Subramaniapuram
Encyclopedia
Subramaniapuram is a 2008 Tamil film produced, written, and directed by M. Sasikumar
. The low budget film received critical acclaim for its original script, expert direction, screenplay, editing, accurate sets and costumes to resurrect Madurai from the 1980s. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai
, Swathi
, Ganja Karuppu
and himself in pivotal roles for the film. Shot in a remarkable eighty five days, the film became a huge box office grosser. Sasikumar is now considered one of the promising young directors in Tamil film industry.
Subramaniapuram was dubbed in Telugu
as Ananthapuram.
The film then moves to 1980 where Azaghar (Jai
), Paraman (M. Sasikumar
), Kaasi (Ganja Karuppu
), Dopa and Dumka, a polio-stricken physically challenged person, are part of a set of close friends, who are unemployed and pass their time drinking liquor and fooling around on the streets opposite the house of an ex-councillor Somu. Kanugu (Samuthirakani
) is his brother. Apart from them the family consists of Somu's wife, their three children including Tulasi (Swathi
) and Tulasi's uncle.
The five friends, particularly Paraman and Azhagu, often end up in jail due to frequent fights they land themselves in. Cops get a call from someone complaining about these friends each time they manage to do something wrong. Every time they are arrested, Kanugu and Somu bail them out immediately. In the meantime, Azhagu and Tulasi develop mutual feelings for each other. Paraman is against his friend developing feelings for a girl and Azhagu not heeding to his friends thoughts throw up quite a few funny scenes.
There are signs of things to come when Somu is not selected in a local Temple's committee for a function. Things take a sudden turn just before intermission when Somu loses his party's councillor post and is ridiculed by his wife for being jobless. This leads Kanugu to lock himself up in a lodge and drink all day. He makes sure the friends hear about him and come to see him. He requests them to murder the person who was chosen for councillor's post ahead of his brother. Azhagu, Paraman and Kaasi hatch a plan and execute the person almost perfectly. The first half ends here with them running away after the murder leaving a cycle behind.
The second half begins with the cops finding out that Paraman and Azhagu have committed the murder with the help of the cycle left behind by them. They surrender themselves before the court hoping that Kanugu will bail them out soon. But they come in for rude shock when they come to know through Kaasi that Somu has been selected for councillor's post and is avoiding their contact. They come to terms with reality and stay helpless in jail where they befriend a fellow inmate. He learns their situation and decides to help them. He bails them out.
The same friend who aided these guys expects a favor from them which is to kill his brother-in-law for murdering his sister. Accomplishing this task, these guys now look out for killing Kanugu who cheated them. In the meantime, Tulasi and Azaghu continue to meet up. This leads to Azhagan almost getting killed by Kanugu's men. The friends strike back killing those men later in the day. A few days later they end up hurting Tulasi's uncle in their bid to kill Kanugu. To save his life from the clutches of these buddies, Kanugu sets a trap for Azhagar using Tulasi as bait and kills him using his henchmen. Paraman takes revenge for his friend's death by decapitating Kanugu and laying his head at his friend's murder site. Paraman then calls to Kasi and reveals how he killed Kanugu, during which he sees Somu's henchmen rushing behind Kasi. Kasi betrays Paraman and leaves him at the mercy of the henchmen.
The story shifts back to the present day where it's revealed the person who was stabbed outside the prison walls is Kasi. He lies in the hospital in critical condition and is being interrogated by a policeman. The doctor intervenes and asks him to leave, after which Dumka comes in and reveals that it is Dopa who stabbed him and then proceeds to remove his air supply and kills him after reminding him of his betrayal.
, a debutant music director when he had many other options, Sasikumar spoke of his apprehension to approach an established music director as he was a debut director himself. 'I was not sure whether they would listen to me and give me what I wanted' he said in an interview. Vasanthan had been Sasikumar's music teacher at St.Peter’s boarding school in Kodaikkanal while he had been a student. Sasikumar approached James with the project and the music became a remarkable success.
. This is the first time a Tamil movie featured a promotional song. (The song does not feature in the movie but has been released to media.)
M. Sasikumar
M. Sasikumar is a Tamil film director, actor and producer. He is best known in the Tamil film industry for his debut film Subramaniapuram...
. The low budget film received critical acclaim for its original script, expert direction, screenplay, editing, accurate sets and costumes to resurrect Madurai from the 1980s. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai
Jai (actor)
Jai is a Tamil film actor. He is best known for his performances and appearances in the films Chennai 600028, Subramaniapuram and Engeyum Eppodhum. He is the nephew of music director Deva. Srikanth Deva is his cousin....
