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Subramaniapuram

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Subramaniapuram
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySasikumar
Written bySasikumar
Produced bySasikumar
Starring
CinematographyS. R. Kathir
Edited byRaja Mohammad
Music byJames Vasanthan
Production
company
Company Productions
Release date
  • 4 July 2008 (2008-07-04)
Running time
147 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Subramaniapuram is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language gangster action drama film[2][3] written, produced, and directed by Sasikumar. Sasikumar cast then relatively new actors Jai, Swathi, Samuthirakani, Ganja Karuppu, and himself in pivotal roles. The film also marked Swathi's Tamil film debut. The music was composed by James Vasanthan, with cinematography by S. R. Kathir and editing by Raja Mohammad.

The film released on 4 July 2008. Although a low-budget film, it received critical acclaim for its original script, direction, screenplay, performances, editing, fresh music, accurate sets, and costumes to resurrect Madurai from the 1980s. Shot in 85 days, it became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year. The film was dubbed into Telugu as Ananthapuram 1980,[4] and remade in Kannada as Prem Adda (2012).[5]

Plot

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The story takes place in the Subramaniapuram area of Madurai city. A convict is released from prison in 2008 after serving 28 years, and an unknown person stabs him multiple times right outside the prison gates. The police are baffled at this as the convict had never spoken to anyone inside the prison and refused to meet anyone coming to visit him from the outside during his time in prison. They are shocked that someone held a grudge against him for 28 years and stabbed him when he stepped outside the prison. A flashback to 1980 narrates the events that led to the stabbing.

Azhagar, Paraman, Kasi, Dopa, and Dumka, a polio-stricken, physically challenged person, are unemployed close friends. They pass their time drinking liquor, smoking and fooling around on the streets with Chiththan, another friend of theirs, opposite the house of an ex-councillor Somu and his brother Kanugu. Apart from them, the family consists of Somu's wife and their three children, including Thulasi, Thulasi's other uncle Chidambaram and Chidambaram's wife.

The five friends, particularly Paraman and Azhagar, often end up in prison due to frequent fighting. Cops get a call from someone complaining about their friends each time they do something wrong. Every time police arrest them, Kanugu and Somu bail them out immediately. In the meantime, Azhagar and Thulasi develop feelings for each other. Paraman is against his friend developing feelings for a girl, and Azhagar, not heeding his friends' thoughts, throws up quite a few funny scenes.

There are signs of things to come when a local temple's committee especially the head Mokkaswamy does not select Somu for a function. Things suddenly turn for the worse when Somu fails to get people to elect him for his party's (Tamil Nadu's ruling party at the time) district chief post, and his wife ridicules him for being jobless. Kanugu locks himself up in a lodge and drinks all day. He makes sure his friends hear about him and come to visit. He requests that they murder the person Palaniswamy chosen for the district chief of party post ahead of his brother. Azhagar, Paraman, and Kasi hatch a plan and execute the person Palaniswamy almost perfectly with Azhagar striking the final blow. They run away after the murder, leaving a bicycle behind.

The second half begins with the cops discovering, with the help of the bicycle left behind, that Paraman and Azhagar have committed the murder. They surrender themselves to the court, hoping Kanagu will bail them out soon. But they come in for a rude shock when they learn through Kasi that Somu has been selected for the district chief of party post and is avoiding their contact. They confront reality and stay helpless in jail, where they befriend a fellow inmate Ravi. He learns about their situation and bails them out. Azhagar and Paraman immediately break into Kanugu's home after they get released despite Kasi warning them against doing so in hopes of finding Kanugu or his elder brothers and killing them for what they had done to then. In this scene it is revealed that it was Kanugu who was the person that has always been complaining them to the police, the duo stop searching for them when they find a distressed Thulasi crying and leave the house. Azhagar then explains the situation to Thulasi later and reconciles with her.

