Sundarapandian

For the 1998 film, see Sundara Pandian.

Sundarapandian
Poster
Directed byS. R. Prabhakaran
Written byS. R. Prabhakaran
Produced byM. Sasikumar
Starring
CinematographyPremkumar Chandran
Edited byBiju V. Don Bosco
Music byN. R. Raghunanthan
Production
company
Company Production
Release date
  • 14 September 2012 (2012-09-14)
Running time
182 minutes
CountryIndian
LanguageTamil

Sundarapandian is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action comedy drama film directed by debutant S. R. Prabhakaran. Sasikumar played the title character, besides producing the film, while Lakshmi Menon, Vijay Sethupathi, Inigo Prabhakaran, Soori, Appukutty, and Soundararaja appeared in supporting roles. Music was composed by N. R. Raghunanthan, while cinematography was handled by Premkumar. The film released on 14 September 2012 to overall positive reviews. Following its commercial success, the film was remade in Kannada as Raja Huli (2013)[1] and in Telugu as Speedunnodu (2016).[2]

Plot

In Kandamanoor, near Theni, Sundarapandian is the only son of Raghupathi, a landlord and village head. Sundarapandian's close friend Arivazhagan "Arivu", after failing his board exams twice, is now in his final year of college, falls in love with Archana from a nearby village, who commutes daily on the bus from Madurai to Theni. Arivu is too timid to express his feelings and seeks Sundarapandian and Murgesan's assistance in confessing his love.

Sundarapandian, Murugesan, and Arivu commute on the same bus as Archana. Bhuvaneshwaran "Bhuvanesh", who also travels on the bus, tries to propose to Archana, leading to a clash with Arivu. Sundarapandian gives Bhuvanesh 31 days to win Archana's heart, however, he fails, giving Arivu again a chance. But a surprising twist emerges: Sundarapandian had proposed to Archana three years ago while he was in college and was rejected. Encouraged by Arivu, Sundarapandian decides to propose again, but Archana unexpectedly proposes to Sundarapandian, revealing she's had feelings for him all along. Arivu steps aside, and Sundarapandian accepts Archana's proposal. However, Archana's parents want her to marry their relative Jegan, despite her disinterest.

Archana asks Sundarapandian to give her space during her exams. Bhuvanesh takes advantage of this and harasses Archana on the bus. Sundarapandian intervenes, but Bhuvanesh continues to cause trouble. In a violent confrontation, Bhuvanesh is pushed out of the moving bus and dies. Sundarapandian is arrested, but released on bail as it's deemed an accident. Sundarapandian's father, Raghupathi, takes care of Bhuvanesh's family. However, Bhuvanesh's friends vow to take revenge on Sundarapandian, while Paranjothi secretly harbors anger towards him. Raghupathi convinces Archana's father Pandi to accept his marriage proposal between Archana and Sundarapandian. Jegan is furious about the upcoming wedding and discovers that Sundarapandian is his old college friend. Jegan decides to kill Sundarapandian, and Paranjothi agrees to help. Paranjothi tricks Sundarapandian into meeting Jegan, claiming he's become a drunkard. Sundarapandian decides to help Jegan, unaware of the danger. Arivu accompanies Sundarapandian to the meeting, oblivious to the planned ambush.

Sundarapandian meets Jegan in the outskirts of town and tries to reason with him. However, Jegan and Paranjothi attack Sundarapandian. In a shocking turn, Arivu stabs Sundarapandian, revealing his hidden vengeance. Sundarapandian fights back, confronting Jegan, Arivu, and Paranjothi. He scolds Jegan for trying to force Archana into marriage, despite knowing that she is in love with him. Sundarapandian also exposes Paranjothi's betrayal, revealing that he had sent thugs to kill him. Moreover, he reveals that Arivu was the one who killed Bhuvanesh, not him. Sundarapandian had taken the blame to protect Arivu. Heartbroken, Sundarapandian leaves, lamenting the loss of his closest friends.

Sundarapandian and Archana tie the knot. The film concludes with Sundarapandian choosing to keep the betrayal by his friends a secret, instead opting to quietly end their friendships.

