# Gethu
**Gethu** (கெத்து) is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Thirukumaran, produced by [Udhayanidhi Stalin](https://www.edgepedia.org/udhayanidhi-stalin) under his studio [Red Giant Movies](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-giant-movies), and released on 14 January 2016 during the Pongal festival season.[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) Udhayanidhi Stalin and [Amy Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-jackson) play the lead roles, with Sathyaraj and Vikranth in supporting parts, and the music is composed by Harris Jayaraj.[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) The title is Chennai slang meaning swagger or power, and the dispute over whether it counts as a Tamil word led to a court case that ended with the Madras High Court granting the film an entertainment tax exemption.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gethu/gethu-review.html) • [3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/06/gethu-is-tamil-word-give-tax-relief-889097.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 14 January 2016 (Pongal), Tamil language, India; cleared with a U certificate[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) • [4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/udhayanidhis-gethu-censored/articleshow/50509826.cms) |
| Director and writer | Thirukumaran, in his second film after *Maan Karate* (2014)[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gethu/gethu-review.html) • [5](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/8287/thirukumaran) |
| Lead cast | Udhayanidhi Stalin (Sethu), Amy Jackson (Nandhini Ramanujam), Sathyaraj (Thulasi Raman), Vikranth (Craig, also called Bull)[6](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/gethu/UXiJi6L5QKoa6YHwSr4MH6/main/) |
| Music | Harris Jayaraj; soundtrack released 25 December 2015 by Edivo, total length 22:15[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) |
| Runtime | 118 minutes; some databases list 1h 58m or 2h 25m[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) • [7](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu) |
| Tax case | Denied exemption by a state viewing committee; the Madras High Court ruled in February 2016 that "Gethu" is a Tamil word and ordered the exemption[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/06/gethu-is-tamil-word-give-tax-relief-889097.html) |
| Streaming | Available on Sun Nxt[8](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/gethu/UXiJi6L5QKoa6YHwSr4MH6/showtimes/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film opens with a renegade sniper named Craig (Vikranth), who assassinates an army officer from long range and is then given a new assignment by a traitor (Avinash): kill an ISRO scientist named Abdul Kamaal (Sharad Haksar) within 30 days.[7](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu) The story then shifts to the hill town of Kambam, where the physical education teacher Thulasi Raman ([Sathyaraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/sathyaraj)) lives peacefully with his son Sethu (Udhayanidhi Stalin), a librarian, his wife (Pragathi), and a daughter.[7](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu)
Sethu meets Nandhini (Amy Jackson), a kleptomaniac who steals books from the library, and after a few altercations the two fall in love.[7](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu) Thulasi Raman complains about a bar owner named Kandhan (Mime Gopi) whose shop troubles the school, and in the ensuing fight Sethu bashes up the goons.[7](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu) When Kandhan's corpse is pulled from a waterfall with Thulasi Raman's ring in its hand, the police arrest the father, and Sethu sets out to clear his father's name and find the real killer.[7](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu) The two plotlines, the father-son bond and the sniper's mission, converge as Sethu takes on the hitman.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/17/gethu-review-its-mildly-pleasant-to-watch-869867.html)
## Production and release
Thirukumaran, who had directed *Maan Karate* (2014), wrote and directed the film as his second project.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gethu/gethu-review.html) The team, including Udhayanidhi Stalin, Amy Jackson, Vikranth, and Karunakaran, shot important scenes in Goa for about a month, and the talkie portions were completed by late September 2015, with three songs left to shoot.[10](https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/news/gethu-team-wraps-up-talkie-portions/) Vikranth played a gray-shaded role for the first time in his career.[10](https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/news/gethu-team-wraps-up-talkie-portions/)
**Release schedule.** The film was initially planned for 18 December 2015 but was postponed because of the floods in Chennai, and the audio launch was set for 25 December.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/udhayanidhis-gethu-joins-pongal-race/articleshow/50307570.cms) It was then confirmed for the Pongal race, joining Vishal's *Kathakali*, Sivakarthikeyan's *Rajini Murugan*, and Bala's *Tharai Thappatai*.[11](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/udhayanidhis-gethu-joins-pongal-race/articleshow/50307570.cms) The Censor Board cleared it with a clean U certificate in early January 2016, and it reached screens on 14 January 2016.[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/udhayanidhis-gethu-censored/articleshow/50509826.cms) The satellite telecast rights of the official premiere were sold to Sun TV.[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81)
## The title and the tax exemption case
[Tamil Nadu](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-nadu) grants entertainment tax exemption to films with Tamil titles, and a viewing committee recommends the exemptions.[12](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2016/Jan/22/is-gethu-really-a-tamil-word-872109.html) The committee rejected *Gethu*'s application on the ground that the title was not a proper Tamil word, and Udhayanidhi Stalin announced he would contest the decision, posting a dictionary page showing the word's meaning.[12](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2016/Jan/22/is-gethu-really-a-tamil-word-872109.html) • [13](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/news/2016/udhayanidhi-stalin-to-file-case-against-tax-exemption-committee-gethu-212240.html)
