# Jiivi (ஜீவி)
**Jiivi** (ஜீவி) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language mystery thriller film directed by V. J. Gopinath and written by Babu Tamizh, starring Vetri as Saravanan, a clever but impoverished young man who steals from his landlady's house and then finds his life entangled with hers through a series of strange coincidences.[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/jiivi-release-confirmed/142287/story.htm) • [2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jiivi-movie-116023) It was released in theaters on 28 June 2019 and later became the first part of a franchise continued by *Jiivi 2* (2022).[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/jiivi-release-confirmed/142287/story.htm) • [3](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-08-31.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 28 June 2019, Tamil language, theatrical release in India[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/jiivi-release-confirmed/142287/story.htm) |
| Director and writer | V. J. Gopinath (directorial debut); story and screenplay by Babu Tamizh[4](https://cinematrace.com/2019/06/27/jiivi-2019/) • [5](https://letterboxd.com/film/jiivi/details/) |
| Lead cast | Vetri as Saravanan, Karunakaran as Mani, Rohini as Lakshmi, Mime Gopi as Kathir, Monica Chinnakotla as Anandhi[6](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jiivi) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10556036/) |
| Runtime and certificate | 122 minutes; certified U[5](https://letterboxd.com/film/jiivi/details/) |
| Production | Produced by M. Vellapandian for Vetrivel Saravana Cinemas; music by Sundaramurthy K. S.; cinematography by Praveen Kumar; editing by Praveen K. L.[8](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/22796/tamil/jiivi/cast-and-crew/) |
| Audience rating | 7.7/10 on IMDb from about 2,100 votes[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10556036/) |
| Sequel | *Jiivi 2*, premiered on the OTT platform Aha Tamil in 2022; a third part was announced[3](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-08-31.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and plot
Saravanan (Vetri) is a school dropout who believes that practical knowledge matters more than formal education, and he reads widely and tests out theories on his own.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/26/the-power-of-the-mind-12563.html) • [10](https://www.aha.video/movie/jiivi-tamil) He lives with his friend Mani (Karunakaran) in a small rented house in Chennai, and the two work menial jobs while struggling with poverty.[10](https://www.aha.video/movie/jiivi-tamil) After a failed romance, Saravanan decides to steal from his landlady's house out of desperation.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jiivi-movie-116023)
The heist succeeds, and Saravanan frames a neighbor he dislikes for the crime.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jiivi-movie-116023) What follows is the film's central idea: odd coincidences begin to connect events in Saravanan's family with events in the landlady's, and he comes to see his own actions as echoes from the past.[2](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jiivi-movie-116023) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jiivi) The Aha synopsis describes the concept as synchronicity, a pattern of numbers and dates that Saravanan believes links his life to a book he read about a man who escaped death by chance, pushing him to try to outsmart fate.[10](https://www.aha.video/movie/jiivi-tamil) A review in *Cinema Express* noted that the film introduces a theory called "thodarbiyal" to define how karma works, and that karma, rather than divine justice, governs the story's outcomes.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Jun/28/jiivi-movie-review-vetri-karunakaran-12610.html)
### Sequel and franchise
A sequel, *Jiivi 2*, premiered directly on the OTT platform Aha Tamil in 2022, reuniting Vetri, Karunakaran, and Ashwini Chandrashekar under Gopinath's direction, and it continued the "triangle theory" established in the first film.[3](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-08-31.pdf) • [15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8G2h6bILKQ) In August 2022, Gopinath told IANS that a third part would definitely happen, saying he had left several plot leads in the second part's script to develop into *Jiivi 3*, and that he would begin work only when convinced of every aspect of the script.[3](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-08-31.pdf)
The first film remains widely available: as of late 2026 it streams on aha in India and can be rented or bought on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, and YouTube, and a Hindi-dubbed version circulates on Zee5.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/jiivi) • [17](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/jiivi/0-0-1z5285390)