Ravi who aided these guys expects a favour from them — to kill his brother-in-law Munish for murdering his sister. Accomplishing this task when Paraman manages to stab Munish in the clavicle and this impresses Ravi who gives them additional weapons and money even though Paraman and Azhagar initially refuse to take it but do so at the request of Kasi and Ravi. These guys then look out for killing Kanugu, who cheated them. In the meantime, Thulasi and Azhagar continue to meet. Munish's men then attempt to kill Azhagar and Kasi to avenge Munish's death but they fail. Azhagar and Paraman strike back, killing those men later in the day. A few days later, Azhagar with the help of Paraman hurts Thulasi's elder uncle Chidambaram(who eventually learns about Azhagar and Thulasi's relationship and even informs Kanugu about this) when he steps in the way as Azhagar was trying to stab Kanugu but the duo's plan fails and Chidambaram is then taken to the hospital where he recovers from his wounds caused by Azhagar. Kanugu then emotionally manipulates unwilling Thulasi into betraying Azhagar for their family honour in order to save his own life from the clutches of these buddies. Kanugu then sets a trap for Azhagar using the grieving Thulasi as bait and has his henchmen brutally kill him. Kanugu then informs Chidambaram in the hospital about what happened and that Thulasi had saved their family honour, he also informs him that he will bring another good news eventually. Unbeknownst to him, Paraman had been waiting in an auto rickshaw to take his revenge. Once Kanugu leaves the hospital Paraman forcefully kidnaps Kanugu into the auto rickshaw. Paraman then avenges his friend's death by brutally and slowly decapitating the helpless Kanugu who screams in pain as he is dying inside the auto rickshaw. After killing Kanugu, he lays his head at his friend's murder site. Paraman then calls up Kasi and reminds him about the friendship they shared with Azhagar. He even reveals to him how he killed Kanugu and that he is also planning on killing rest of the men in his family, during which he sees Somu's henchmen rushing behind Kasi. Kasi betrays Paraman and leaves him at the mercy of the henchmen who kill him. Kasi then walks towards a car in which Somu is in and receives a large amount of money from him, it is also revealed in this scene that Kasi had betrayed Paraman in exchange for the money and begins to smoke a cigarette.

Present: The scene then shifts to the present in the hospital, where it is revealed Kasi was the victim of the stabbing outside the prison walls. He lies in the hospital in critical condition, with a policeman interrogating him. The doctor intervenes and asks him to leave, after which Dumka comes in and reveals that it was Dopa who stabbed him. He proceeds to kill him by removing his air supply after reminding him of his betrayal finally avenging Paraman's death. Dumka then leaves the dying Kasi who starts crying leaving the audience to interpret whether it is out of remorse or the pain from not being able to breath and dies with no one by his side. The camera then panels at Dumka as he walks out of the hospital.

Cast

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  • Jai as Azhagar one of the main protaganists who is the secondary leader and the heart of the group but is jobless and lives with his mother, he is then manipulated into committing a crime for the sake of his lover and her uncle along with his friends.
  • Sasikumar as Paraman one of the main protaganists who is the leader and hotheaded of the group but is often ridiculed by his elder brother and his wife for being jobless and is then manipulated into committing a crime for the sake of his best friend Azhagar's lover and her uncle along with Azhagar and Kasi.
  • Samuthirakani as Kanagu the main antagonist who manipulates the friends into committing the crime for the sake of him and his elder brother Somu and betrays the group when the work is done.
  • Swathi as Thulasi Kanugu's niece and Azhagar's lover
  • Ganja Karuppu as Kasi one of the secondary antagonists who was initially part of the group and is the greediest member of the group who aids Azhagar and Paraman in committing the crime.
  • Mokkaswamy as Mokkaswamy a supporting character and the committee temple head who often gets bullied by Kasi and Dopa.
  • Maari as Dumka one of the secondary protaganists who is the observant and most mischievous of the group and always tries to help Paraman and Azhagar in any way he can.
  • Vichithran as Dopa one of the secondary protaganists who is the most loyal member of the group and is the best friend of Dumka.
  • K. G. Mohan as Chiththan as the only member of the group who has a job.
  • Supergood Subramani
  • Kaajal Pasupathi as item girl in theme song

