Sembi (செம்பி) is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language adventure drama film directed by Prabhu Solomon. The film stars Nila, Kovai Sarala, and Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan, along with Thambi Ramaiah, Nanjil Sampath, and Pala. Karuppiah in supporting roles. The music was composed by Nivas K. Prasanna with cinematography by M. Jeevan and editing by Buvan. The film released theatrically on 30 December 2022 to highly positive reviews from critics.
| Sembi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Prabhu Solomon |
| Written by | Prabhu Solomon |
| Produced by | R. Ravindran Ajmal Khan Reyaa |
| Starring | Nila Kovai Sarala Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan |
| Cinematography | M. Jeevan |
| Edited by | Buvan |
| Music by | Nivas K. Prasanna |
Production companies | Trident Arts AR Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Red Giant Movies |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
edit10-year-old Sembi (Nila) and her grandmother Veerathayi (Kovai Sarala), an apiarist, live peacefully amidst nature in the hilly regions of Kodaikanal. They lead a beautiful life until three influential miscreants - Mathivendhan (Jickson), Akshay (Yasar), and Surya (Suryaprakash) - gang rape Sembi and shatter all their dreams. When a police officer chokes Sembi and forces Veerathayi to withdraw the case after finding out the criminal is the minister's son, the latter has no other option but to thrash the officer very badly, and he ends up in a coma. The two escape and board a bus called Anbu, which is on its way from Kodaikanal to Dindigul. All 24 passengers on the bus, who are from different walks of life, thwart all the political interventions and are guided by a lawyer (Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan). They help Veerathayi and the innocent Sembi get justice through the enactment of the POCSO Act (2012). Veerathayi and Sembi win the case, and the three criminals get life imprisonment till death. While giving a glimpse of the journey of the passengers aboard the Anbu bus, the film professes "Love thy Neighbor as Love thyself".
Cast
edit- Nila as Sembi
- Kovai Sarala as Veerathayi
- Ashwin Kumar Lakshmikanthan as Lawyer
- Thambi Ramaiah as Anbu
- Nanjil Sampath as Ezhilvendan
- Pala. Karuppiah as Adhiyamaan
- G. Gnanasambandam as Judge
- Bharathi Kannan as Professor
- Jickson as Mathivendhan
- Yasar as Akshay
- Suryaprakash as Surya
- Akash as Masilamani
- Andrews as White Dog
- Victor Prabhakar
- Mullai Arasi
- Shiv Aditya
- Vijayalakshmi Veeramani
Production
editMost of the scenes in the film were majorly shot near Kodaikanal.[1]
Music
editThe music of the film was composed by Nivas K. Prasanna, which marks his first collaboration with the director.[2] The first single titled "Aathi En Mela" was released on 28 October 2022.[3]
| Sembi | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2022 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 22:51 | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Label | Saregama | |||
| Producer | Nivas K. Prasanna | |||
| Nivas K. Prasanna chronology | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aathi En Mela" | Prabhu Solomon | Vandana Srinivasan | 4:33 |
| 2. | "Yaarukum Yaaru Mela" | Prabhu Solomon | Nivas K. Prasanna, Darini Hariharan, Prabhu Solomon | 3:35 |
| 3. | "Ennatha Naa" | Prabhu Solomon | Nivas K. Prasanna, Vandana Srinivasan | 3:54 |
| 4. | "Uyiragi" | Prabhu Solomon, Nithin Menon | Nivas K. Prasanna | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Kammangkoozhu Karuvadu" | Ilaya Kamban | Velmurugan, MK Balaji | 3:15 |
| 6. | "Theru Theruva" | Kutti Revathi | VM Mahalingam | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 22:51 | |||
Release
editTheatrical
editThe film was released worldwide in theatres on 30 December 2022 alongside Trisha’s starrer Raangi.[4][5] The trailer of the film was released on 16 December 2022.[6]
Home media
editThe post-theatrical streaming rights of the film has been sold to ZEE5, while the satellite rights of the film is sold to Zee Tamil.[7][8] However, the digital and satellite rights were later changed to Disney + Hotstar and Star Vijay. The film had its digital premiere on Disney + Hotstar from 3 February 2023.[9]
Reception
