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{{short description|2011 Indian film by Rajesh Pillai}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Traffic
| name = Traffic
| image = Traffic (Malayalam film).jpg
| image = Traffic (Malayalam film).jpg
| caption = Poster
| caption = Theatrical official poster
| director = Rajesh Pillai
| director = [[Rajesh Pillai]]
| producer = Listin Stephen
| producer = [[Listin Stephen]]
| writer = [[Bobby Sanjay]]
| writer = [[Bobby Sanjay]]
| narrator = [[Sreenivasan (actor)|Sreenivasan]]
| narrator = Sreenivasan
| starring = Sreenivasan<br />[[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]]<br />[[Kunchako Boban]]<br />[[Asif Ali (actor)|Asif Ali]]<br/>[[Anoop Menon]]<br />[[Vineeth Sreenivasan]]<br />[[Sandhya (actress)|Sandhya]]<br />[[Roma (actress)|Roma]]<br />[[Remya Nambeesan]]<br />[[Lena Abhilash|Lena]]
| starring = [[Sreenivasan]]<br/>[[Kunchacko Boban]]<br/>[[Asif Ali]]<br/>[[Anoop Menon]]<br/>[[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]]<br/>[[Vineeth Sreenivasan]]<br/>[[Sandhya (actress)|Sandhya]]<br/>[[Remya Nambeesan]]
| music = [[Mejo Joseph]]<br />Samson Kottoor
| music = {{Unbulleted_list|[[Mejo Joseph]]|Samson Kottoor}}
| cinematography = Shyju Khalid
| cinematography = [[Shyju Khalid]]
| editing = Mahesh Narayanan
| editing = [[Mahesh Narayanan]]
| distributor = Magic Frames
| studio = [[Magic Frames]]
| distributor = [[Magic Frames]]
| runtime = 122 minutes
| runtime = 122 minutes
| country = {{Film India}}
| country = [[India]]
| released = {{Film date|2011|1|7}}
| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2011|01|07}}
| language = Malayalam
| language = [[Malayalam]]
| budget = {{INRConvert|2.5|c}} <ref name="SansCinema_Traffic5">{{cite web|url=http://www.sanscinema.com/2011/02/traffic-collects-4-6-crores-in-5-weeks/|title=Traffic Collects 4.6 Crores in 5 Weeks |date=16 February 2011|publisher=SansCinema}}</ref>
| budget = {{INR|2.75 crores}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.news18.com/news/india/2011-was-troublesome-for-malayalam-films-434144.html|title=2011 was troublesome for Malayalam films|work=[[News18]]|date=4 January 2012}}</ref>
| gross = {{INR|15 crores}}<ref>{{cite news|author=Manoj Nair|title=Malayalam movies: Non-linear narratives are making the box-office ring louder|url=http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/business-of-bollywood/malayalam-movies-non-linear-narratives-are-making-the-box-office-ring-louder/articleshow/8478136.cms|work=[[India Times]]|agency=[[The Economic Times|Economic Times]]|date=21 May 2011}}</ref>
| gross = {{INRConvert|6.5|c}}<ref name="Box office report">[http://s1178.photobucket.com/albums/x369/arfazph/?action=view&current=Halfyearreportdeshabhimani.jpg "Box office report"]</ref><ref name="SansCinema_Top5March10">{{cite web|url=http://www.sanscinema.com/2011/03/top-5-week-ending-march-10-2011/|title=Top 5 – Week Ending March 10, 2011|date=11 March 2011|publisher=SansCinema|accessdate=15 March 2011}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Traffic''''' is a [[List of Malayalam films of 2011|2011]] Indian [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]]-language [[Road film|road]]-[[Thriller film|thriller]] film written by [[Bobby Sanjay|Bobby-Sanjay]] and directed by [[Rajesh Pillai]]. The film features an [[ensemble cast]] of [[Sreenivasan]], [[Kunchacko Boban]], [[Asif Ali (actor)|Asif Ali]], [[Vineeth Sreenivasan]], [[Sandhya (actress)|Sandhya]], [[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]], [[Anoop Menon]], [[Remya Nambeesan]] and [[Roma (actress)|Roma]].<ref>[http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/sep/29/slide-show-1-south-looking-at-malayalam-film-traffic.htm Coming up: A complex Traffic – Rediff.com Movies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The film has its narrative in a [[Hyperlink cinema|hyperlink]] format. The film was released on 7 January 2011, to a positive reviews and since has been given a [[cult status]]. A [[multiperspectivity|multi-narrative]] thriller that intertwines multiple stories around one particular incident, ''Traffic'' is inspired from an actual event that happened in [[Chennai]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aphithendranmemorialtrust.org/incident.html|title=Hithendran Incident}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/review/12067.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819134719/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/review/12067.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 August 2010|title= Traffic Movie Review}}</ref> Owing to its critical and commercial success, ''Traffic'' was remade into [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] as ''[[Chennaiyil Oru Naal]]'', in Kannada as ''[[Crazy Star (film)|Crazy Star]]'' and is also remade in [[Traffic (2016 film)|Hindi, with the same name]]. This was also the last film of the veteran actor [[Jose Prakash]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kochi/Veteran-Malayalam-actor-Jose-Prakash-passes-away/articleshow/12393083.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111181409/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-03-24/kochi/31233737_1_villain-roles-film-industry-actor | url-status=live | archive-date=11 January 2014 | work=[[The Times of India]] | title=Veteran Malayalam actor Jose Prakash passes away | date=24 March 2012}}</ref>

'''''Traffic''''' ([[Malayalam]]: ട്രാഫിക്‌) is a 2011 [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam]] [[thriller film]] written by brothers [[Bobby Sanjay|Bobby and Sanjay]] and directed by Rajesh Pillai. The film features an [[ensemble cast]] consisting of [[Sreenivasan (actor)|Sreenivasan]], [[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]], [[Kunchako Boban]], [[Asif Ali (actor)|Asif Ali]], [[Anoop Menon]], [[Vineeth Sreenivasan]], [[Sandhya (actress)|Sandhya]], [[Roma (actress)|Roma]] and [[Remya Nambeesan]].<ref>[http://movies.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/sep/29/slide-show-1-south-looking-at-malayalam-film-traffic.htm Coming up: A complex Traffic - Rediff.com Movies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The film has its narrative in a [[Hyperlink cinema|hyperlink]] format. The film opened on January 7, 2011 to universal acclaim. A multi-narrative thriller that intertwines multiple stories around one particular incident, ''Traffic'' is inspired from an actual event that happened in [[Chennai]]. Owing to its critical and commercial success, ''Traffic'' is to be remade into [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] and [[Hindi cinema]] under the same title.


