24

 

24 is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film written and directed by Vikram Kumar. Based on the concept of time travel, the film stars actor Suriya in a triple role, along with Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Nithya Menen in the female leads.

The film's development dates back to 2009, at which time it was to feature actors Vikram and Ileana D'Cruz in lead roles. However, in February 2010, the project was dropped due to the difference in opinions between director, producer, and actor, facing rejection of the refined script. In August 2014, Suriya agreed to produce and act in the film, with principal photography commencing in Mumbai in April 2015, continuing in Nasik, Goregaon and Pune. The second phase of filming was done in Poland by the end of September 2015. Filming was completed in Chennai by November 2015.

Produced by 2D Entertainment, the film has cinematography by S. Tirru. The soundtrack and film score were composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu and Madhan Karky. The film (along with a dubbed Telugu version with the same title) was released on 6 May 2016.

The film was a critical and commercial success, and won two awards at the 64th National Film Awards – Best Cinematography and Best Production Design. Suriya won the Critics Best Actor Award at the 64th Filmfare Awards.

 

Plot

Dr. Sethuraman is a reputed scientist and watchmaker who lives with his wife Priya and newborn son Manikandan in a mansion with a laboratory at Megamalai. In January 1990, on his birthday, he invents a watch with which a person can travel back and forth in time for a maximum of 24 hours. His evil twin brother Athreya tries to take the watch and kills Priya in the process. Sethuraman escapes with his son Mani and boards a train. Before Athreya arrives, he hands Mani to a passenger named Sathyabama and pleads with her to save his son. Athreya kills Sethuraman and is seriously injured in an attempt to escape. Sathyabama's father is against her decision to save Mani, and she leaves with him for Chennai to honour the promise given to Sethuraman.

26 years later, Mani becomes a watchmaker who considers Sathyabama his biological mother. A paralyzed Athreya wakes up from his coma and decides to find the watch; he hopes to go back to 1990 and save himself from the accident. In a series of incidents, Mani finds Sethuraman's watch and explores its powers. Using them, he manages to impress Sathya, his client who hails from Sathyabama's native place, Gopalasamudram. Athreya's close aide Mithran issues an advertisement offering five crore rupees (50 million rupees) to the one who finds Sethuraman's watch. Including Mani, many prepare duplicates of the watch and submit them, but Athreya spots Mani's accurate design, severs his arm, and kills him, thereby gaining possession of the watch.

Athreya is shocked to learn that the watch can only help him travel back and forth for 24 hours and decides to revive Mani. Mithran places the watch on Mani's right hand and leaves. Mani wakes up the next morning and is shocked as he had been wearing the watch on his left hand. He travels back to the previous night and secretly follows Mithran. Athreya predicts this and manages to fool Mani with Mithran's help, pretending that he is Sethuraman, who survived from Athreya as a paraplegic. Mani learns from Sathyabama that Sethuraman left him on the train and faced Athreya in another compartment.

Mani leaves with Sathyabama for Gopalasamudram and unites her with her estranged family. He also comes to know that Sathya is Sathyabama's niece, and the duo falls in love. Athreya arrives with Mithran and convinces everyone, including Mani, that he is Sethuraman and that Athreya is dead. Sathya learns about Athreya's identity later and tries to reveal it to Mani, but Athreya manages to fall from a staircase, and Mani, unaware of the reality, travels back in time and saves him. Sathya forgets about Athreya's identity and assumes that he is Sethuraman.

Mani learns from Mithran that his father is going to die soon and wishes to see Priya for one last time by traveling back in time to 1990. Mani modifies the watch and tests it, which reveals the truth about Athreya's identity. He tricks Athreya into revealing the date and time of Priya's death and gives him a fake watch. Mani uses the original watch to travel back in time to 1990 and Athreya accompanies him by touching the real watch in use.

In January 1990, Sethuraman and Priya spot the modified watch on their baby's hand. Initially joyous, Sethuraman senses danger; he feels that Mani returned to a toddler's age as they may not be alive when he was able to speak. Athreya, now young and healthy, attacks Sethuraman to find the watch. Sethuraman and Priya escape with Mani, and Athreya accidentally kills Mithran. Priya and Mani hide in a room as Athreya faces Sethuraman in the garden. Sethuraman freezes time and lays Athreya before a bullet, thus killing him. He then flees with Priya and Mani and boards the same train, but not before throwing away the watch on Priya's urging. They meet Sathyabama, and Sethuraman agrees to teach science to children in a school constructed by her father in Gopalasamudram. The film ends with young Mani speaking with young Sathya.

 

Cast

·         Suriya in a triple role as

o    Dr. Sethuraman, a scientist who invented a time-travelling 24 watch

o    Athreya, Sethuraman's twin who wants to get hold of watch and Mani's paternal uncle

o    Manikandan "Mani" Sethuraman aka Subramani, Sethuraman's son and Athreya's nephew

·         Samantha Ruth Prabhu as Sathyabhama aka Sathya, Mani's love interest (Voice dubbed by Chinmayi in both Tamil and Telugu)

·         Nithya Menen as Priya Sethuraman, Sethuraman's wife, and Mani's biological mother

·         Saranya Ponvannan as Sathyabhama, Mani's adoptive mother

·         Ajay as Mithran, Athreya's sidekick