editLogesh Balachandran of The Times of India gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Kovai Sarala's intense performance is a treat to watch. She has done great justice to the role and carries the film on her shoulders".[10] Bhuvanesh Chander of The Hindu wrote "Despite all the fumbles, Prabhu manages to leave you with hope. To the vulnerable sections of society, he assures them that they are not alone, and to the rest of us, he asks us to look out for others".[11] Senthilraja R of News18 wrote "It makes it seem like the song is not being focused on because the story should be given importance".[12] Saradha U of The News Minute gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Makers of Sembi briefly focus on how sexual abuse is politicised and how it hardly benefits the survivors".[13] Navein Darshan of Cinema Express gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Nivas Prasanna fills in the shoes of Prabhu's regular composer Imman and he delivers a remarkable background score that almost compensates for the forgettable songs".[14] Dhanushya of ABP Live gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Overall, Sembi is a film that gives voice to the voiceless".[15] Khalillulah of Hindu Tamil Thisai wrote "On the whole, Prabhu Salomon's Sembi, who intends to transmit the intense pain by committing sexual violence against girls, is stymied by some obstacles".[16] A critic for Cinema Vikatan wrote "That's why the POCSO court trial shown in the climax and the vibe it gives passes without much of a shock to us."[17] Sakshi Post gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Sembi is a movie worth a watch."[18] A critic for Behindwoods rated the film 2.75 out of 5 and wrote "Kovai Sarala's performance and a hopeful message make Sembi a film worth your money."[19] Thinkal Menon of OTT Play gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Watch it for the earnest performance of Kovai Sarala, arresting cinematography and sincere attempt at handling a sensitive topic."[20] A critic for India Herald wrote "Applause is due to the makeup artist and costume designer for bringing some realism to the screen."[21]
References
edit- ^ "Kovai Sarala: What I wish never happens, but 'Sembi' fulfilled a long-time dream". The Hindu. 27 December 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- ^ "'Sembi will be a wholesome entertainer'". DT Next. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Aathi En Mela (From "Sembi") Songs Download". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "'Djinn', 'Sembi', 'Raangi' & More: South Films to Watch This New Year's Weekend". The Quint. 29 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Prabhu Solomon's Sembi gets a release date". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Prabhu Solomon's Sembi gets a new trailer". Cinema Express. 16 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi: THIS leading OTT platform has bagged the digital rights of Prabu Solomon's social drama". OTT Play. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2022.
- ^ "OTT Streaming Updates on Twitter: Digital Rights Of Today's Releases: #Raangi - Sunnxt #Sembi - Zee5 #DriverJamuna - Aha". Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Upcoming Tamil movies, series releasing on OTT in 2023 – Netflix, Prime Video, Zee5, Hotstar, SonyLIV and aha". OTTPlay. 26 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 June 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ^ "Sembi Movie Review : Grand visuals and neat performances make Sembi a worthy ride". The Times of India. 29 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "'Sembi' movie review: Prabhu Solomon's imperfect film has a hopeful story". The Hindu. 29 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi Movie Review: பாலியல் வன்கொடுமை செய்யப்பட்ட பேத்தி... நீதிக்காக போராடும் பாட்டி - செம்பி பட விமர்சனம்!". News18 (in Tamil). 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi review: Kovai Sarala stars in a powerful but flawed film on child sexual abuse". The News Minute. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi Movie Review: Inested performances save this tried and tested story". Cinema Express. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi Review: நடிப்பில் மிரட்டிய கோவை சரளா.. அநீதிக்கு குரல் கொடுத்ததா 'செம்பி'? - விரிவான விமர்சனம் இங்கே!". ABP Nadu (in Tamil). 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "செம்பி Review: முத்திரை பதித்த கோவை சரளா... மற்றவை எப்படி?". Hindu Tamil Thisai. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "செம்பி விமர்சனம்: எடுத்துக்கொண்ட களமும் மெசேஜும் ஓகே; ஆனால் அதை அணுகிய விதத்தில் இத்தனை சிக்கல்களா?". Cinema Vikatan (in Tamil). 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi Movie Review: Kovai Sarala Delivers Spellbinding Performance". Sakshi Post. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 30 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "SEMBI MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods. 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
- ^ "Sembi movie review: Kovai Sarala, Ashwin Kumar stand out in this decently engaging drama with minor flaws". OTT Play. 30 December 2022. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Sembi Movie Review - Kovai Sarala deserves All the Awards". India Herald. 31 December 2022. Archived from the original on 1 January 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2023.