Production

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The idea to make a historical film occurred to Sasikumar when he was assisting Ameer on Raam (2005).[6] During the initial phases of Ameer's Paruthiveeran (2007), Sasikumar began groundwork for the film that would later become Subramaniapuram and left Paruthiveeran to focus on his film. Sasikumar started collecting old photographs, banners and boards of shops to imitate the style of writing from that period and also searched the Internet extensively for photographs of the 1980s. He especially researched photographs of wedding processions along the streets for a clear picture of how the roads looked and the kind of vehicles in use. The team relied on this visual information to construct the sets for the film.[7]

Shanthanu Bhagyaraj was approached to play the lead role and Sasikumar began discussions with his father K. Bhagyaraj over Shanthanu's availability. Bhagyaraj had been keen to ensure that Sakkarakatti (2008) was his son's first release, as the team had brought in a prominent producer Kalaipuli S. Thanu and musician A. R. Rahman. Sasikumar stated that he was unable to wait for Sakkarakatti's release as he had loans to pay and moved ahead without the actor.[8][9][10] Jai, who earlier appeared in Chennai 600028 (2007) was then selected to play the role after Sasikumar had seen him at Deva's residence and Jai signed up for the film without hearing the script under the basis that it was to be produced by Ameer.[11]

Music

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The music of Subramaniapuram was composed by James Vasanthan,[12][13] in his film debut.[14] Sasikumar spoke of his apprehension to approach an established composer as he was a debut director himself: "I was not sure whether they would listen to me and give me what I wanted".[7] Vasanthan had previously been Sasikumar's music teacher at school.[14] The song "Kangal Irandal" is set in Reetigowla, a Carnatic raga.[15] Vasanthan composed all the songs in his home. Sasikumar revealed for the song "Kadhal Siluvayil", Vasanthan composed "almost 15 tunes" before the director was satisfied, and this song was recorded by Shankar Mahadevan within 30 minutes.[16] Vasanthan chose Benny Dayal to sing the song "Theneeril Snegitham" after watching his performance at a [[Cultural festival (India) |cultural festival]].[17] The song was composed only as a promotional song,[18] and does not feature in the film. Sasikumar described it as the first Tamil film song used exclusively for promotion.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Kangal Irandal"ThamaraiBellie Raj, Deepa Miriam5:22
2."Madura Kulunga"YugabharathiVelmurugan, Surmukhi Raman6:49
3."Kadhal Siluvayil"YugabharathiShankar Mahadevan5:39
4."Subramaniapuram Theme" (instrumental) — —3:25
5."Theneeril Snegitham"YugabharathiBenny Dayal4:08
6."Subramaniapuram Love Theme" (instrumental) — —2:37
Total length:28:00

Release

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Subramaniapuram was released on 4 July 2008, two weeks after the bigger and high-profile Dasavathaaram. The film was released only in Mini Udhayam but after the film's overwhelming response it later got released in theatres like Shanti and Sathyam Cinemas who were initially wary of releasing this film. The film ran successfully for 100 days.[19] Moser Baer released the film via home video in June 2009.[20] The film's satellite rights were initially sold to Zee Tamil who later sold them to Sun TV. The film had its television premiere on both the channels the same day, 26 September 2009.[19][21][22]

Reception

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Sify wrote, "Sasikumar should be appreciated for making a bold and daring film, whose success will augur well for the industry. Subramaniapuram may be a bit brooding and dark, but still it's worth taking a look".[23] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff wrote, "Subramaniyapuram ends as it begins -- naturally, at its own pace. This one is for lovers of realistic cinema."[24]

Accolades

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Bellie Raj won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer.[25] The film won two in two categories at the 56th Filmfare Awards South: Best Tamil Film and Best Tamil Director.[26]