## Production
Director VJ Gopinath said his inspiration came from noticing that the mind often strays from the work it is engaged in while reading books; he built a premise from that thought and narrated it to his friend Babu Tamizh, who wrote the screenplay and dialogues.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/26/the-power-of-the-mind-12563.html) Gopinath also said he believes success cannot be equated to education, a idea embodied in the protagonist.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/26/the-power-of-the-mind-12563.html)
The film was produced by M. Vella Pandian of Vetrivel Saravana Cinemas, with music composed by Sundaramurthy K. S., cinematography by Praveen Kumar, and editing by Praveen K. L.[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/jiivi-release-confirmed/142287/story.htm) It was shot in Chennai, Theni, and [Pondicherry](https://www.edgepedia.org/pondicherry).[1](https://www.nowrunning.com/jiivi-release-confirmed/142287/story.htm) Before release, Gopinath said the film, which avoided routine commercial elements, had to settle for fewer screens than expected.[9](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/26/the-power-of-the-mind-12563.html)
## Reception
Critical response was favorable on the writing and more mixed on the execution. M Suganth of *The Times of India* gave 3.5 out of 5, calling Saravanan one of the more interesting lead characters in [Tamil cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/tamil-cinema) in recent years and noting that the film neither worships nor demonizes him.[13](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/jiivi/movie-review/69965383.cms) *Cinema Express* rated it 3 out of 5, praising Babu Tamizh's dialogues as among the year's best and calling the film a competent thriller, while criticizing a forced love angle and its accompanying song.[12](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Jun/28/jiivi-movie-review-vetri-karunakaran-12610.html) *Deccan Chronicle* described it as a highly engaging thriller-mystery with quirky dialogues and unusual time scales.[14](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290619/jiivi-movie-review-a-quirky-thriller-with-solid-writing-worth-a-watch.html) On IMDb the film holds a 7.7/10 rating from about 2,100 users.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10556036/)
## References
1. [‘Jiivi' release confirmed, Nowrunning (17 June 2019)](https://www.nowrunning.com/jiivi-release-confirmed/142287/story.htm)
2. [Jiivi Movie (2019), Gadgets 360](https://www.gadgets360.com/entertainment/jiivi-movie-116023)
3. [Director VJ Gopinath says 'Jiivi 3 will definitely happen', The Pioneer (31 August 2022)](https://www.dailypioneer.com/uploads/2022/epaper/august/vijayawada-english-edition-2022-08-31.pdf)
4. [Jiivi (2019), Cinema Trace (27 June 2019)](https://cinematrace.com/2019/06/27/jiivi-2019/)
5. [Jiivi (2019), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/jiivi/details/)
6. [Jiivi streaming, JustWatch (US)](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/jiivi)
7. [Jiivi (2019), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10556036/)
8. [Jiivi Cast and Crew, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/22796/tamil/jiivi/cast-and-crew/)
9. [The power of the mind, Cinema Express interview with VJ Gopinath (26 June 2019)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/stories/interviews/2019/Jun/26/the-power-of-the-mind-12563.html)
10. [Watch Jiivi Tamil Movie Online, Aha](https://www.aha.video/movie/jiivi-tamil)
11. [Jiivi, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jiivi)
12. [Jiivi Movie Review: Commercial compromises weigh down this well-written thriller, Cinema Express (28 June 2019)](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/reviews/tamil/2019/Jun/28/jiivi-movie-review-vetri-karunakaran-12610.html)
13. [Jiivi Movie Review {3.5/5}, The Times of India (M Suganth, 27 June 2019)](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/jiivi/movie-review/69965383.cms)
14. [Jiivi movie review: A quirky thriller with solid writing worth a watch, Deccan Chronicle (29 June 2019)](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/290619/jiivi-movie-review-a-quirky-thriller-with-solid-writing-worth-a-watch.html)
15. [Jiivi 2 (2022) full movie listing, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8G2h6bILKQ)
16. [Jiivi streaming, JustWatch (India)](https://www.justwatch.com/in/movie/jiivi)
17. [Jiivi, Zee5 (Hindi-dubbed version)](https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/jiivi/0-0-1z5285390)
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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*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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