment, Kaththi was shot throughout early 2014 with Samantha and Neil Nitin Mukesh signed on for other pivotal roles. As the film announced its release plans, several pro-Tamil pressure groups demanded all references to Lyca Productions to be removed from the title and other publicity material. The groups felt it was unacceptable that a business house, allegedly reported to be connected to Mahinda Rajapaksa, would be allowed to produce a Tamil movie in Tamil Nadu when the Tamil Nadu Assembly, citing human rights violations during the civil war in the island nation, had already passed a resolution seeking severance of business ties with Sri Lanka.[2] Unable to reach a compromise with the pressure groups, and fearing a boycott and violence, Lyca Productions chose to remove its name from the copies released in India.[3] Kaththi consequently managed to release in October 2014 to positive reviews, with Rediff.com stating that the film "entertains with a message", while Sify.com similarly stated that it was a "well made entertainer with a powerful message".[4][5] The film became a very profitable venture at the box office for Lyca Productions, grossing over 100 crore rupees within two weeks of release.[6][7]

In late 2015, Lyca Productions agreed a deal with Dhanush for the worldwide distribution rights of two of his productions, Naanum Rowdydhaan (2015) and Visaranai (2016). The movie was also met with protests, though Naanum Rowdydhaan released without any problems and also became a profitable venture for the studio.[8][9] Also throughout 2015, Lyca Productions worked on the pre-production of 2.0, a sequel to Shankar's earlier Enthiran (2010), and signed on Rajinikanth and Amy Jackson to feature in key roles. Believed to be the most expensive Indian production of all time, the team also negotiated for several months with Arnold Schwarzenegger for a role in the film, but eventually did not sign him.[10] The studio also launched another film titled Enakku Innoru Per Irukku with G. V. Prakash Kumar in the lead role during December 2015.[11]