Legacy

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On the film's 10th anniversary, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap tweeted that the film inspired him to make Gangs of Wasseypur.[27][28] The film's screenplay was released as a book in 2014.[29] The song "Kangal Irandal" was also featured in Naadodigal (2009).[citation needed] The film was re-released in August 2023 to mark its fifteenth anniversary.[18] While promoting the re-release, Sasikumar revealed that he intended on making a sequel to Subramaniapuram, but dropped the idea due to fear of it impacting the first film's legacy.[30]

References

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  1. ^ "Subramaniapuram". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 16 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  2. ^ Suresh, Anandu (4 July 2023). "Subramaniapuram: The period action movie that revolutionised a stagnant Indian film industry turns 15". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  3. ^ "The "double-bind" of rage". Jump Cut. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  4. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (10 November 2013). "Kaalicharan: A throwback to the 80s". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  5. ^ Srinivasa, Srikanth (6 December 2012). "'Prem Adda is the Kannada version of Subramaniapuram'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  6. ^ "Youth, the seamy side". The Hindu. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 6 November 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  7. ^ a b c "STARS BRING THE AUDIENCE, A DIRECTOR MAKES THEM SIT THERE". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2010.
  8. ^ Abhishek, VJ (27 January 2020). Spotlight | Exclusive Interview with Shanthanu Bhagyaraj | VJ Abishek | Sun Music (in Tamil). Sun Music. Event occurs at 2:25. Archived from the original on 26 December 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Bhanu (15 September 2024). "சுப்ரமணியபுரம் படத்தில் சசிகுமார் கேரக்டரில் நடிக்க இருந்தது முன்னணி பிரபலம்தான்... ஆனா?". Cinereporters.com (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 1 September 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2024.
  10. ^ "Return of Raj". The Hindu. 8 January 2010. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Stardom smiles on Jai". The Hindu. 28 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 August 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Subramaniapuram Tamil Film Audio CD by James Vasanthan". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  13. ^ "Subramaniapuram (Original Soundtrack) – EP". Apple Music. 1 January 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  14. ^ a b Gerald, Olympia Shilpa (25 November 2010). "On a track of hits". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  15. ^ Manigandan, K. R. (7 May 2012). "Shot Cuts: His favourite raga". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  16. ^ "Subramaniapuram – A film with a difference". IndiaGlitz. 18 June 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  17. ^ "When a musician makes a movie". The Hindu. 3 January 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  18. ^ a b பாலகிருஷ்ணன், வசந்த் (8 August 2023). "மீண்டும் திரையரங்கில் "சுப்ரமணியபுரம்"... மறக்க முடியாத சுவாரசியமான விஷயங்கள்!". Nakkheeran (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 8 August 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  19. ^ a b Kaushik, L. M. (28 June 2018). "10 years of Subramaniapuram: Director Sasikumar Goes Down Memory Lane". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  20. ^ "For film lovers". The Hindu. 12 June 2009. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  21. ^ Sankar, Cable. "Satellite Rights". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  22. ^ "Subramaniyapuram". The Hindu. 25 September 2009. Archived from the original on 29 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  23. ^ "Subramaniapuram". Sify. Archived from the original on 6 April 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  24. ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (7 July 2008). "Review: Subramaniyapuram". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 2009 Photos". Moviegalleri.net. 8 December 2009. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  26. ^ "56th Filmfare awards South Stills". Chennai365. Archived from the original on 14 January 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  27. ^ "Anurag's next inspired by Subramaniapuram". The Times of India. 21 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Anurag Kashyap reveals Gang of Wasseypur was inspired by Tamil movie Subramaniapuram". Hindustan Times. 5 July 2018. Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  29. ^ "Subramaniapuram in English". The Hindu. 20 January 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  30. ^ ""குற்றப் பரம்பரை வெப் சீரிஸ் எடுக்கிறேன்... சுப்ரமணியபுரம் 2 வேண்டாம்" - சசிகுமார் பகிர்வு". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 4 August 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2026. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
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