Indian
Trailer, Teaser & Videos
Movie Details
| Country | Country |
| Language | Tamil |
| Genre | Action, Drama |
| Release date | May 9, 1996 |
| Running time | 3hr 5min |
| Certificate | U/A |
| Starring | Kamal Haasan, Manisha Koirala, Urmila Matondkar, Sukanya |
| Directed by | S. Shankar |
| Screenplay by | S. Shankar |
| Story by | S. Shankar |
| Dialogues by | Sujatha |
| Produced by | A. M. Rathnam |
| Cinematography by | Jeeva |
| Edited by | B. Lenin, V. T. Vijayan |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Art Direction by | Thota Tharani |
| Costume Design by | Reza Shariffi |
| Production Company | Sri Surya Movies |
Cast & Characters
- Kamal Haasan as Senapathy (Indian) and Chandrabose (Chandru)
- Manisha Koirala as Aishwarya (Voice dubbed by Rohini)
- Urmila Matondkar as Sapna (Voice dubbed by Bhanupriya)
- Sukanya as Amrithavalli
- Manorama as Kuppamma
- Aruna Irani as Gulabo (Hindi version only)
- Goundamani as Subbaiah
- Senthil as Panneerselvam
- Nedumudi Venu as Krishnaswamy IPS (Voice dubbed by Nassar)
- Kasthuri as Kasturi
- Nizhalgal Ravi as a corrupt doctor
- Ajay Rathnam as a freedom fighter
- Ponnambalam as “Kada” Kumar
- Bala Singh as Treasury Department officer
- Chokkalinga Bhagavathar
- Omakuchi Narasimhan as a lorry driver
- Crazy Mohan as Parthasarathy
- Vikram Dharma
- Kovai Senthil as a customer
- Mahanadi Shankar
- S. V. Venkatraman in a special appearance
Storyline
A series of murders take place in Chennai the only common link is that all are government servants. Inspector Krishnaswamy investigating the case finds from the writings on the crime site that the killer could be more than seventy years old. His investigation led him to Senapathy who was a revolutionary and part of Subhash Chandra Bose’s army. Chandu his son an RTO agent is tied between two women Aishwarya and Sapna he left his family due to the principles of Senapathy. The motive behind the killings of Senapathy is to stop corruption and if the time comes he won’t even spare Chandu.
About Indian Movie
Indian is a Tamil action thriller film co-written and directed by S. Shankar and produced by A. M. Rathnam. The film stars Kamal Haasan in a dual role, alongside Manisha Koirala, Urmila Matondkar, and Sukanya.
Kamal Haasan wanted to retain the title Indian for the Hindi-dubbed version of the film. However, the rights to the title were held by Sunny Deol, who refused to give them up. As a result, the film was released in Hindi under the title Hindustani.
Director S. Shankar initially wanted Aishwarya Rai to make her debut in the film. However, due to her prior commitments to an ad agency, she was unable to take the role. Instead, Manisha Koirala was cast, and her character in the film was named Aishwarya.
It is the first Indian film to use prosthetic makeup. Hollywood makeup artist Michael Westmore worked on the older look of Kamal Hassan.
Indian was released on 9 May 1996 worldwide and became the highest-grossing Tamil film upon its release, beating the collections of Baashha until being surpassed by Padayappa.
Kamal Hassan agreed to dub the film in Hindi. So he dubbed his own lines in the Hindi version. This was rare because, in most Kamal Hassan Hindi dubbed movies, a different dubbing artiste was usually used.
Indian (1996) was the first Tamil film to surpass ₹50 crore in cumulative earnings across all languages. It grossed approximately ₹60 crore, creating a sensation in the Indian film industry and setting new box office benchmarks.
The film was selected by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1996, but was not nominated. The film went on to win three National Film Awards including that of Best Actor for Haasan, while his performance also saw him win at the Filmfare Awards and the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Kamal Haasan revealed that he was initially hesitant to take on Indian as he felt the film had fascistic undertones. However, director S. Shankar convinced him of the film’s true intentions, which eventually led him to accept the role.
In September 2017, a sequel Indian 2 was announced jointly by Shankar and Haasan, with Dil Raju handling production. The following month, Raju left the film that Lyca Productions picked up. The film has Haasan reprising his role as Senapathy. Production began in January 2019 but progressed slowly for over four years.
A sequel titled Indian 2 was released in 2024 and a third film Indian 3 is in production.
Where to Watch Indian Movie Online?
Budget & Box Office Collection
| Budget | ₹15 crore |
| Worldwide Collection | ₹64.25 crore |
Soundtracks
Track listing for Indian (Tamil)
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Akadanu Naanga” | Vaali | Swarnalatha | 5:44 |
| 2 | “Maya Machindra” | Vaali | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | 5:37 |
| 3 | “Pachai Kiligal” | Vairamuthu | K. J. Yesudas, Nirmala Seshadri | 5:50 |
| 4 | “Telephone Manipol” | Vairamuthu | Hariharan, Harini, Srinivas | 6:15 |
| 5 | “Kappaleri Poyaachu” | Vaali | P. Susheela, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 6:28 |
Track listing for Hindustani (Hindi)
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Latka Dikha Diya Humne” | Swarnalatha | 5:44 |
| 2 | “Maya Mahindra” | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | 5:37 |
| 3 | “Pyaare Panchhi” | K. J. Yesudas, Nirmala Seshadri | 5:50 |
| 4 | “Telephone Dhoon Me” | Hariharan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Srinivas | 6:15 |
| 5 | “Kashtiyaan Bhi” | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sadhana Sargam | 6:28 |
| 6 | “Latka Dikha Diya Humne (version-2)” | Suchitra Krishnamurthy | 5:48 |
Track listing for Bharateeyudu (Telugu)
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | “Adireti” | Swarnalatha | 5:44 |
| 2 | “Maya Mahindra” | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha | 5:37 |
| 3 | “Pachani Chilukalu” | K. J. Yesudas, Nirmala Seshadri | 5:50 |
| 4 | “Telephone Dhwani La” | Hariharan, Harini, Srinivas | 6:15 |
| 5 | “Teppalelli Poyaka” | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha Mohan | 6:28 |
Awards & Nominations
| Award | Date of Ceremony | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Film Awards | July 1997 | Best Actor | Kamal Haasan | Won |
| Best Art Direction | Thota Tharani | Won | ||
| Best Special Effects | S. T. Venky | Won | ||
| Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | – | Best Film (First prize) | A. M. Rathnam as a producer | Won |
| Best Actor | Kamal Haasan | Won | ||
| Filmfare Awards South | 30 August 1997 | Best Film – Tamil | A. M. Rathnam as a producer | Won |
| Cinema Express Awards | – | Best Film, Best Actor | A. M. Rathnam as a producer, Kamal Haasan | Won |