, Swathi
Colours Swathi
Swati Reddy , also known as Colours Swathi, is an Indian film actress and television presenter. Her nickname and fame come from her role in the television show Colours, which was telecasted on the Telugu station Maa TV in Andhra Pradesh...
, Ganja Karuppu
Ganja Karuppu
Ganja Karuppu, born Karuppu Raja, is an Indian film actor who plays comedy roles in Tamil cinema. He has appeared in many well-known Tamil films like Raam , Paruthiveeran , Subramaniyapuram , and Naadodigal...
and himself in pivotal roles for the film. Shot in a remarkable eighty five days, the film became a huge box office grosser. Sasikumar is now considered one of the promising young directors in Tamil film industry.
Subramaniapuram was dubbed in Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
as Ananthapuram.
Plot
The story takes place in Subramaniapuram area of Madurai city.A convict is released from the prison in the year 2008 and is stabbed outside the prison gates....The film then moves to 1980 where Azaghar (Jai
Jai (actor)
Jai is a Tamil film actor. He is best known for his performances and appearances in the films Chennai 600028, Subramaniapuram and Engeyum Eppodhum. He is the nephew of music director Deva. Srikanth Deva is his cousin....
), Paraman (M. Sasikumar
M. Sasikumar
M. Sasikumar is a Tamil film director, actor and producer. He is best known in the Tamil film industry for his debut film Subramaniapuram...
), Kaasi (Ganja Karuppu
Ganja Karuppu
Ganja Karuppu, born Karuppu Raja, is an Indian film actor who plays comedy roles in Tamil cinema. He has appeared in many well-known Tamil films like Raam , Paruthiveeran , Subramaniyapuram , and Naadodigal...
), Dopa and Dumka, a polio-stricken physically challenged person, are part of a set of close friends, who are unemployed and pass their time drinking liquor and fooling around on the streets opposite the house of an ex-councillor Somu. Kanugu (Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani
Samuthirakani is a Tamil film actor and director. He worked as an assistant to director K. Balachander. His 2009 directorial Naadodigal was a runaway hit, which was later remade in three languages. He has acted in several films as well and is best known for his performances in Subramaniapuram and...
) is his brother. Apart from them the family consists of Somu's wife, their three children including Tulasi (Swathi
Colours Swathi
Swati Reddy , also known as Colours Swathi, is an Indian film actress and television presenter. Her nickname and fame come from her role in the television show Colours, which was telecasted on the Telugu station Maa TV in Andhra Pradesh...
) and Tulasi's uncle.
The five friends, particularly Paraman and Azhagu, often end up in jail due to frequent fights they land themselves in. Cops get a call from someone complaining about these friends each time they manage to do something wrong. Every time they are arrested, Kanugu and Somu bail them out immediately. In the meantime, Azhagu and Tulasi develop mutual feelings for each other. Paraman is against his friend developing feelings for a girl and Azhagu not heeding to his friends thoughts throw up quite a few funny scenes.
There are signs of things to come when Somu is not selected in a local Temple's committee for a function. Things take a sudden turn just before intermission when Somu loses his party's councillor post and is ridiculed by his wife for being jobless. This leads Kanugu to lock himself up in a lodge and drink all day. He makes sure the friends hear about him and come to see him. He requests them to murder the person who was chosen for councillor's post ahead of his brother. Azhagu, Paraman and Kaasi hatch a plan and execute the person almost perfectly. The first half ends here with them running away after the murder leaving a cycle behind.
The second half begins with the cops finding out that Paraman and Azhagu have committed the murder with the help of the cycle left behind by them. They surrender themselves before the court hoping that Kanugu will bail them out soon. But they come in for rude shock when they come to know through Kaasi that Somu has been selected for councillor's post and is avoiding their contact. They come to terms with reality and stay helpless in jail where they befriend a fellow inmate. He learns their situation and decides to help them. He bails them out.
The same friend who aided these guys expects a favor from them which is to kill his brother-in-law for murdering his sister. Accomplishing this task, these guys now look out for killing Kanugu who cheated them. In the meantime, Tulasi and Azaghu continue to meet up. This leads to Azhagan almost getting killed by Kanugu's men. The friends strike back killing those men later in the day. A few days later they end up hurting Tulasi's uncle in their bid to kill Kanugu. To save his life from the clutches of these buddies, Kanugu sets a trap for Azhagar using Tulasi as bait and kills him using his henchmen. Paraman takes revenge for his friend's death by decapitating Kanugu and laying his head at his friend's murder site. Paraman then calls to Kasi and reveals how he killed Kanugu, during which he sees Somu's henchmen rushing behind Kasi. Kasi betrays Paraman and leaves him at the mercy of the henchmen.