Filmography

Production

Key
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
List of Lyca productions
Year Title Language Director Cast Synopsis Ref.
2014 Kaththi Tamil AR Murugadoss Vijay, Samantha, Neil Nitin Mukesh Two look-a-likes eventually come together to tackle the burning issues of farmers committing suicide due to corporate encroachment. [12]
2016 Enakku Innoru Per Irukku Tamil Sam Anton G. V. Prakash Kumar, Anandhi, Saravanan A simpleton is mistakenly earmarked as the successor of an ageing notorious don after falling in love with the don's daughter. [13]
2017 Khaidi No. 150 Telugu V. V. Vinayak Chiranjeevi, Kajal Aggarwal, Tarun Arora Two look-a-likes eventually come together to tackle the burning issues of farmers committing suicide due to corporate encroachment. [14]
Yaman Tamil Jeeva Shankar Vijay Antony, Miya, Thiagarajan A young man enters politics to fight corruption and avenge the murder of his father. [15]
Ippadai Vellum Tamil Gaurav Narayanan Udhayanidhi Stalin, Manjima Mohan, Daniel Balaji Two innocent men are mistaken for members of a terrorist organisation. [16]
2018 Diya Tamil A. L. Vijay Sai Pallavi, Naga Shourya, RJ Balaji After an abortion, a woman's life takes an unexpected turn when she is visited by the foetus, who is now grown up and is visible to her. [17]
Kolamavu Kokila Tamil Nelson Dilipkumar Nayanthara, Yogi Babu, Saranya A young woman gets involved with a drug smuggling gang to pay for her mother's cancer treatment. [18]
Chekka Chivantha Vaanam Tamil Mani Ratnam Arvind Swami, STR, Vijay Sethupathi, Arun Vijay A family of gangsters go through a power struggle as they attempt to find the assassin who targeted their father. [19]
Vada Chennai Tamil Vetrimaaran Dhanush, Andrea Jeremiah, Aishwarya Rajesh Set in North Chennai, a young man is drawn into a gang war. [20]
2.0 Tamil S. Shankar Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson Scientists help the government investigate a threat beyond understanding. [21]
2019 Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven Tamil Sundar C STR, Megha Akash, Catherine Tresa The heir of a billionaire tries to unite his estranged aunt with his family again. [22]
Kaappaan Tamil K.V. Anand Suriya, Mohanlal, Arya, Sayyeshaa An SPG Commander cum organic farmer tries to save the nation from an evil businessman [23]
2020 Darbar Tamil AR Murugadoss Rajinikanth, Nayanthara, Sunil Shetty A daredevil cop is on a rampage to eliminate a drug syndicate in Mumbai [24]
Mafia: Chapter 1 Tamil Karthick Naren Arun Vijay, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Prasanna An NCB Officer and his batch mates, bring down a drug lord who is also a successful entrepreneur. [25]
2022 Don Tamil Cibi Chakaravarthi Sivakarthikeyan, S. J. Suryah, Priyanka Arul Mohan A reluctant engineering student repeatedly clashing with the college discipline mentor, while still trying to discover his passion in life and prove his eligibility to his father. [26]
Panni Kutty Tamil Anucharan Murugaiyan Yogi Babu, Karunakaran [27]
Good Luck Jerry Hindi Sidharth Sengupta Janhvi Kapoor A young woman gets involved with a drug smuggling gang to pay for her mother's cancer treatment. [28]
Ponniyin Selvan: I Tamil Mani Ratnam Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vikram Prabhu Set in the 10th century, it tells the story of early life of chola emperor Arunmozhi Varman. [29]
Ram Setu Hindi Abhishek Sharma Akshay Kumar Aryan Kulshrestha, an Atheist Archaeologist, sets out on a journey to unveil and prove the mysterious secrets of Ram Setu, a man-made structure built by Lord Rama
Pattathu Arasan Tamil A. Sarkunam Atharvaa, Rajkiran
Naai Sekar Returns Tamil Suraj Vadivelu
Raangi Tamil M. Saravanan Trisha, Anaswara Rajan A brave journalist, tries to solve an issue of an minor girl, but eventually trapped into a international issue.
2023 Thiruvin Kural Tamil Harish Prabhu Arulnithi, Bharathiraja, Aathmika [30]
Ponniyin Selvan: II Tamil Mani Ratnam Vikram, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Jayaram, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Vikram Prabhu Set in the 10th century, it tells the story of early life of chola emperor Arunmozhi Varman.
Theera Kaadhal Tamil Rohin Venkatesan Jai, Aishwarya Rajesh, Sshivada A mild mannered man's life turns upside town, when he meets a women from his past.
Chandramukhi 2 Tamil P.Vasu Raghava Lawrence, Kangana Ranaut, Vadivelu A family tries to install a god's temple, but their plans are thwarted by a women's spirit.
2024 Mission: Chapter 1 Tamil A. L. Vijay Arun Vijay, Amy Jackson, Nimisha Sajayan
Lal Salaam Tamil Aishwarya Rajinikanth Rajinikanth Vishnu Vishal Vikranth
Indian 2 Tamil S Shankar Kamal Hassan , Siddharth SJ Surya , Kajal Aggarval Post Production
Vidaa Muyarchi† Tamil Magizh Thirumeni Ajith Kumar , Arjun ,Trisha Krishnan , Regina Cassandra, Aarav Filming
L2: Empuraan† Malayalam Prithviraj Sukumaran Mohanlal [31][32]
Vettaiyan† Tamil TJ Gnanavel Rajinikanth

Distribution

In addition to the films produced by Lyca Productions since 2014, the following filmsfrom other banners were distributed by the company:

† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Language Director Cast Synopsis Ref.
2015 Naanum Rowdy Dhaan Tamil Vignesh Shivan Vijay Sethupathi, Nayanthara, RJ Balaji and Radhika Sarathkumar Pandiyan, a policeman's son, falls in love with Kadhambari, a girl with hearing impairment. She agrees to have a relationship with him only if he helps her kill a gangster who murdered her parents. [33]
2016 Visaranai Vetrimaaran Dinesh, Samuthirakani, Anandhi and Aadukalam Murugadoss Four labourers are tortured by the police to confess to a theft they have not committed. Just when they feel relieved after being saved by an honest policeman, they find that the worst is yet to come. [34]
Vetrivel Vasantha Mani Sasikumar, Miya, Prabhu and Nikhila Vimal In a bid to help his younger brother unite with the girl he loves, Vetrivel and his friends decide to kidnap her. Things take an ugly turn when their plan goes wrong and results in messy situations. [35]
2017 Spyder A. R. Murugadoss Mahesh Babu, Rakul Preet Singh and S. J. Surya Shiva, an intelligence officer, develops a phone software that helps him track those in need of help. He sets out to save the people of Hyderabad when he realises that a serial killer is on the loose. [36]
2018 Kaala Pa. Ranjith Rajinikanth, Nana Patekar, Eswari Rao, Samuthirakani and Huma Qureshi Karikaalan consistently fights to keep the people of Dharavi, a slum in Mumbai, safe from the clutches of mighty politicians and the land mafia don, Hari Dhadha. [37]
Irumbu Thirai P. S. Mithran Vishal, Arjun and Samantha Ruth Prabhu A military officer borrows money from a bank using fake papers for his sister's marriage. However, when the money goes missing from his account, he begins an investigation that leads him to a hacker. [38]
Sandakozhi 2 N. Linguswamy Vishal, Keerthy Suresh, Rajkiran and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar Balu returns from New York and sets out to protect his family from an evil-minded man. Complications further arise as he falls in love with a woman, who reminds him of his ex-lover. [39]
2021 Pushpa: The Rise Tamil dubbed Sukumar Allu Arjun, Rashmika Mandanna, Fahadh Faasil, Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari, Rao Ramesh and Anasuya Bharadwaj Violence erupts between red sandalwood smugglers and the police charged with bringing down their organisation in the Seshachalam Hills of Andhra Pradesh state. [40]
2022 RRR S. S. Rajamouli N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, Olivia Morris, Samuthirakani, Alison Doody and Ray Stevenson A tale of two legendary revolutionaries and their journey far away from home. After their journey they return home to start fighting back against British colonialists in the 1920s. [41][42]
Sita Ramam Hanu Raghavapudi Dulquer Salmaan, Mrunal Thakur, Rashmika Mandanna and Sumanth To not get rusticated A rebellious student leaves to India to fulfill her dead grandfather's wish, to deliver a letter the visit leads her to a love story between an orphan Indian Army soldier and a woman unbeknownst to him a rich heiress in the 60s. Will she deliver the letter to her?
Baba (Re-release) Tamil Suresh Krissna Rajinikanth, Manisha Koirala and Goundamani The film's story is about a carefree young non-believer of supreme power, Baba, who is a reincarnation of a great saint from the Himalayas. [43][44]
2023 Thunivu H. Vinoth Ajith Kumar Radha, a dreaded gangster, and his men plot to rob "Your Bank", one of the biggest privately-owned bank in Chennai, only to realise that another gang led a by mysterious person, nicknamed Dark Devil, has already hijacked the bank. The police, led by DGP Dayalan, is trying to figure out a way to capture Dark Devil, only to realize that his motive is to actually expose the privately-owned banks involved in financial fraud.
Merry Christmas Tamil Sriram Raghavan Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi
2024 Captain Miller Tamil Arun Matheswaran Dhanush, Priyanka Mohan, Shivarajkumar

Soundtracks

Year Title Language Music Director
2016 Enakku Innoru Per Irukku Tamil G. V. Prakash Kumar
2018 Yaman Vijay Antony
Ippadai Vellum D. Imman
Diya Sam C. S.
2.0 A. R. Rahman