==Plot==
==Plot==
On September 16, superstar Sidharth Shankar ([[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]]) is getting ready for the release of his new film. On the same day, Traffic Constable Sudevan ([[Sreenivasan (actor)|Sreenivasan]]) joins back on duty, after being suspended from service for taking bribes. The day is special for Dr. Abel ([[Kunchako Boban]]) who is celebrating his first wedding anniversary. Raihan ([[Vineeth Sreenivasan]]), an aspiring television journalist, is starting his first job with an interview with Sidharth Shankar the very same day.
On 16 September in [[Kochi]], Sidharth Shankar is preparing for the release of his new film; Traffic Constable Sudevan resumes his duty following a suspension for accepting a bribe to pay the fees for his niece's school admission, cardiologist Dr. Abel is celebrating his first wedding anniversary and Raihan, an aspiring television journalist, starts his new job with an interview with Siddharth Shankar.


On September 16, at a crowded traffic junction in Kochi, Raihan and Rajeev ([[Asif Ali]]), traveling in a bike is fatally hit by a speeding car at the signal. Raihan was all set to interview the superstar, Siddharth Shankar. Also at the junction, in another car, was the surgeon Dr. Abel.
At a crowded traffic jam, Raihan and his friend Rajeev, who are travelling together on a bike are hit by a speeding car at the signal. At the same junction in another car is Abel and his friend, Jikku.


Raihan goes into comma and is declared brain dead although he is kept alive using ventilator. Meanwhile, Siddharth’s ailing daughter's condition becomes worse and she urgently needs a heart transplant. At first Raihan's parents does not agree to take their son of the ventilator and donate their son's heart but Rajeev and Raihan's girlfriend persuades them into it. Now that the heart is available, the problem was with transporting it from Kochi to Palakkad. No chartered flights or helicopters were available and so the heart has to be taken by road. Someone has to drive the 150 kilometers in under two hours during the rush traffic.
On the other hand, Siddharth's daughter Riya is suffering from a heart condition and her condition detoriorates, making her in need of a heart transplant. Raihan falls into a coma and is declared brain dead, although he is kept alive using a ventilator. Raihan's parents refuse to take their son of the ventilator and donate his heart but reluctantly agree on the persuasion of Rajeev, and Raihan's girlfriend Aditi. However, the heart is unable to be transported from Kochi to Palakkad, as there are no helicopters or flights available due to the weather conditions and time concerns; the only option available is via road.


City Police Commisoner Ajmal Nazar (Anoop Menon) is asked to carry out the mission. He initially refuses considering the complexity and risk involved in the mission. But finally he heeds to the persuasion of Dr.Simon D'souza ([[Jose Prakash]]). Sudevan, being an experience driver who has driven as an escort for ministers, volunteers to be the driver of the Jeep because he wanted to regain the name he lost due to the bribe incident. Accompanying them on this mission is Dr Abel and Rajeev.
City Police Commissioner Ajmal Nazar is asked to take charge of the mission, but refuses due to the complexity and risk involved. However, he agrees on the insistence of Dr. Simon D' Souza. No officer is willing to drive the vehicle transporting the heart until Sudevan volunteers, hoping to regain the respect he lost. Accompanying him on the mission are Abel and Rajeev.


The mission goes smoothly at first, until Abel holds Rajeev at knife-point, threatening Sudevan that if he didn't comply he would kill Rajeev, forcing Sudevan to deviate from the highway into a forest. After Rajeev retaliates, Abel calls his sister Miriam, and confesses to running over his wife Shwetha, after finding out that she was having an affair with his friend Jikku and that she may have died, therefore he wishes to save himself from the police. Siddharth then calls Abel and promises to help him, though he is not convinced. A frustrated Siddharth's wife Sruthi explains the trauma she has been through because of her daughter's heart condition, and tells him that no other problem could be bigger than this. A finally convinced Abel advises Sudevan and Rajeev to leave without him, however, he is brought along by Sudevan despite being requested by Nazar to have him arrested.
Everything goes smoothly for sometime. But at a point the police team loses contact with the vehicle and it mysteriously disappears. Later it was understood that before the mission commenced, Dr Abel had hit and run his wife when he discovered her affair with his best friend. Abel tries to sabotage the mission in an attempt to escape, but Sudevan and Rajeev manages to convince him to save the girl's life. All goes well and they reach the hospital in time to save the girl's life.

They divert into a road 8km ahead of the scheduled route, making up for the time they lost. Riya's condition begins to worsen, causing Sudevan to take an alternate route through a communally sensitive are called Bilal Colony, where police are restricted from entering due to its strong minority. Rajeev, who is familiar with the area, helps make way for the vehicle to pass along with help of Thanzeer, Siddharth Shankar's Fan Club President whom Siddharth personally called. Abel also leave the vehicle to push two vehicles blocking the route. Sudevan drives at a high speed and reaches the hospital on time, ocvering the 150km feat in an hour and 58 minutes.

Abel is relieved after finding out that Shwetha is in stable condition and has no complaints against him. Rajeev is offered a lift back to Kochi and Raihan's parents accept Aditi and invite her to their home, before doing Raihan's final rites. Riya opens her eyes, much to the relief of her family, and a satisfied Nazar thanks Dr. Simon D'Souza. Sudevan ''en-route'' to his home finds a group of people arguing in the middle road over a minor accident, where he signals them to stop, ending the film on a happy note.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{{colbegin}}
* [[Sreenivasan (actor)|Sreenivasan]] as Sudevan Nair, a traffic police constable
* [[Sreenivasan]] as Head Constable Sudevan Nair, [[Kochi]] Traffic Police
* [[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]] as Sidharth Shankar, a [[movie star]]
* [[Kunchacko Boban]] as Dr. Abel Thariyan, a cardiac surgeon
* [[Kunchacko Boban]] as Dr. Abel Thariyan, a [[cardiac surgeon]]
* [[Asif Ali]] as Rajeev, Raihan's friend
* [[Anoop Menon]] as Ajmal Nazar, the City Police Commissioner of [[Kochi]]
* [[Anoop Menon]] as Ajmal Nazeer [[Indian Police Service|IPS]], City Police Commissioner
* [[Vineeth Sreenivasan]] as Raihan, A journalist trainee working in [[Indiavision]]
* [[Vineeth Sreenivasan]] as Raihan, a trainee journalist
* [[Asif Ali (actor)|Asif Ali]] as Rajiv, Raihan's friend
* [[Sandhya (actress)|Sandhya]] as Aditi, Raihan's fiancee
* [[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]] as Siddharth Shankar
* [[Roma (actress)|Roma]] as Mariam, Abel's sister working in [[Club FM 94.3|Club FM]]
* [[Sandhya (actress)|Sandhya]] as Adithi, Raihan's girlfriend
* [[Remya Nambeesan]] as Shwetha, Abel's wife.
* [[Roma (actress)|Roma]] as Miriam, Abel's sister
* [[Namitha Pramod]] as Riya, Siddharth's daughter
* [[Saikumar (Malayalam actor)|Saikumar]] as Raihan's father
* [[Lena Abhilash|Lena]] as Sidharth Shankar's wife
* [[Lena (actress)|Lena]] as Shruthi, Siddharth's wife
* [[Remya Nambeesan]] as Shwetha, Abel's wife
* Vijayakumar as Mathew, private assistant of Sidharth Shankar.
* [[Sai Kumar (Malayalam actor)|Saikumar]] as Dr. Saifudheen, Raihan's father
* Namitha Pramod as Sidharth Shankar's daughter.
* [[Fathima Babu]] as Raihan's mother
* Krishna as Jicku, a common friend of Abel and Shwetha.
* Sudip Joshy as Mariam's husband
* [[Jose Prakash]] as Dr. Simon D' Souza
* [[Krishna (Malayalam actor)|Krishna]] as Jikku, Abel's friend
* Dhanusree Ghosh as Vygya
* [[Rony David Raj]] as Journalist
* Renjith Reghu as Deepu
* [[Vijayakumar (Malayalam actor)|Vijayakumar]] as Mathew, Siddharth's secretary
* Prem Prakash as a doctor
* [[Jose Prakash]] as Dr.Simon D'souza (Special appearance)
* [[Reena Basheer]] as Sudevan's wife
* [[Nisha Sarang]] as Sudevan's sister
* [[Nivin Pauly]] (Special Appearance)
* [[Gowri Krishnan]] as Sudevan's daughter
* Dr. Roni as a journalist
* [[Prem Prakash]] as Doctor
* Premjith Lal
* [[Baiju Ezhupunna]] as Thanzeer, Siddharth Shankar Fan Association President
* Anjana Menon
* [[Nivin Pauly]] as Driver (cameo appearance)
* Gowri Krishna
* Jayakrishnan


