Penrose Peak (Wyoming)

Penrose Peak is a mountain in the Bighorn Mountains of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, United States. Like Mount Penrose in British Columbia, Canada, it was named for Senator Boies Penrose of Pennsylvania, who was an avid outdoorsman and went on hunting expeditions in this area.

"Aaranya Kaandam" is named after one of the chapters from the epic Ramayana meaning "Jungle Chapter". It is supposedly the first "neo-noir" film in Tamil cinema and influenced by films like "Traffic" and "Pulp Fiction". Thiagarajan Kumararaja said that his inspiration behind making a gangster film was revealed to be "The Godfather" as well as the thought of "how someone becomes a gangster and continues to be one", clarifying that "Aaranya Kaandam" was not a biography or history of a gangster but "a page out of the life of a gangster". The film's poster was inspired by a panel in "Akira", a widely popular Japanese post-apocalyptic cyber-punk manga series.
Music.
Yuvan Shankar Raja was signed as the music director, who was working on a gangster film again after the likes of "Pattiyal" and "Pudhupettai". Kumararaja divulged that he actually hadn't anyone in mind, but joined with Yuvan Shankar, following producer Charan's recommendation, who shared a "good working relationship" with the composer. Initially a soundtrack was also planned to be composed, with Gangai Amaran being roped in to pen lyrics, however Charan disclosed later that the film would feature no songs at all, becoming Yuvan Shankar Raja's second film project after "Adhu" without a soundtrack. Charan told that the background music of this film will be released on CD's which eventually proved false. The song "Moodupanikkul" from "Thirudan Police" (2014) was originally composed for this film.
Release.
The film was first screened on 30 October 2010 at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York City. The film was incomplete at that time, with post-production works pending, and a low-quality version without colour correction and without a film score was projected at the festival. Despite the drawbacks, the film gained positive feedbacks and went on to win the Grand Jury prize for Best Film.
After completion, the film was screened to the regional censor board in Chennai, who declined to clear it. The committee had demanded 52 cuts and several consequential sub-cuts, particularly due to profanity and excessive violence, before permitting a theatrical release. Kumararaja, who admitted that he had expected difficulties in the censorship, disapproved of the board's demands as he wanted to present the film uncompromisingly to the audiences. He claimed that the usage of "bad language" was "part of developing the characters" in his story, while he also disagreed with bleeping out the "objectionable" words since he felt "it throws audiences off the film's narrative". Producer Charan voiced the same opinion, citing that he had made the film for a "mature audience", took the film to the Central Tribunal at Delhi.
Critical response.
"Aaranya Kaandam" opened to strong critical acclaim. "The India Daily" lauded the director and the producer for making a "strikingly different film that is raw, realistic and is just like watching angry men up close", further adding that "picturizing crude realities of life so real needs amazing guts". The leading actors, particularly Jackie Shroff and Sampath, were appreciated for their performances, being labeled as "perfect", while film score and cinematography were praised as well, citing that "Yuvan Shankar Raja deserves all accolades for a fantastic re-recording" and that "Vinod's lens captures the darker sides of city life well". "Rediff"s Pavithra Srinivasan gave the film 3 out of 5, claiming that film "bypasses gangster clichés". The reviewer also spoke in high terms of the cast and crew, pointing out Guru Somasundaram's performance whose "gleeful cackles at the rooster fight, pathetic rumblings to his son and wide-eyed act in the Lodge are wonderful to behold" and Yuvan Shankar Raja's score, described as "easily [one of] the movie's biggest strengths". "Behindwoods" claimed the film to be an "intelligently made gangster flick", giving it 3.5 out of 5. Director Kumararaja was praised for that having structured "every frame and character in his film with brilliant dexterity", adding that the manner of narration and screen play was "commendable", while also acknowledging aspects such as dialogues, music and cinematography. "Sify"s reviewer appreciated Kumararaja for "taking the road less travelled", however criticised the large amount of violence in the film, terming it the "most violent and bloody film ever to get through Chennai regional censors". In regard to the performances of the cast, he cited that the best performance came from Sampath, who "just smirks throughout the film", while claiming that Yasmin was "fantastic in her début role".
"NDTV"s critic described the film as a "gangster movie which stands out with its realistic portrayal and no-nonsense treatment", further adding that "good performances, effective dialogues, slick editing and amazing camera-work help the movie stand out from the crowd". A reviewer from "Chennaionline" wrote that the film was made "near-perfect" featuring "some stunning performances, sharp dialogues and excellent camera work and music". Jackie Shroff and P. S. Vinod, in particular, won high praise from the critic, who wrote that the former "proves his class" and "shines in the don’s role", while they had done a "terrific job and should be considered a major factor for the film’s success at the box-office". N. Venkateswaran from "Times of India" rated the film 4.5 out of 5 (the highest rating for any Tamil film ever), while "The Hindustan Times" critic Gautaman Bhaskaran gave 3.5 out of 5. Rohit Ramachandran of "nowrunning.com", too, rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stating that "Aaranya Kaandam is a neo-noir film that runs at breakneck speed only to be slowed down and stopped at an unwelcome destination. But why think of the destination when the journey is one that you've thoroughly enjoyed?" Baradwaj Rangan commended the film, citing that "with most mainstream films, especially in Tamil, you know some fifteen minutes in if they’re working for you (or not) [...] But there are a few that leave you hanging until almost the end [...], and then, gradually, things begin to cohere and reshape your entire thus-far experience, and you slap your forehead and smile and say, "wow"! This is one of those films."
Accolades.
"Aaranya Kaandam" appeared on many top ten or top five lists of the best films of 2011.