Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 23, 2026

Vathikuchi

Vathikuchi (transl. Matchstick) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by newcomer P. Kinslin and produced by AR Murugadoss in association with Fox Star Studios. The film stars Dileepan, the younger brother of Murugadoss, in his acting debut and Anjali, while Jayaprakash, Sampath Raj and Jagan appear in supporting roles. The film, which has music composed by Ghibran, released on 15 March 2013.

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Jun 23, 2026
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Vathikuchi
Theatrical release poster
Directed byP. Kinslin
Written byP. Kinslin
Produced byA. R. Murugadoss
StarringDileepan
Anjali
CinematographyR. B. Gurudev
Edited byPraveen K. L.
N. B. Srikanth
Music byGhibran
Production
companies
AR Murugadoss Productions
Fox Star Studios
Release date
  • 15 March 2013 (2013-03-15)
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Vathikuchi (transl. Matchstick) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by newcomer P. Kinslin and produced by AR Murugadoss in association with Fox Star Studios. The film stars Dileepan, the younger brother of Murugadoss, in his acting debut and Anjali, while Jayaprakash, Sampath Raj and Jagan appear in supporting roles.1 The film, which has music composed by Ghibran, released on 15 March 2013.

Plot

Sakthi is an auto rickshaw driver, who is in love with his neighbour, Leena. His life changes when he runs into three dangerous criminals who want him dead.

Cast

Production

The film was first announced in January when it was revealed that Murugadoss's brother Dileepan would make his debut as an actor in a venture to be co-produced by Fox Star Studios.23 The title Vathikuchi was derived from the song "Vathikuchi Pathikadhuda" from Murugadoss's directorial debut Dheena (2001).4 After winning accolades for her performance in Engaeyum Eppothum, Anjali was signed up by Murugadoss as the lead actress.3

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Ghibran. The audio launch was held on 13 February 2013.56 The song "Kanna Kanna" is set in Mishra Gara, a Hindustani raga.7 In a music review, Karthik of Milliblog wrote, "After an impressive debut like Vaagai Sooda Vaa, this is a fantastic sophomore effort from this talented composer!"8

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Kuru Kuru"Na. MuthukumarSundar Narayana Rao04:30
2."Amma Wake Me Up"Pa. Vijay, ShabirShruthi Ravi, Anitha Karthikeyan, Shabir04:28
3."Kanna Kanna"ArivumathiSundar Narayana Rao04:54
4."Ari Unnai"YugabharathiShabir, Saisharan04:11
5."Theme Music" (instrumental)––03:45
Total length:21:48

Marketing and release

Because the lead character is an auto rickshaw driver, the makers of Vathikuchi promoted the film through auto rickshaws. At least four or five branded auto rickshaws would travel through Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Coimbatore for promoting the film. Vathikuchi was released on 15 March 2013.9

Critical reception

Vivek Ramz from in.com rated it 3 out of 5 and stated that Vathikuchi is more brawny than brainy. He added that Director Kinslin shows promise in his debut film with different treatment for this somewhat clichéd story. His way of storytelling is realistic at times with very grounded level approach towards a common man issue. The problem with the film is that he has introduced too many characters and made few simple situations more complex which works at times and at other times backfired. Finally concluding that it's not a bad film at all and can be watched once!10 Karthik Subramanian of The Hindu wrote that the film "is not so much bad in the way it is executed but the story just gets progressively mind-numbingly stupid".11 Sify wrote, "Vathikuchi directed by P Kinslin is half baked and has too many plot holes. However, the first half of the film is quite entertaining, but post interval the film drags and a forced climax makes the debutant hero larger- than- life which sticks out like a sore thumb".12

Box office

Vathikuchi opened at second place at the Chennai box office and Sify said it had an "above average opening", performing well mainly in single-screen theatres.13 In the second week of its release it remained at the same rank and was said not to be performing well in multiplexes when compared to single screens.14 By early April 2013, the film was at fourth, and Sify considered it an "average" performer.15

References

References

  1. "Anjali plays tough". The Times of India. 7 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  2. "Murugadoss' brother debuts as an actor". The Times of India. 2012. Archived from the original on 4 August 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2014.
  3. Suganth, M (5 January 2012). "Murugadoss ropes in Anjali again!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  4. IndiaGlitz Tamil (18 March 2013). Vathikuchi Team Interview | Anjali, AR Murugadoss (in Tamil). Event occurs at 1:15. Archived from the original on 8 February 2025. Retrieved 8 February 2025 – via YouTube.
  5. "Vijay launches Vathikuchi audio". The Times of India. 14 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  6. Kumar, S. R. Ashok (23 February 2013). "Will it set the box office on fire?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 June 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  7. Easwaran, S.B. (7 June 2013). "Sundar Narayana Rao". Outlook. Archived from the original on 13 June 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  8. Karthik (13 February 2013). "Vathikuchi (Music review), Tamil – Ghibran". Milliblog. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013.
  9. "Wacky promotional strategy for 'Vathikuchi'". The New Indian Express. IANS. 12 March 2013. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  10. Ramz, Vivek (18 March 2013). "Tamil movie review: Vathikuchi is more brawny than brainy!". In.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  11. Subramanian, Karthik (16 March 2013). "Vathikuchi: Where is the spark?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  12. "Vathikuchi". Sify. Archived from the original on 21 January 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  13. "Chennai Box-Office (March 15 to 17)". Sify. Archived from the original on 28 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  14. "Chennai Box-Office (March 22 to 24)". Sify. 25 March 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  15. "Chennai Box-Office – Mar 29 to 31". Sify. 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
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