== Production ==
The film is directed by Rajesh R Pillai, who previously directed a box office disaster, ''Hrudayathil Sookshikkan'', starring [[Kunchacko Boban]].<ref name="sreeni">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/54337.html|title=Vineeth and Sreenivasan in ‘Traffic’|accessdate=Feb 10, 2010|publisher=Indiaglitz}}</ref> Writers of the film Bobby and Sanjay, who scripted ''Ente Veedu Appoontem'' and ''[[Notebook (film)|Notebook]]'' explain: "The director wanted the film to be of a different mould altogether. Here every character is of equal importance as the story moves ahead. It was quite a challenging task but an enjoyable experience as well."<ref name="Hindu">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article804622.ece|title=It happened one day... |author=Vijay George|accessdate=September 30, 2010|publisher=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> They add that the film is inspired by a true incident. A similar mission was successfully carried out by the [[Tamil Nadu]] police in a more complex [[Chennai]] city.<ref name="Hindu"/> Also, in a scene, the character played by [[Anoop Menon]] talks about the incident.



''Traffic'' is one of the first multi narratives made in this decade in Malayalam film. The film has Sreenivasan, Rahman, Kunchakko Bobban and Asif Ali as the four lead protagonists whose stories are narrated through the sequences.<ref name="July">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/57917.html|title='Traffic' to start this July|accessdate=June 18, 2010|publisher=Indiaglitz}}</ref> Vineeth Sreenivasan, who recently made his debut as a writer and director with ''[[Malarvadi Arts Club]]'', says that it was the exciting script that attracted him to the project. "It is a particularly exciting day for my character as he is all set to join a news channel but as it turns out fate had other plans in store for him," adds the actor.<ref name="Hindu"/>
{{colend}}
On the theme, Rajesh says,"I felt it was a theme that could connect with viewers regardless of their age. It's a contemporary theme that reassures us that if we approach something with honesty, even nature will come to our support."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article1089894.ece|title=Traffic gets green signal|author=Vijay George|publisher=''[[The Hindu]]''|date=January 13, 2011}}</ref> The film will be the second on screen pairing of Vineeth and Sreenivasan, after their first film ''[[Makante Achan]]''.<ref name="sreeni"/> Sandhya plays Aditi, who is in love with Raihan. "Aditi is perhaps more worldly-wise than usual for someone her age. But she has her own reasons for being so", says the Malayali actor who created quite a stir with her performance in the Tamil film ''[[Kaadhal (film)|Kaadhal]]''.<ref name="Hindu"/>

==Production==
The film is directed by [[Rajesh Pillai]].<ref name="sreeni">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/54337.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212103653/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/54337.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 February 2010|title=Vineeth and Sreenivasan in 'Traffic'|accessdate=10 February 2010|work=Indiaglitz}}</ref> Writers of the film Bobby and Sanjay, who scripted ''[[Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum]]'' and ''[[Notebook (2006 film)|Notebook]]'' explain: "The director wanted the film to be of a different mould altogether. Here every character is of equal importance as the story moves ahead. It was quite a challenging task but an enjoyable experience as well."<ref name="Hindu">{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article804622.ece|title=It happened one day... |author=Vijay George|accessdate=30 September 2010|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India|date=30 September 2010}}</ref> They add that the film is inspired by a true incident. A similar mission was successfully carried out by the [[Tamil Nadu]] police in a more complex [[Chennai]] city.<ref name="Hindu"/>{{Failed verification|date=March 2012}} Also, in a scene, the character played by [[Anoop Menon]] talks about the incident.

''Traffic'' is one of the first multi narratives made in this decade in Malayalam film. The film has Sreenivasan, Rahman, Kunchacko Boban and Asif Ali as the four lead protagonists whose stories are narrated through the sequences.<ref name="July">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/57917.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100621080807/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/article/57917.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 June 2010|title='Traffic' to start this July|accessdate=18 June 2010|work=Indiaglitz}}</ref><ref name="Hindu"/> On the theme, Rajesh says, "I felt it was a theme that could connect with viewers regardless of their age. It's a contemporary theme that reassures us that if we approach something with honesty, even nature will come to our support."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/arts/cinema/article1089894.ece|title=Traffic gets green signal|author=Vijay George|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=13 January 2011|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> The film will be the second on-screen pairing of Vineeth and Sreenivasan, after their first film ''[[Makante Achan]]''.<ref name="sreeni"/>


