Bogan (film)
A body-swapping thriller between a cop and a thief.
Bogan (meaning "Hedonist" or "Pleasure seeker") is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language supernatural action thriller film. It was written and directed by Lakshman, and produced by Prabhu Deva and Ganesh. The lead roles are played by Aravind Swamy and Ravi Mohan (credited as Jayam Ravi), with supporting performances from Hansika Motwani, Akshara Gowda, Nassar, Ponvannan, and Naren. The plot follows an honest police officer named Vikram (Ravi Mohan) and a thief with special powers named Aditya (Swamy), who swap bodies.
Production began in March 2016, and the film was released on 2 February 2017. The music was composed by D. Imman. Reviews were positive, with praise directed at the cast’s performances—especially those of Swamy and Ravi—as well as the story narration and Imman’s music. However, the climax received criticism.
**Plot**
ACP Vikram IPS is an upright police officer living in Chennai with his parents, elder sister, and brother-in-law. His family arranges his marriage to Mahalakshmi. Vikram works with Inspectors Sathya, Akshara, and his best friend Prasad. He is assigned to track Aadhithya Maravarman, a prince and cunning thief who has grown wealthy by robbing jewelry and banks. Aadhithya is a charming playboy involved in drug trading and prostitution. He obtains an ancient manuscript that allows him to astral project by looking into people’s eyes. Vikram’s father is framed for one of Aadhithya’s thefts, and Vikram vows to catch him. He befriends Aadhithya, gets him drunk, and arrests him.
During interrogation, Prasad is killed by Sathya, whose body Aadhithya has taken over. When Vikram tries to shoot Aadhithya in anger, Aadhithya enters Vikram’s unconscious body and begins impersonating him. Aadhithya, now in Vikram’s form, claims Sathya killed Prasad out of personal vengeance. At Vikram’s home, Aadhithya meets Maha and makes unwanted advances, which she dismisses as playful romance. He soon shifts focus to revenge on Vikram. Meanwhile, Vikram, trapped in Aadhithya’s body, is imprisoned. Aadhithya visits him, mocks him, and reveals his plan to ruin Vikram’s career and take over his life. Vikram swears to punish him.
Vikram convinces Sathya of his true identity and escapes. He calls Commissioner Rajkumar, but Aadhithya overhears and kills the commissioner. Aadhithya also kills Akshara after Sathya tells her the truth. Aadhithya possesses a confession vide
- Release date
- 2 February 2017
- Director
- Lakshman
- Producer
- Prabhu Deva and Ganesh
- Music composer
- D. Imman
- Language
- Tamil
- Genre
- Supernatural action thriller
Lore & Background
Following the commercial success of Romeo Juliet (2015), Lakshman and Ravi Mohan announced they would collaborate again. In August 2015, Prabhu Deva revealed his new film studio would associate with the pair as producer. Lakshman initially wanted Vijay Sethupathi for a second leading role, but his unavailability led to Arvind Swamy being finalized. Hansika Motwani, who starred in Romeo Juliet, joined the team in late 2015. Akshara Gowda joined during the first schedule and revealed she would portray a police officer. Bogan began production in March 2016 with sequences filmed in Chennai and Pondicherry. A song titled 'Damaalu Dumeelu' featuring Ravi Mohan, Akshara Gowda, Varun and Nagendra Prasad was shot first at Binny Mills in Chennai. Most of Romeo Juliet's technical crew, including music director D. Imman, cinematographer Soundararajan, editor Anthony and stunt master Dhilip Subbarayan, were retained.
Reader's Guide
Bogan was released on 2 February 2017 to positive reviews with praise for cast performances (especially Swami and Ravi's performance), story narration and Imman's music, though the climax was criticized. The film faced a controversy in October 2016 when aspiring director Anthony alleged the story belonged to him, claiming he had emailed a copy of his script to co-producer Ganesh. Lakshman criticized Anthony and threatened legal action, and Vikraman of the Director's Association suggested Anthony's claims were false. The film's release was postponed multiple times due to production delays and the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation issue. The satellite rights were sold to Sun TV, and it was dubbed into Hindi in 2018 and premiered on Star Gold. The film ends with Aadhithya surviving and glaring into the screen, paving the way for a sequel.
Did You Know?
- The film's story involves body swapping through astral projection enabled by an ancient manuscript.
- Lakshman initially wanted Vijay Sethupathi for the role later played by Arvind Swamy.
- The film faced a plagiarism allegation from aspiring director Anthony, which was dismissed by the Director's Association.
- The release was postponed multiple times, including due to the 2016 Indian banknote demonetisation.
More in Films about body swapping 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record