Kaatru Veliyidai

Story:

Kaatru Veliyidai is a Tamil-language romantic war film produced, written, and directed by Mani Ratnam under the Madras Talkies banner. The film features music composed by A. R. Rahman, cinematography by Ravi Varman, and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. It stars Karthi and Aditi Rao Hydari, with supporting roles played by Lalitha, Rukmini Vijayakumar, Delhi Ganesh, RJ Balaji, and Shraddha Srinath.

Set against the backdrop of the 1999 Kargil War, the film tells the story of an Indian Air Force pilot who recalls his romance with a doctor before the war while being held as a prisoner of war in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The film marked Aditi Rao Hydari’s return and Shraddha Srinath’s debut in Tamil cinema.

Principal photography began in July 2016, with shooting locations including Ooty, Hyderabad, Ladakh, Chennai, and Belgrade, and concluded in January 2017. The film was released worldwide on 7 April 2017, along with a Telugu dubbed version titled “Cheliyaa.” At the 65th National Film Awards, “Kaatru Veliyidai” won two awards: Best Music Direction for A. R. Rahman and Best Female Playback Singer for Shashaa Tirupati.