==Reception==
==Reception==
===Critical response===
===Critical response===
The film opened on 7 January 2011 to positive reviews. Veeyen of ''Nowrunning.com'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Rajesh Pillai's ''Traffic'' is a brutally brilliant film in which he lends color to coincidence and unveils before us a cogitation on the dynamics of chance. A strikingly crafted film that is raw and genuine, it crawls right under your skin and stays there."<ref name="Nowrunning">{{cite web|url=http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/7383/malayalam/traffic/2895/review.htm|title=Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film! |accessdate=Jan 8, 2011|publisher=Nowrunning}}</ref> ''IndiaGlitz'' enthusiastically praised the film's "riveting plot, great performances, soulful music... and skilful direction".<ref>[http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/review/12067.html "Traffic - This is a 'Traffic' of change".] ''IndiaGlitz''. January 8, 2011.</ref> A review at Cinefundas also praised the acting, adding that "the real hero of the film is the script".<ref>[http://www.cinefundas.com/2011/01/07/traffic-malayalam-movie-review "Traffic – Malayalam Movie Review".] CineFundas.com. January 7, 2011.</ref> ''Sify.com'' called it "an overwhelming experience" and rated it as "very good."<ref>[http://www.sify.com/movies/malayalam/review.php?id=14959872&ctid=5&cid=2428 Movie Review:''Traffic'' review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Malayalam website ''Movieraga'' called it an "excellent movie" and went on to state that the new blood of Malayalam cinema cannot be seen as second-grade any more.<ref>[http://movieraga.indulekha.com/2011/01/08/review-traffic/ Review: Traffic | MOVIERAGA<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The film opened on 7 January 2011 to positive reviews. Veeyen of ''Nowrunning.com'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Rajesh Pillai's ''Traffic'' is a brutally brilliant film in which he lends color to coincidence and unveils before us cogitation on the dynamics of chance. A strikingly crafted film that is raw and genuine, it crawls right under your skin and stays there."<ref name="Nowrunning">{{cite web|url=http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/7383/malayalam/traffic/2895/review.htm|title=Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film! |accessdate=8 January 2011|publisher=Nowrunning}}</ref> ''IndiaGlitz'' enthusiastically praised the film's "riveting plot, great performances, soulful music... and skillful direction".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100819134719/http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/malayalam/review/12067.html "Traffic – This is a 'Traffic' of change".] ''IndiaGlitz''. 8 January 2011.</ref> A review at Cinefundas also praised the acting, adding that "the real hero of the film is the script".<ref>[http://www.cinefundas.com/2011/01/07/traffic-malayalam-movie-review "Traffic – Malayalam Movie Review".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111011234/http://www.cinefundas.com/2011/01/07/traffic-malayalam-movie-review |date=11 January 2011 }} CineFundas.com. 7 January 2011.</ref> ''Sify.com'' called it "an overwhelming experience" and rated it as "very good."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130314013953/http://www.sify.com/movies/traffic-review-review-malayalam-14959872.html Movie Review:''Traffic'' review<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The Malayalam website ''Movieraga'' called it an "excellent movie" and went on to state that the new blood of Malayalam cinema cannot be seen as second-grade any more.<ref>[http://movieraga.indulekha.com/2011/01/08/review-traffic/ Review: Traffic | MOVIERAGA<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The movie was part of the series of movies that began the [[New generation (Malayalam film movement)|New Generation Movement.]]<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-12-31|title=When script trumps superstars: How Malayalam cinema has changed in the last decade|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/when-script-trumps-superstars-how-malayalam-cinema-has-changed-last-decade-115089|access-date=2021-05-04|website=The News Minute|language=en}}</ref>


Traffic was screened in the ''Malayalam Cinema Today'' section at the 16th [[International Film Festival of Kerala]] (IFFK), in [[Thiruvananthapuram]], Kerala in 2011.<ref name="A slice of Kerala">{{cite news|title=A slice of Kerala|url=http://newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/article231030.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083628/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/article231030.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|newspaper=The New Indian Express}}</ref>
===Box office===
The film had only an average opening in Kerala box office.<ref name="opening weekend">{{cite web|url=http://www.sanscinema.com/2011/01/traffic-grosses-90-lakhs-in-its-opening-weekend/|title=Traffic Grosses 90 Lakhs in its Opening Weekend|publisher=SansCinema|date=10 January 2011}}</ref> However, it managed to maintain the number one position<ref>{{cite web|url=http://keralaboxoffice.com/kerala-box-office-report-january-1-132011/|title=Kerala Box Office Report – January 1–13, 2011|publisher=Keralaboxoffice|date=13 January 2011}}</ref> and grossed {{INR}}90 lakhs in the opening weekend.<ref name="opening weekend"/> The film netted {{INR}}4.6 crores in five weeks, thus recovering the budget of {{INR}}2.5 crores and getting a distributor's share of more than {{INR}}2 crores.<ref name="SansCinema_Traffic5" /> It completed 50 days in most of the releasing centres and had a net gross of around {{INR}} 5.35 crore within this time.<ref name="SansCinema_Traffic50days">{{cite web|url=http://www.sanscinema.com/2011/02/traffic-completing-50-days-today/|title=Traffic completing 50 days today|date=25 February 2011|publisher=SansCinema|accessdate=7 March 2011}}</ref> The total collection of the film from the Kerala box office is {{INR}} 6.5 crores.<ref name="Box office report"/>


==Music==
==Box office==
The film received highly positive reviews and was declared a blockbuster at box office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kaavalan-bangalore-days-traffic-22-female-kottayam-thattathin-marayathu/1/750713.html|title=Kaavalan to Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai: 5 Malayalam remakes that shouldn't have been made|work=[[India Today]]|date=28 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/2011-malayalam-filmdom-failed-to-script-success-430328.html|title=2011: Malayalam filmdom failed to script success|publisher=[[News18]]|date=21 December 2011}}</ref>
The songs featured in the soundtrack album are composed by Samson Kottoor and Mejo Joseph, with lyrics penned by [[Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma]] and S. Ramesan Nair.

; Track listing
==Soundtrack==
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;"
{{Infobox album
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
| name = Traffic
! # !! Song !! Artist(s) !! Composer !! Lyricist
| type = Soundtrack
| artist = [[Mejo Joseph]]
| cover =
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|df=yes|2010|12|25}}
| recorded = 2010
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Film soundtrack]]
| length = {{Duration|m=25|s=32}}
| language = [[Malayalam]]
| label = Satyam Audios
| producer = [[Mejo Joseph]]
| prev_title = Kanmazha Peyyum Munpe
| prev_year = 2010
| next_title = [[Chapters (film)|Chapters]]
| next_year = 2012
}}

