Sankar Guru is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by L. Raja and produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian and M. S. Guhan via AVM Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu as Chinnari Devatha with Raja Naidu as director. It stars Arjun, Seetha, Rajani and Baby Shalini. The film was released on 19 March 1987, and was commercially successful in both languages.
In a small village, three brothers Kanagaraj, Ethiraj & Nagaraj hold control with the eldest brother Kanagaraj leading a notorious crime ring. Anyone who dares to defy them faces brutal violence or death. However, the fruit stall owner, Sankarguru / Babu, becomes a reluctant hero when he intervenes in a harrowing incident involving the youngest brother, Nagaraju, who attempts to molest a young school teacher, Rekha. Sankarguru / Babu beats Nagaraju so severely that he requires hospitalization.
Aware of Sankarguru's actions, the second eldest brother Ethiraj schemes to teach him a lesson by framing him for selling illegal arrack. However, a young girl Devi and her monkey companion overhear the plot and inform Sankarguru / Babu. He confronts and defeats the second brother, earning himself a reputation. Tensions rise between Sankarguru / Babu and the brothers when the youngest brother publicly murders a school headmaster who tried to prevent another assault on the teacher Rekha who by now has become the love interest of Sankarguru / Babu.
Learning of this tragedy, Sankarguru / Babu rushes to the scene in a fit of rage, overpowering the brothers and delivering them to the town's police station. To everyone's surprise, it is revealed that Sankarguru / Babu is not merely a fruit stall owner but an undercover police inspector on a special assignment.
Meanwhile, the little girl, having discovered Sankarguru / Babu's true identity, tries to distance herself from him. Sankarguru insists on understanding her reasons and learns about her tragic past. Her parents were victimized by the trio, with her mother being killed and her father falsely framed for the crime, aided by a corrupt policeman. Sankarguru vows to find her father and reunite them.
The remainder of the story revolves around Sankarguru's determination to fulfill his promise to the young girl, as he navigates the corrupt underworld and seeks justice for her family.
AVM Productions wanted to remake the Bengali film Shatru (1984) in Tamil and Telugu.[1] However, the remake rights proved too expensive, so the idea was dropped. Instead, AVM borrowed two scenes from that film and created a new story, titled Sankar Guru in Tamil and Chinnari Devatha in Telugu. Both versions were filmed simultaneously.[2]
Sankar Guru was released on 19 March 1987.[7]The Indian Express called it an "absolutely unpretentious entertainer".[8]Jayamanmadhan of Kalki, despite noting several flaws, appreciated the director for making an entertaining film from beginning to end.[9] The film was commercially successful in both the languages it was made,[10] and Chandrabose won the award for Best Music Director at the 8th Cinema Express Awards.[11]