The story shifts back to the present day where it's revealed the person who was stabbed outside the prison walls is Kasi. He lies in the hospital in critical condition and is being interrogated by a policeman. The doctor intervenes and asks him to leave, after which Dumka comes in and reveals that it is Dopa who stabbed him and then proceeds to remove his air supply and kills him after reminding him of his betrayal.
Resurrecting the 80's - The Sets
Sasikumar started collecting old photos, banners and boards of shops to imitate the style of writing from that period and also searched the Internet for photographs of the 80s. He especially researched photographs of wedding processions along the streets, for a clear picture of how the roads would have appeared and the kind of vehicles in use at the time. The team relied on this visual information to construct the sets for the movie.Music
Asked why he chose to work with James VasanthanJames Vasanthan
James Vasanthan is a popular Indian television anchor and a film music composer. For more than a decade, he worked as an anchor in popular Tamil satellite television channels like Sun TV, Vijay TV and Makkal TV before turning into a film music composer in the Tamil Film Industry.-Biography:James...
, a debutant music director when he had many other options, Sasikumar spoke of his apprehension to approach an established music director as he was a debut director himself. 'I was not sure whether they would listen to me and give me what I wanted' he said in an interview. Vasanthan had been Sasikumar's music teacher at St.Peter’s boarding school in Kodaikkanal while he had been a student. Sasikumar approached James with the project and the music became a remarkable success.
Cast
- JaiJai (actor)Jai is a Tamil film actor. He is best known for his performances and appearances in the films Chennai 600028, Subramaniapuram and Engeyum Eppodhum. He is the nephew of music director Deva. Srikanth Deva is his cousin....
as Azhagar - SwathiColours SwathiSwati Reddy , also known as Colours Swathi, is an Indian film actress and television presenter. Her nickname and fame come from her role in the television show Colours, which was telecasted on the Telugu station Maa TV in Andhra Pradesh...
as Tulasi - SasikumarM. SasikumarM. Sasikumar is a Tamil film director, actor and producer. He is best known in the Tamil film industry for his debut film Subramaniapuram...
as Paraman - Ganja KaruppuGanja KaruppuGanja Karuppu, born Karuppu Raja, is an Indian film actor who plays comedy roles in Tamil cinema. He has appeared in many well-known Tamil films like Raam , Paruthiveeran , Subramaniyapuram , and Naadodigal...
as Kaasi - SamuthirakaniSamuthirakaniSamuthirakani is a Tamil film actor and director. He worked as an assistant to director K. Balachander. His 2009 directorial Naadodigal was a runaway hit, which was later remade in three languages. He has acted in several films as well and is best known for his performances in Subramaniapuram and...
as Kanugu
Soundtrack
The film has 5 songs composed by James VasanthanJames Vasanthan
James Vasanthan is a popular Indian television anchor and a film music composer. For more than a decade, he worked as an anchor in popular Tamil satellite television channels like Sun TV, Vijay TV and Makkal TV before turning into a film music composer in the Tamil Film Industry.-Biography:James...
. This is the first time a Tamil movie featured a promotional song. (The song does not feature in the movie but has been released to media.)
| No. | Song | Singers | Notes |
| 1 | Kangal Irandal | Belly Raj, Deepa Miriam | |
| 2 | Kadhal Siluvayil Araidhaal Ennai | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... |
|
| 3 | Madera Kulunga Kulunga | VelMurugan ,Suchitra | |
| 4 | Theneeril Snehitham | Benny Dayal Benny Dayal Benny Dayal is an Indian singer. He is a member of the band S5 launched by the channel SS Music. Originally from Kerala, he has worked as a playback singer with many noted composers to produce successful soundtracks.-Biography:Benny Dayal's parents hail from Kollam district, Kerala... |
|
| 5 | Subramaniyapuram Theme | Belly Raj |
Box office
- Produced on a budget of c.Rs.2.3crore, the film was a surprise commercial success grossing c.Rs.9.2crore at the box office.
- Its Telugu dubbing rights were sold for Rs. 2 crores.
External links
- Subramaniapuram at Poochandi