{{Track listing
| extra_column = Artists

| all_lyrics = [[S. Ramesan Nair]] except where noted
| all_music = Samson Kottoor except where noted

| title1 = Kannerinjal
| extra1 = Vipin Warrier, [[Hesham Abdul Wahab]]
| music1 = [[Mejo Joseph]]

| title2 = Pakalin
| extra2 = [[Sithara (singer)|Sithara]]
| music2 = Mejo Joseph
| lyrics2 = [[Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma]]

| title3 = Unaroo Mizhiyazhake
| extra3 = [[Chinmayi]]

| title4 = Unaroo Mizhiyazhake
| extra4 = Samson Kottoor

| title5 = Unaroo Mizhiyazhake
| note5 = Instrumental
| extra5 = Kalyan

| title6 = Theme Music
| note6 = Instrumental
| music6 = Samson Kottoor
}}

==Remakes==
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! Year !! Film !! Language
|-
|-
|| 2013 || ''[[Chennaiyil Oru Naal]]'' || Tamil
| 1
| "Kanneerinjal"
| Vipin Warrier, Hisham
| [[Mejo Joseph]]
| S. Ramesan Nair
|-
|-
| 2014 || ''[[Crazy Star (film)|Crazy Star]]'' || Kannada
| 2
| "Pakalin"
| Sithara
| Mejo Joseph
| [[Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma]]
|-
|-
| 2016 || ''[[Traffic (2016 film)|Traffic]]'' || Hindi
| 3
|}
| "Theme Music"

| Instrumental
Owing to its critical and commercial success, ''Traffic'' was remade in Tamil as ''[[Chennaiyil Oru Naal]]'' (2013), which was a huge success at box office like ''Traffic''. [[Kannada]] remake ''[[Crazy Star (film)|Crazy Star]]'' (2014) received negative reception from both critics and box-office. Traffic's [[Traffic (2016 film)|Hindi remake]] was released in May 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.top10cinema.com/news/9000/malayalam-traffic-to-be-remade-in-tamil|title=Malayalam 'Traffic' to Be Remade in Tamil?|publisher=Top 10 Cinema|date=1 February 2011|accessdate=2 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204170141/http://www.top10cinema.com/news/9000/malayalam-traffic-to-be-remade-in-tamil|archive-date=4 February 2011|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>[http://www.kaumudiplus.com/news.php?nid=b37e3729ccb3a1b55f8b9ad638b4c28c&mcid=3&msid=3 "ട്രാഫിക് ഹിന്ദിയിലും"]. (in Malayalam) ''Kerala Kaumudi''. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.</ref>
| Samson Kottoor

| —
==Awards==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|-
! Award
| 4
! Category
| "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake"
! Result
| [[Chinmayi]]
! Recipient
| Samson Kottoor
! Ref.
| S. Ramesan Nair
|-
|-
| rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"| [[Kerala State Film Awards|Kerala State Film Awards 2011]]
| 5
| [[Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]]
| "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake"
| {{won}}
| Samson Kottoor
| [[Bobby–Sanjay|Bobby-Sanjay]]
| Samson Kottoor
|<ref name="Kerala State Film Awards 2012">{{cite web|title=Kerala State Film Awards|url=http://www.nowrunning.com/news/malayalam/dileep-sweta-menon-triumphs-at-state-awards/54304/story.htm|publisher=Nowrunning.com|access-date=19 July 2012|archive-date=21 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721044353/http://www.nowrunning.com/news/malayalam/dileep-sweta-menon-triumphs-at-state-awards/54304/story.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| S. Ramesan Nair
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center"| [[1st South Indian International Movie Awards]]
| Best Director
| {{won}}
| [[Rajesh Pillai]]
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
| {{won}}
| [[Lena (actress)|Lena]]
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center"| [[Filmfare Awards South|Filmfare Awards South 2012]]
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Film – Malayalam|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
| [[Listin Stephen]]
| rowspan=2|<ref name="Filmfare Awards South 2012">{{cite web|title=Filmfare Awards South 2012|date= 8 July 2012|url= http://www.kollyinsider.com/2012/07/59th-filmfare-awards-2012-south.html|publisher=Kollyinsider.com }}</ref>
|-
| [[Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Malayalam|Best Supporting Actress]]
| {{won}}
| Lena Abhilash
|-
| rowspan=3 style="text-align:center"| [[Kerala Film Critics Awards]]
| Best Script
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
| rowspan=3|<ref>{{cite news|title=Kerala Film Critics Awards 2012 |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article3431213.ece?textsize=small&test=2|newspaper=The Hindu | location=Chennai, India|date=18 May 2012}}</ref>
|-
| Second Best Actor – Male
| {{won}}
| [[Anoop Menon]]
|-
| Second Best Actor – Female
| {{won}}
| Lena Abhilash
|-
| rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"| Lohithadas Award
| Best Script
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
|<ref>{{cite news|title=ലോഹിതദാസ് പുരസ്‌കാരം ബോബിക്കും സഞ്ജയിനും|url=http://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies/malayalam/282848/|newspaper=Mathrubhumi|access-date=29 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628210409/http://www.mathrubhumi.com/movies/malayalam/282848/|archive-date=28 June 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| [[Asianet Film Awards|Asianet Film Awards 2012]]
| Best Film
| {{nom}}
| Listin Stephen
| rowspan=6|<ref name="Asianet Film Awards 2012">{{cite web|title=Asianet Film Awards 2011|url= http://www.trivandrum.co.in/2011/12/asianet-film-awards-2012-list-of.html|publisher=Trivandrum.co.in}}</ref>
|-
| Best Director
| {{nom}}
| Rajesh Pillai
|-
| Best Screenplay
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| {{nom}}
| Anoop Menon
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| {{nom}}
| [[Remya Nambeesan]]
|-
| Best Character Actor
| {{nom}}
| [[Sreenivasan]]
|-
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center"| Asiavision Movie Awards
| Best Popular Movie
| {{won}}
| Listin Stephen
| rowspan =5|<ref name="Asiavision Movie Awards 2011">{{cite web|title=Asiavision Movie Awards|url=http://www.asiavisionawards.com/ma2011-winners/|publisher=Asiavisionawards.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120125011756/http://www.asiavisionawards.com/ma2011-winners/|archivedate=25 January 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
| Second Best Actor
| {{won}}
| Anoop Menon
|-
| Best Screenplay
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
|-
| Special Performance Award
| {{won}}
| [[Rahman (actor)|Rahman]]
|-
| Trendsetter Award
| {{won}}
| Listin Stephen
|-
| rowspan=3 style="text-align:center"| Nana Film Awards
| Best Film
| {{won}}
| Listin Stephen
| rowspan=3|<ref name="Nana Film Awards 2011">{{cite web|title=Nana Film Awards 2011|url=http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384380_165044300264538_100002769065902_193665_2060132686_n.jpg|publisher=Nana.com |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710205829/http://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/384380_165044300264538_100002769065902_193665_2060132686_n.jpg |archive-date=10 July 2012 |url-status=dead}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
|-
| Best Director
| {{won}}
| Rajesh Pillai
|-
| Best Editor
| {{won}}
| Mahesh Narayanan
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center"| Mathrubhumi Kalyan Silks Film Awards
| Best Screenplay
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
| rowspan=2|<ref name="Mathrubumi Kalyan Silks FIlm Awards 2011">{{cite web|title=Mathrubhumi Film Awards 2011|url=http://www.sanscinema.com/2012/02/mathrubhumi-kalyan-silks-film-awards-2012-announced.html|publisher=Sanscinema.com|access-date=19 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314015043/http://www.sanscinema.com/2012/02/mathrubhumi-kalyan-silks-film-awards-2012-announced.html|archive-date=14 March 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
| Best Path Breaking Film of the Year
| {{nom}}
| Listin Stephen
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center"| Surya Film Awards
| Most Popular Director
| {{nom}}
| Rajesh Pillai
| rowspan=2|
|-
| Best Editor
| {{won}}
| Mahesh Narayanan
|-
| rowspan=1 style="text-align:center"| Kochi Times Awards
| Best Script
| {{won}}
| Bobby – Sanjay
|<ref>{{cite news|title=Kochi Times Film Awards 2011 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/malayalam/news-and-interviews/The-Kochi-Times-Film-Awards-2011/articleshow/14341029.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004233019/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-06-23/news-and-interviews/32369964_1_video-mohanlal-kavya-madhavan|url-status=live|newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |archive-date=2013-10-04}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=3 style="text-align:center"| Amrita Film Awards 2012
| Best Supporting Actor (Female)
| {{won}}
| Lena Abhilash
| rowspan=3|<ref>{{cite web|title=Amrita Film Awards 2012|url=http://www.amritatv.com/afa/winners.html|publisher=Amritatv.com|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014060735/http://www.amritatv.com/afa/winners.html|archivedate=14 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
| Best Script
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
|-
| Trendsetting Film Director
| {{won}}
| Rajesh Pillai
|-
| style="text-align:center" | Jaihind Film Awards 2012
| Best Director
| {{won}}
| Rajesh Pillai
|{{citation needed|date=February 2016}}
|-
| style="text-align:center" | Film Guidance Chalachitra Awards 2011
| Best Supporting Actress
| {{won}}
| Remya Nambeesan
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Film Guidance Chalachitra Award 2011|url=http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/news/2012/beautiful-film-guidance-chalathchitra-award-150212.html|publisher=Oneindia.in|access-date=21 July 2012|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609190308/http://entertainment.oneindia.in/malayalam/news/2012/beautiful-film-guidance-chalathchitra-award-150212.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan=5 style="text-align:center"| Reporter TV Film Awards 2012
| Best Film
| {{won}}
| Listin Stephen
| rowspan=5|<ref>{{cite web|title=Reporter TV Film Awards 2012|url=http://www.metromatinee.com/News/Traffic%20bags%205%20awards%20in%20Reporter%20TV%20Awards.-4051-1 |publisher=Metromatinee.com}}</ref>
|-
| Best Director
| {{won}}
| Rajesh Pillai
|-
| Best Script
| {{won}}
| Bobby-Sanjay
|-
| Best Editor
| {{won}}
| Mahesh Narayanan
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| {{won}}
| Lena Abhilash
|-
| rowspan=6 style="text-align:center"| Thikkurissy Awards 2011
| Best Second Actress
| {{won}}
| Sandhya
|
|-
|-
| 6
| "Unaroo Mizhiyazhake (Instrumental)"
| Kalyan
| Samson Kottoor
| S. Ramesan Nair
|}
|}