Cast

  • Sasikumar as Sundarapandian, a college graduate
  • Lakshmi Menon as P. Archana, Sundarapandian's love interest (voice dubbed by Meenalokshini)
  • Vijay Sethupathi as S. Jegan, Archana's distant relative and Sundarapandian's friend
  • Inigo Prabakaran as Arivazhagan, Sundarapandian's friend who betrays him
  • Soori as Murugesan, Sundarapandian's friend
  • Appukutty as Bhuvaneshwaran, a man who loves Archana but gets killed by Arivu
  • Naren as Kandamanoor Raghupathi, Sundarapandian's father
  • Kai Thennavan as Pandi, Archana's father
  • Soundararaja as Paranjothi, Sundarapandian's classmate who betrays him and Bhuvanesh's close friend
  • Tulasi as Archana's mother
  • Sujatha as Archana's aunt
  • Neethu Neelambaran as Ilamathi
  • Thavasi
  • Winner Ramachandran
  • Soumya Satish as Sundarapandian's mother
  • Madurai Janaki as Sundarapandian's cousin

Soundtrack

The music was composed by N. R. Raghunanthan.[3] The audio was released by Bala and received by Muthaiya and Socrates, two assistant directors of Sasikumar.[4]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Kadhal Vandhu"Na. MuthukumarHaricharan 
2."Kondaadum Manasu"Mohan RajanAnand Aravindakshan 
3."Rekkai Mulaiththen"Madhan KarkyG. V. Prakash Kumar, Shreya Ghoshal 
4."Nenjukkulle"ThamaraiSaindhavi 

Critical reception

N. Venkateswaran from The Times of India gave it 3.5 out of 5 and called it a "clean family entertainer". The reviewer wrote that "the racy script, easy flowing dialogues and the twists he introduces in the screenplay to take it off the beaten path are commendable" and added that "one more student has passed out with flying colours from the Sasikumar school of cinema".[5] Vivek Ramz of In.com wrote "Sundarapandiyan is a well made commercial flick with right dose of comedy, sentiment and thrill".[6] IBNLive claimed that the film was a "honest attempt. Prabhakar does his best and make it an interesting watch thanks to Sasikumar".[7] A critic from Sify wrote that debutant director SR Prabhakaran made "a confident debut with a film that is both respectable and engaging"[8] Anupama Subramanian from Deccan Chronicle described it as an "honest attempt from Prabhakaran which is engaging family fare", while noting that "Sasi[kumar]'s touches [were] seen till [the] climax".[9] Similarly, Zee News termed the film a "satisfying wholesome entertainer".[10]

Awards

Tamil Nadu State Film Award
60th Filmfare Awards South
  • Nominated – Best Director – S. R. Prabhakaran
  • Nominated – Best Film
Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards
  • The Most Popular Film
2nd South Indian International Movie Awards
  • Best Female Debutant – Lakshmi Menon
  • Nominated – Best Film
  • Nominated – Best Debutant Director – S. R. Prabhakaran
  • Nominated – Best Cinematographer – Premkumar
  • Nominated – Best Comedian – Soori
7th Vijay Awards
  • Nominated – Best Debutant Director
  • Nominated – Best Film
  • Nominated – Best Debutant Actress
Vikatan Awards

References

  1. ^ "After Kannada, Sundarapandian gets Telugu remake". The Times of India. 30 July 2013. Archived from the original on 31 March 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  2. ^ Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (5 February 2016). "Speedunnodu review: In need of speed limit". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Raghunanthan's hands are full now". The Times of India. 21 July 2012. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  4. ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (1 September 2012). "Audio Beat: Sundarapandian". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  5. ^ Venkateswaran, N (16 September 2012). "Sundarapandian". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 August 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  6. ^ Ramz, Vivek (15 September 2012). "Sundarapandiyan is a neat entertainer!". In.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  7. ^ "Tamil Review: 'Sundara Pandian' is watchable". IBNLive. 15 September 2012. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Sundarapandian". Sify. Archived from the original on 24 October 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  9. ^ Subramanian, Anupama (16 September 2012). "Sundarapandian review: Sasi's touches seen till climax". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  10. ^ "'Sundarapandian' Review: A satisfying wholesome entertainer". Zee News. 15 September 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
  11. ^ "Tamil Nadu announces the State Film Awards for six consecutive years in surprise move. Here's the complete list of winners". The Indian Express. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 31 October 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2018.