Sadhurangam (transl. Chess) is a 2011 Indian Tamil language political thriller film written and directed by Karu Palaniappan, starring Srikanth and Sonia Agarwal. Filming began in 2003, but was stuck in development hell for years. The project was revived in September 2011,[1] and released on 7 October 2011.[2]
Plot
Thirupathisamy is an investigative journalist working for a Tamil magazine. He fearlessly brings out the issues in the prevailing political system which earns him many enemies. Thiru falls in love with Sandhya, a college student. Thiru, in one of his articles, writes about the problems faced by prisoners following which the SP Rajan gets suspended. He also writes about the corruption of an IAS officer leading to his transfer and about the real estate mafia run by an influential man Singaperumal.
One day, Sandhya gets kidnapped and Thiru gets a threatening call. But Thiru is unable to trace the culprit as he has so many enemies. Initially, he suspects Singaperumal but later finds that Rajan was the man behind the kidnap. Thiru flashes Sandhya's pictures in the magazines and finds out that Rajan has planned to sell her to a brothel in Dubai. Thiru rushes to the railway station where Sandhya is present. He fights against Rajan and kills him. Singaperumal comes to the spot and helps Thiru escape. Finally, Thiru and Sandhya are united.
Cast
- Srikanth as Thirupathisamy
- Sonia Agarwal as Sandhya
- Manivannan as MD
- Mahadevan as Singaperumal
- Vijayan as Thiru's father
- Ilavarasu as Analaar
- T. P. Gajendran as Jailmate
- Manobala as Thiru's neighbour
- Ganesh Yadav as Jail Superintendent Rajan
- Sriman as Sandhya's brother, Chandran
- Bose Venkat as sekar
- Saranya Ponvannan as Analaar's wife
- Vinodhini as Sandhya's sister in law
- Chitra Lakshmanan
- Mayilsamy as peon
- Thennavan as Singaperumal's henchman
- Aryan as Jeeva
- Muthukaalai as Newspaper waste collector
- Nagesh Krishnamurthy as Singaperumal's accountant
- Thangamani Prabhu
Production
After the success of Parthiban Kanavu, Karu Pazhaniyappan and Srikanth reunited again for a project called Sadhurangam during December 2003.[3] Srikanth portrayed a journalist and his character was named after Thirupathisamy, the late film director who was Karu Palaniappan's close friend.[4] A set resembling a journal office was designed by Rajeevan on a home near Ekkaduthangal, Chennai.[5] Initial publicity posters were in black-and-white, intended to emulate a chessboard.[6]
Soundtrack
Soundtrack was composed by Vidyasagar and released in 2004.[7][8]
| Song | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|
| "Aaduvomea" | Manikka Vinayagam | Bharathiyar |
| "Ambulimama" | KK, Sujatha | Yugabharathi |
| "Enge Enge" | Karthik, Timmy | |
| "Ennanna" | Sunitha Sarathy | Pa. Vijay |
| "Enna Thandhi" | Karthik, Srilekha Parthasarathy | |
| "Vizhiyum" | Harini, Madhu Balakrishnan | Arivumathi |
Critical reception
Haricharan Pudipeddi wrote for Nowrunning, "in spite of its long delay in release, Sathurangam manages to impress one and all, from start to finish".[2] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote, "A film which had been confined to the cans for nearly five years has finally seen the light of day. But the significant aspect is that Chathurangam (U) doesn't have a dated feel about it and is as good as any recent product".[9] Sify wrote, "The slow romance between the lead and the crusader journalist characterisation is worked out neatly in the first half. However the film loosens its grip post interval with a staid and predictable climax".[10] M Bharat Kumar of News Today wrote, "Watch out for some fiery dialogues by Karu Pazhaniappan. It sets up the momentum. Sharp and appropariate at places, the dialogues question the rights and wrongs prevalent in the society".[11] Karu Palaniappan won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Story Writer.[12]
References
- ^ "Finally the dice roll for Sadhurangam". The Times of India. 25 September 2011. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ a b Pudipeddi, Haricharan (10 October 2011). "Chathurangam Review". Nowrunning. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ ""Sathurangam"!". Dinakaran. 14 December 2003. Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ Mannath, Malini (4 December 2004). "Chathurangam". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (4 June 2004). "Brimming with optimism". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 June 2004. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
- ^ "Sathurangam". Sify. Archived from the original on 22 January 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "Sadhurangam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP". Apple Music. 1 January 2004. Archived from the original on 25 February 2025. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ^ "Sadhurangam- Madura Tamil Film Audio CD by Vidhyasagar". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (8 October 2011). "The right move". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ "Sathurangam". Sify. Archived from the original on 15 December 2011. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Kumar, M Bharat (October 2011). "Sathurangam: A review". News Today. Archived from the original on 16 October 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
- ^ "Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 2005". Webindia123. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 10 October 2024.