==Remakes==
Owing to its critical and commercial success, ''Traffic'' is to be remade into [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] and [[Hindi cinema]] under the same title.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.top10cinema.com/news/9000/malayalam-traffic-to-be-remade-in-tamil|title=Malayalam 'Traffic' to Be Remade in Tamil?|publisher=Top 10 Cinema|date=February 1, 2011|accessdate=2011-02-02}}</ref><ref>[http://www.kaumudiplus.com/news.php?nid=b37e3729ccb3a1b55f8b9ad638b4c28c&mcid=3&msid=3 "ട്രാഫിക് ഹിന്ദിയിലും"]. (in Malayalam) ''Kerala Kaumudi''. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.</ref> It has been officially announced that [[Kamal Haasan]] will play a pivotal role, probabily as himself in the role of the movie star, in the Tamil version.<ref>[http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/kollywood/kamal-haasan-traffic-remake-816 "Kamal Haasan in Traffic remake?"]. ''Deccan Chronicle''. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.</ref><ref>[http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/showbiz/kollywood/kamal-confirms-acting-traffic-remake-796 "Kamal confirms acting in Traffic remake"]. ''Deccan Chronicle''. 1 May 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2011.</ref> The rights for the Hindi version has been bought by Endemol.<ref>[http://www.businessofcinema.com/news.php?newsid=18309 "Endemol acquires Hindi remake rights to Malayalam film Traffic"]. Business of Cinema. 16 May 2011 Retrieved 17 May 2011.</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


== External links ==
==External links==
<!--LINKS TO PUBLIC DISCUSSION FORUMS SHOULD NOT BE ADDED-->
<!--LINKS TO PUBLIC DISCUSSION FORUMS SHOULD NOT BE ADDED-->

* {{IMDb title|id=1821682|title=Traffic}}
* {{IMDb title|id=1821682|title=Traffic}}
* [http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/7383/malayalam/traffic/index.htm ''Traffic''] at Nowrunning.com
* [http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/7383/malayalam/traffic/index.htm ''Traffic''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110121050433/http://www.nowrunning.com/movie/7383/malayalam/traffic/index.htm |date=21 January 2011 }} at Nowrunning.com
* [http://popcorn.oneindia.in/title/8644/traffic.html ''Traffic''] at [[Oneindia.in]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101204124724/http://popcorn.oneindia.in/title/8644/traffic.html ''Traffic''] at [[Oneindia.in]]
* [http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-review-traffic/20110110.htm ''Traffic'' review] at [[Rediff.com]]
* [http://www.rediff.com/movies/report/south-review-traffic/20110110.htm ''Traffic'' review] at [[Rediff.com]]


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* [http://www.aphithendranmemorialtrust.org/incident.html "A true heart touching story (The incident on which the film is based on)"]. Aphinthendranmemorialtrust.org. Retrieved March 7, 2011
* [http://www.aphithendranmemorialtrust.org/incident.html "A true heart touching story (The incident on which the film is based on)"].