See also

References

  1. ^ "AR Murugadoss – Vijay – Superstars plan for the future – Top 10 News".
  2. ^ "Sword hangs over Kaththi". The Hindu. 21 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Vijay: All issues over release of Kaththi resolved – Rediff.com Movies".
  4. ^ "Review: Kaththi entertains with a message".
  5. ^ "Review : (2014)". Sify. Archived from the original on 3 March 2015.
  6. ^ "'Kaththi' crosses Rs.100 crore mark". The Hindu. 3 November 2014.
  7. ^ "'Kaththi' mints Rs.15.4 crore on release day". The Hindu. 23 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Lyca Productions' new film in trouble". The Hindu. 22 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Lyca Productions making a comeback". The Hindu. 6 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Deep in the no-returns market". The Hindu. 10 December 2015.
  11. ^ "GV Prakash and Sam Anton's next titled as Enakku Innoru Peru Irukku". 14 December 2015.
  12. ^ "Kaththi review: Beneath the flab, some solid masala moments". The Hindu. 22 October 2014.
  13. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (17 June 2016). "Enakku Innoru Per Irukku: A new don". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  14. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (11 January 2017). "Khaidi No.150: Chiranjeevi returns in style". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  15. ^ Menon, Vishal (25 February 2017). "Yaman review: Yaman of the moment". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  16. ^ "Ippadai Vellum Review {2.5/5}: Gaurav manages to balance the seriousness of the plot with the comedy that arises out of mistaken identity", The Times of India, retrieved 24 October 2019
  17. ^ Menon, Vishal (28 April 2018). "Nothing but ordinary". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  18. ^ Menon, Vishal (17 August 2018). "'Kolamavu Kokila' review: a quirky, ridiculous and fun film". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  19. ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (27 September 2018). "Chekka Chivantha Vaanam review: Guns, greed and glory". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  20. ^ S, Srivatsan (17 October 2018). "'Vada Chennai' review: a masterful tale of power and deceit". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  21. ^ Ramanujam, Srinivasa (29 November 2018). "'2.0' review: Grandeur on the big screen". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  22. ^ "STR-starrer Vandha Rajavathan Varuven earns Rs 8 cr in Tamil Nadu; F2 makes Rs 75 cr worldwide". Firstpost. 6 February 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  23. ^ "Suriya's Kaappaan gets new release date". The Indian Express. 5 August 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  24. ^ "'Darbar' pre-release business: Rajinikanth starrer crosses 200 crore mark?". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  25. ^ "Arun Vijay and Karthick Naren's Mafia kicks off today". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  26. ^ "Sivakarthikeyan's next is 'DON' with debutante director Cibi Chakaravarthi". The Times of India.
  27. ^ "Panni Kutty – Lyca Productions". Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  28. ^ "First look of Good Luck Jerry starring Janhvi Kapoor unveiled, film goes on floors today in Punjab". Bollywood Hungama. 11 January 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  29. ^ Cr, Sharanya. "Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan' starts rolling in Thailand". The Times of India. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
  30. ^ Balachandran, Logesh. "Arulnithi stars in emotional drama with Bharathirajaa". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 April 2023.
  31. ^ https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/prithivaraj-sukumaran-launches-lucifer-sequel-starring-mohanlal-film-to-start-shooting-from-october-5-2442784-2023-09-30
  32. ^ https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/malayalam/2023/oct/06/mohanlal-prithviraj-film-empuraan-starts-rolling-2621183.html
  33. ^ "Naanum Rowdy Dhaan: A thoroughly entertaining black comedy". The Hindu. 22 October 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  34. ^ "'Visaranai' falls out of the Oscar race". Times of India. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  35. ^ "Review : Vetrivel Review: Watchable". Sify. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  36. ^ Srivatsan (1 August 2017). "Spyder movie review: Mahesh Babu's film is engaging in parts". India Today. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  37. ^ "It's Kaala time at last!". Deccan Chronicle. 7 June 2018. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  38. ^ "Vishal-Samantha's 'Irumbu Thirai' to release on May 11". The Times of India.
  39. ^ "Sandakozhi 2 – getting ready for another fight ..." www.behindwoods.com.
  40. ^ "Lyca Productions Grabs Tamil Nadu Theatrical Rights of Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise". News18. 18 November 2021. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  41. ^ "BREAKING: Ram Charan and Jr NTR starrer RRR to release in theatres on March 25". Bollywood Hungama. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  42. ^ "Theatrical distribution rights of SS Rajamouli's RRR acquired by Lyca Productions". The Indian Express. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  43. ^ "Superstar Rajinikanth's Baba to be re-released in theatres. Deets inside".
  44. ^ "Rajinikanth-Suresh Krissna's Baba to hit theatres once again". Cinema Express.
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