In the [Madras High Court](https://www.edgepedia.org/madras-high-court), senior counsel P Wilson, appearing for Red Giant Movies, cited Arunagirinathar's *Thiruppugazh* to argue that the word means "proud", and produced two dictionaries compiled by professors who head Tamil departments, in which "gethu" stands for proud or hearty.[12](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2016/Jan/22/is-gethu-really-a-tamil-word-872109.html) The state government countered that the word, though used by Tamil people, was colloquial and could not be equated with a Tamil word, arguing it was a Kannada word and that the *Thiruppugazh* itself contains many words from other languages.[14](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/02/gethu-colloquial-can%E2%80%99t-be-treated-as-tamil-says-government-887358.html)
**Court ruling.** In February 2016, Justice M Duraiswamy set aside the government's refusal, observing that "Gethu" is a Tamil word: it appears in the *Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Tamil Language* published by the Directorate of Tamil Etymological Dictionary Project, and all six viewing committee members had themselves written the movie's name as "Gethu" in Tamil in their individual recommendations.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/06/gethu-is-tamil-word-give-tax-relief-889097.html) The judge also reasoned that if a word is non-Tamil because it starts with "G" rather than "K", then "Tamil" itself, actually pronounced "Thamizh", could not be considered a Tamil word.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/06/gethu-is-tamil-word-give-tax-relief-889097.html) The court directed the Commercial Taxes department to grant the exemption from the release date of 14 January 2016 and to refund the tax already collected.[3](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/06/gethu-is-tamil-word-give-tax-relief-889097.html)
## Music
[Harris Jayaraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/harris-jayaraj) composed the soundtrack and background score, and Edivo released the album on 25 December 2015; it runs 22:15.[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) [Behindwoods](https://www.edgepedia.org/behindwoods) rated the album 2.5 out of 5.[1](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81) In its film review, Behindwoods called the tracks functional, said the songs were out of sync with the proceedings, and noted that the action sequences were well choreographed.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gethu/gethu-review.html) The lyricists were G Praba, Gana Vinoth, and Thamarai.[15](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/16988/tamil/gethu/cast-and-crew/)
## Reception
**Critical response.** The Times of India gave the film 2.5 out of 5, writing that the director "has the essentials for a high-concept thriller, but falters in execution"; its users' rating was 2.3 out of 5.[16](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/gethu/movie-review/50612095.cms) Behindwoods' verdict was "Exemplary visuals, but less than moderately engaging", praising M Sukumar's cinematography while finding the story predictable and the writing weak.[2](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gethu/gethu-review.html) The New Indian Express called it "at the most a mildly pleasant watch", noting Vikranth's stylish hitman and the night-shot encounter between Sethu, his father, and the killer as one of the better scenes.[9](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/17/gethu-review-its-mildly-pleasant-to-watch-869867.html)
**Audience scores and box office.** IMDb lists a rating of 3.9 out of 10 from 564 votes, and [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow) shows 5.3 out of 10 from more than 2,100 votes.[17](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5332522/) • [18](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/chennai/gethu/ET00029964/user-reviews) [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo) records a worldwide gross of $373, all from international markets.[19](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5332522/credits/) The film later became available for streaming on Sun Nxt.[8](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/gethu/UXiJi6L5QKoa6YHwSr4MH6/showtimes/)
## References
1. [கெத்து - தமிழர்விக்கி (Tamil wiki)](https://wiki1.tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%81)
2. [Gethu (aka) Geththu review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gethu/gethu-review.html)
3. ['Gethu is Tamil Word, Give Tax Relief', The New Indian Express, 6 February 2016](https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/06/gethu-is-tamil-word-give-tax-relief-889097.html)
4. [Udhayanidhi's 'Gethu' censored, Times of India, 9 January 2016](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/udhayanidhis-gethu-censored/articleshow/50509826.cms)
5. [Thirukumaran - TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/crew/8287/thirukumaran)
6. [Gethu Movie, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/gethu/UXiJi6L5QKoa6YHwSr4MH6/main/)
7. [Gethu (2016) - TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/5908/2016-gethu)
8. [Gethu Showtimes Near Me, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/gethu/UXiJi6L5QKoa6YHwSr4MH6/showtimes/)
9. [Gethu Review: It's Mildly Pleasant to Watch, The New Indian Express, 17 January 2016](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2016/Jan/17/gethu-review-its-mildly-pleasant-to-watch-869867.html)
10. [Gethu Team Wraps Up Talkie Portions, Silverscreen India, 29 September 2015](https://silverscreenindia.com/movies/news/gethu-team-wraps-up-talkie-portions/)
11. [Udhayanidhi's 'Gethu' joins Pongal race, Times of India, 24 December 2015](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/udhayanidhis-gethu-joins-pongal-race/articleshow/50307570.cms)
12. [Is 'Gethu' Really a Tamil Word?, The New Indian Express, 22 January 2016](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/states/tamil-nadu/2016/Jan/22/is-gethu-really-a-tamil-word-872109.html)
13. [Udhayanidhi Stalin Will File A Case Against The Tax Exemption Committee, Filmibeat, 18 January 2016](https://www.filmibeat.com/tamil/news/2016/udhayanidhi-stalin-to-file-case-against-tax-exemption-committee-gethu-212240.html)
14. [Gethu Colloquial, Can't be Treated as Tamil, Says Government, The New Indian Express, 2 February 2016](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/chennai/2016/Feb/02/gethu-colloquial-can%E2%80%99t-be-treated-as-tamil-says-government-887358.html)
15. [Gethu Cast and Crew, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/16988/tamil/gethu/cast-and-crew/)
16. [Gethu Movie Review {2.5/5}, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/gethu/movie-review/50612095.cms)
17. [Gethu (2016) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5332522/)
18. [Gethu User Reviews, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/chennai/gethu/ET00029964/user-reviews)
19. [Gethu (2016) - Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt5332522/credits/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2010s › Tamil action and thriller films of the 2010s › Titles symbols to K*
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