{{Filmfare Award for Best Film – Malayalam}}
{{Auth}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Traffic}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traffic}}
[[Category:2011 films]]
[[Category:2011 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Indian road movies]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:2010s Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:2010s Malayalam-language films]]
[[Category:Anthology films]]
[[Category:2010s road movies]]
[[Category:Road movies]]
[[Category:2011 thriller films]]
[[Category:2010s thriller films]]
[[Category:Indian films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Films based on actual events]]
[[Category:Malayalam films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Films set within one day]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Bobby-Sanjay]]
[[Category:Indian nonlinear narrative films]]

[[Category:Fictional portrayals of the Kerala Police]]
[[ml:ട്രാഫിക് (മലയാളചലച്ചിത്രം)]]
[[Category:Films shot in Kochi]]
[[Category:Hyperlink films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Rajesh Pillai]]

Latest revision as of 20:05, 12 December 2024

Traffic
Theatrical official poster
Directed byRajesh Pillai
Written byBobby Sanjay
Produced byListin Stephen
StarringSreenivasan
Kunchacko Boban
Asif Ali
Anoop Menon
Rahman
Vineeth Sreenivasan
Sandhya
Remya Nambeesan
Narrated bySreenivasan
CinematographyShyju Khalid
Edited byMahesh Narayanan
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byMagic Frames
Release date
  • 7 January 2011 (2011-01-07)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageMalayalam
Budget₹2.75 crores[1]
Box office₹15 crores[2]

Traffic is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language road-thriller film written by Bobby-Sanjay and directed by Rajesh Pillai. The film features an ensemble cast of Sreenivasan, Kunchacko Boban, Asif Ali, Vineeth Sreenivasan, Sandhya, Rahman, Anoop Menon, Remya Nambeesan and Roma.[3] The film has its narrative in a hyperlink format. The film was released on 7 January 2011, to a positive reviews and since has been given a cult status. A multi-narrative thriller that intertwines multiple stories around one particular incident, Traffic is inspired from an actual event that happened in Chennai.[4][5] Owing to its critical and commercial success, Traffic was remade into Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal, in Kannada as Crazy Star and is also remade in Hindi, with the same name. This was also the last film of the veteran actor Jose Prakash.[6]

Plot

[edit]

On 16 September in Kochi, Sidharth Shankar is preparing for the release of his new film; Traffic Constable Sudevan resumes his duty following a suspension for accepting a bribe to pay the fees for his niece's school admission, cardiologist Dr. Abel is celebrating his first wedding anniversary and Raihan, an aspiring television journalist, starts his new job with an interview with Siddharth Shankar.

At a crowded traffic jam, Raihan and his friend Rajeev, who are travelling together on a bike are hit by a speeding car at the signal. At the same junction in another car is Abel and his friend, Jikku.

On the other hand, Siddharth's daughter Riya is suffering from a heart condition and her condition detoriorates, making her in need of a heart transplant. Raihan falls into a coma and is declared brain dead, although he is kept alive using a ventilator. Raihan's parents refuse to take their son of the ventilator and donate his heart but reluctantly agree on the persuasion of Rajeev, and Raihan's girlfriend Aditi. However, the heart is unable to be transported from Kochi to Palakkad, as there are no helicopters or flights available due to the weather conditions and time concerns; the only option available is via road.

City Police Commissioner Ajmal Nazar is asked to take charge of the mission, but refuses due to the complexity and risk involved. However, he agrees on the insistence of Dr. Simon D' Souza. No officer is willing to drive the vehicle transporting the heart until Sudevan volunteers, hoping to regain the respect he lost. Accompanying him on the mission are Abel and Rajeev.

The mission goes smoothly at first, until Abel holds Rajeev at knife-point, threatening Sudevan that if he didn't comply he would kill Rajeev, forcing Sudevan to deviate from the highway into a forest. After Rajeev retaliates, Abel calls his sister Miriam, and confesses to running over his wife Shwetha, after finding out that she was having an affair with his friend Jikku and that she may have died, therefore he wishes to save himself from the police. Siddharth then calls Abel and promises to help him, though he is not convinced. A frustrated Siddharth's wife Sruthi explains the trauma she has been through because of her daughter's heart condition, and tells him that no other problem could be bigger than this. A finally convinced Abel advises Sudevan and Rajeev to leave without him, however, he is brought along by Sudevan despite being requested by Nazar to have him arrested.

They divert into a road 8km ahead of the scheduled route, making up for the time they lost. Riya's condition begins to worsen, causing Sudevan to take an alternate route through a communally sensitive are called Bilal Colony, where police are restricted from entering due to its strong minority. Rajeev, who is familiar with the area, helps make way for the vehicle to pass along with help of Thanzeer, Siddharth Shankar's Fan Club President whom Siddharth personally called. Abel also leave the vehicle to push two vehicles blocking the route. Sudevan drives at a high speed and reaches the hospital on time, ocvering the 150km feat in an hour and 58 minutes.

Abel is relieved after finding out that Shwetha is in stable condition and has no complaints against him. Rajeev is offered a lift back to Kochi and Raihan's parents accept Aditi and invite her to their home, before doing Raihan's final rites. Riya opens her eyes, much to the relief of her family, and a satisfied Nazar thanks Dr. Simon D'Souza. Sudevan en-route to his home finds a group of people arguing in the middle road over a minor accident, where he signals them to stop, ending the film on a happy note.

Cast

[edit]


Production

[edit]

The film is directed by Rajesh Pillai.[7] Writers of the film Bobby and Sanjay, who scripted Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum and Notebook explain: "The director wanted the film to be of a different mould altogether. Here every character is of equal importance as the story moves ahead. It was quite a challenging task but an enjoyable experience as well."[8] They add that the film is inspired by a true incident. A similar mission was successfully carried out by the Tamil Nadu police in a more complex Chennai city.[8][failed verification] Also, in a scene, the character played by Anoop Menon talks about the incident.

Traffic is one of the first multi narratives made in this decade in Malayalam film. The film has Sreenivasan, Rahman, Kunchacko Boban and Asif Ali as the four lead protagonists whose stories are narrated through the sequences.[9][8] On the theme, Rajesh says, "I felt it was a theme that could connect with viewers regardless of their age. It's a contemporary theme that reassures us that if we approach something with honesty, even nature will come to our support."[10] The film will be the second on-screen pairing of Vineeth and Sreenivasan, after their first film Makante Achan.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

The film opened on 7 January 2011 to positive reviews. Veeyen of Nowrunning.com gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing, "Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film in which he lends color to coincidence and unveils before us cogitation on the dynamics of chance. A strikingly crafted film that is raw and genuine, it crawls right under your skin and stays there."[11] IndiaGlitz enthusiastically praised the film's "riveting plot, great performances, soulful music... and skillful direction".[12] A review at Cinefundas also praised the acting, adding that "the real hero of the film is the script".[13] Sify.com called it "an overwhelming experience" and rated it as "very good."[14] The Malayalam website Movieraga called it an "excellent movie" and went on to state that the new blood of Malayalam cinema cannot be seen as second-grade any more.[15] The movie was part of the series of movies that began the New Generation Movement.[16]

Traffic was screened in the Malayalam Cinema Today section at the 16th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in 2011.[17]

Box office

[edit]

The film received highly positive reviews and was declared a blockbuster at box office.[18][19]

