Agadam
| Agadam | |
|---|---|
 Promotional Poster | |
| Directed by | Mohamad Issack |
| Produced by |
Mohamad Issack Rasiyabi Mohamad |
| Written by | Mohamad Issack |
| Starring |
Tamizh Srini Iyer Sri Priyanka Baskar |
| Music by | Basker |
| Cinematography | E.J. Nauzad |
Production company |
Last Bench Boys Productions |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 123 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Agadam (English: Wickedness or Injustice) is a 2014 Indian Tamil horror film directed by Mohamad Issack, featuring Baskar, Srini Iyer, Thamizh, Kalaisekaran, Saravana Balaji, Sri Priyanka, Anisha and master Ajay.[1] Agadam was certified by the Guinness World Records as the longest uncut film which has a running time for 2 hours, 3 minutes and 30 seconds.[2][3] It was shot on 7 December 2012 and released on 3 January 2014. The film, set in real time, starts with men burying the body of a woman whose ghost returns and haunts them.[1] Issack remade the same film in Telugu as Seesa with Sivaji, Chesvaa and Namratha in the lead roles.[4]
Cast
- Tamizh
- Srini Iyer
- Sri Priyanka
- Baskar
- Kalaisekaran
- Saravana Balaji
- Anisha
- Master Ajay
Production
The entire film was shot on 7 December 2012 shot at a three-storey bungalow near Porur in Chennai.[2] The film running for 2 hours, 3 minutes and 30 seconds was shot on a single camera without any cuts and therefore awarded the Guinness World Record for being the longest uncut film,[3] beating the record held by Russian Ark directed by Alexander Sokurov, which used a single 96-minute Steadicam sequence shot.[5] A director registered with the union (L. Suresh of Eththan fame), a notary public and a government teacher were present during the shoot,[6] while a team followed Isaak and the cinematographer E.J. Nauzad Khan and filmed the entire making of the film in order to send the video to the Guinness Record jury.[2] The camera used was a Sony NEX-FS100.[3]
Director Issack gave up his software job to "make a film that is different, yet entertaining" and said that he wanted his first film to make an impact.[2] He spent over a year on the script and stated that he was inspired by Russian Ark.[2] Ten people were involved in the making of the film, the director, the cameraman, and 8 actors,[3] who were all newcomers. The team rehearsed for over a month before the filming and the entire sequence was said to be rehearsed over 40 times.[2] Agadam was also the first film to be shot in the night effect with a hand-held camera.[6] The film, which had no songs, was awarded a U/A certificate by the Censor Board.[7]
Reception
M. Suganth of The Times of India rated it 1.5 out of 5, saying "Agadam is a cautionary tale that proves that while digital has made it possible for anyone to make a film, not everyone should make one. This is an unnecessarily over-long film with a sloppy script, amateur performances, shoddy camerawork, template music and unintentionally funny sequences, with not a single redeeming feature (no, the longest shot doesn't count). The only horror here is not the one the characters experience but what we, the audience, undergo."[8]
References
- 1 2 Sudhish Kamath (2013-08-01). "In one go...". The Hindu. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 K. Jeshi. "A record start". The Hindu. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- 1 2 3 4 "Longest uncut film". Guinnessworldrecords.com. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- ↑ "'Seesa' Ready For Release - Telugu Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 2013-08-14. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Russian Ark". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
- 1 2 "Gunning for the Guinness?". The Times of India. 22 Dec 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-28.
- ↑ "'Agadam' A Single Shot Movie Breaks Guinness World Record! - Tamil Movie News". Indiaglitz.com. 2013-06-14. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
- ↑ Agadam movie review: Wallpaper, Story, Trailer at Times of India
External links
- Agadam at the Internet Movie Database