Soundtrack

[edit]
Traffic
Soundtrack album by
Mejo Joseph
Released25 December 2010 (2010-12-25)
Recorded2010
GenreFilm soundtrack
Length25:32
LanguageMalayalam
LabelSatyam Audios
ProducerMejo Joseph
Mejo Joseph chronology
Kanmazha Peyyum Munpe
(2010) 		Traffic
(2010) 		Chapters
(2012)

All lyrics are written by S. Ramesan Nair except where noted; all music is composed by Samson Kottoor except where noted

No.TitleLyricsMusicArtistsLength
1."Kannerinjal" Mejo JosephVipin Warrier, Hesham Abdul Wahab 
2."Pakalin"Vayalar Sarath Chandra VarmaMejo JosephSithara 
3."Unaroo Mizhiyazhake"  Chinmayi 
4."Unaroo Mizhiyazhake"  Samson Kottoor 
5."Unaroo Mizhiyazhake" (Instrumental)  Kalyan 
6."Theme Music" (Instrumental) Samson Kottoor  

Remakes

[edit]
Year Film Language
2013 Chennaiyil Oru Naal Tamil
2014 Crazy Star Kannada
2016 Traffic Hindi

Owing to its critical and commercial success, Traffic was remade in Tamil as Chennaiyil Oru Naal (2013), which was a huge success at box office like Traffic. Kannada remake Crazy Star (2014) received negative reception from both critics and box-office. Traffic's Hindi remake was released in May 2016.[20][21]

Awards

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Award Category Result Recipient Ref.
Kerala State Film Awards 2011 Best Screenplay Won Bobby-Sanjay [22]
1st South Indian International Movie Awards Best Director Won Rajesh Pillai
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Won Lena
Filmfare Awards South 2012 Best Film Won Listin Stephen [23]
Best Supporting Actress Won Lena Abhilash
Kerala Film Critics Awards Best Script Won Bobby-Sanjay [24]
Second Best Actor – Male Won Anoop Menon
Second Best Actor – Female Won Lena Abhilash
Lohithadas Award Best Script Won Bobby-Sanjay [25]
Asianet Film Awards 2012 Best Film Nominated Listin Stephen [26]
Best Director Nominated Rajesh Pillai
Best Screenplay Won Bobby-Sanjay
Best Supporting Actor Nominated Anoop Menon
Best Supporting Actress Nominated Remya Nambeesan
Best Character Actor Nominated Sreenivasan
Asiavision Movie Awards Best Popular Movie Won Listin Stephen [27]
Second Best Actor Won Anoop Menon
Best Screenplay Won Bobby-Sanjay
Special Performance Award Won Rahman
Trendsetter Award Won Listin Stephen
Nana Film Awards Best Film Won Listin Stephen [28]
Best Director Won Rajesh Pillai
Best Editor Won Mahesh Narayanan
Mathrubhumi Kalyan Silks Film Awards Best Screenplay Won Bobby-Sanjay [29]
Best Path Breaking Film of the Year Nominated Listin Stephen
Surya Film Awards Most Popular Director Nominated Rajesh Pillai
Best Editor Won Mahesh Narayanan
Kochi Times Awards Best Script Won Bobby – Sanjay [30]
Amrita Film Awards 2012 Best Supporting Actor (Female) Won Lena Abhilash [31]
Best Script Won Bobby-Sanjay
Trendsetting Film Director Won Rajesh Pillai
Jaihind Film Awards 2012 Best Director Won Rajesh Pillai [citation needed]
Film Guidance Chalachitra Awards 2011 Best Supporting Actress Won Remya Nambeesan [32]
Reporter TV Film Awards 2012 Best Film Won Listin Stephen [33]
Best Director Won Rajesh Pillai
Best Script Won Bobby-Sanjay
Best Editor Won Mahesh Narayanan
Best Supporting Actress Won Lena Abhilash
Thikkurissy Awards 2011 Best Second Actress Won Sandhya

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2011 was troublesome for Malayalam films". News18. 4 January 2012.
  2. ^ Manoj Nair (21 May 2011). "Malayalam movies: Non-linear narratives are making the box-office ring louder". India Times. Economic Times.
  3. ^ Coming up: A complex Traffic – Rediff.com Movies
  4. ^ "Hithendran Incident".
  5. ^ "Traffic Movie Review". Archived from the original on 19 August 2010.
  6. ^ "Veteran Malayalam actor Jose Prakash passes away". The Times of India. 24 March 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Vineeth and Sreenivasan in 'Traffic'". Indiaglitz. Archived from the original on 12 February 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Vijay George (30 September 2010). "It happened one day..." The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  9. ^ "'Traffic' to start this July". Indiaglitz. Archived from the original on 21 June 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  10. ^ Vijay George (13 January 2011). "Traffic gets green signal". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  11. ^ "Rajesh Pillai's Traffic is a brutally brilliant film!". Nowrunning. Retrieved 8 January 2011.
  12. ^ "Traffic – This is a 'Traffic' of change". IndiaGlitz. 8 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Traffic – Malayalam Movie Review". Archived 11 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine CineFundas.com. 7 January 2011.
  14. ^ Movie Review:Traffic review
  15. ^ Review: Traffic | MOVIERAGA
  16. ^ "When script trumps superstars: How Malayalam cinema has changed in the last decade". The News Minute. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  17. ^ "A slice of Kerala". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Kaavalan to Meendum Oru Kadhal Kadhai: 5 Malayalam remakes that shouldn't have been made". India Today. 28 August 2016.
  19. ^ "2011: Malayalam filmdom failed to script success". News18. 21 December 2011.
  20. ^ "Malayalam 'Traffic' to Be Remade in Tamil?". Top 10 Cinema. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 4 February 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  21. ^ "ട്രാഫിക് ഹിന്ദിയിലും". (in Malayalam) Kerala Kaumudi. 11 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  22. ^ "Kerala State Film Awards". Nowrunning.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
  23. ^ "Filmfare Awards South 2012". Kollyinsider.com. 8 July 2012.
  24. ^ "Kerala Film Critics Awards 2012". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 May 2012.
  25. ^ "ലോഹിതദാസ് പുരസ്‌കാരം ബോബിക്കും സഞ്ജയിനും". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  26. ^ "Asianet Film Awards 2011". Trivandrum.co.in.
  27. ^ "Asiavision Movie Awards". Asiavisionawards.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012.
  28. ^ "Nana Film Awards 2011". Nana.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
  29. ^ "Mathrubhumi Film Awards 2011". Sanscinema.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
  30. ^ "Kochi Times Film Awards 2011". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013.
  31. ^ "Amrita Film Awards 2012". Amritatv.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
  32. ^ "Film Guidance Chalachitra Award 2011". Oneindia.in. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  33. ^ "Reporter TV Film Awards 2012". Metromatinee.com.
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Further reading

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