Silambattam (film)

Silambattam (English: Stick fighting) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by cinematographer-turned-director S. Saravanan, making his directorial debut. The film stars Silambarasan Rajendar in dual roles while Sneha, Sana Khan, Prabhu and Kishore also play lead roles. Nedumudi Venu, Santhanam and Ponvannan play supporting roles with Premji Amaren in a special appearance. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the film's background score and soundtrack.[1] The film released on 12 December 2008. It was later dubbed into Telugu and released as Maa Vaadu. Silambattam opened to mixed reviews but became a commercial superhit.[2]

Silambattam
Directed byS. Saravanan
Produced byK. Muralidharan
V. Swaminathan
T. S. Rangarajan
Written byS. Saravanan
StarringSilambarasan
Prabhu
Nedumudi Venu
Sneha
Sana Khan
Santhanam
Kishore
Music byYuvan Shankar Raja
CinematographyR. Madhi
Edited byDon Max
Production
company
Distributed byLakshmi Movie Makers (India)
Ayngaran (Worldwide)
Release date
  • 12 December 2008 (2008-12-12)
Running time
166 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

Vichu (Silambarasan) is a quiet village priest brought up by his maternal grandfather (Nedumudi Venu). Owing to specific reasons, the caring elder has purposefully toned down (Vichu uses his eyes to convey his inner quietude) the young boy's emotional quotient and has taught him a peculiar art of living. As a result, Vichu is soft-spoken, passive, and is groomed to tolerate all sorts of malicious misdemeanors aimed at him. Vichu assists his grandfather in carrying out religious rituals as well as being the temple's caretaker. Vichu's only consolation comes in the company of his sweetheart Jaanu (Sana Khan). Jaanu's kiddish jokes and teasing remarks make up for all the precious and youthful moments that he has missed in his growing-up years.

Though Vichu abides by his elder's advice, an incident in the temple premises reveals his real persona. On the particular day, Vichu witnesses a big band of ruffians bashing a seemingly meek individual. Becoming furious at the sight of the power-play, Vichu gets into the tussle and saves the victim. As the man (Vinayakan) takes a hard look at his savior face, he is stunned. What is the secrecy in Vichu's past and how does it intimidate the stranger?

Cut to a flashback. There is a huge clash between the two village groups headed by Muthuvel (Prabhu) and Veeraiyan (Ponvannan). The reason is that Veeriayan claims back every bit of land he has donated to the landless and poor villagers, whereas Muthuvel and his brother Tamizharasan (Silambarasan) oppose his order. In the violent power-struggle, many people die. Veeraiyan stabs himself and says that Tamizh stabbed him to death. The police come in search of Tamizh, but he is missing in the house. He is with Gayathri on that night in a goods train. Tamizh is produced before court, and as he was missing on that night, is doubted and granted punishment. Gayathri intervenes and says that she spent that night along with Tamizh on that train. She says that they behaved like how a husband and wife would be in each other's company. It is proven, and Tamizh is released. Only Veeraiyan's last son Duraisingham (Kishore) and Muthuvel are spared in the tragedy. The burning intensity of the mishap stays alive in Duraisingham's heart, and Muthuvel is another witness to the past. Duraisingam enters Muthuvel's house and kills everyone, including Tamizh. A large group of rowdies enter and kill the rest. It is revealed that Gayathri escapes to her father's home and later dies giving birth to Vichu. The rest of the film is about Vichu settling the long-term dispute and explaining the situation to his grandfather.

Cast
  • Silambarasan as Vichu, a young, energetic Brahmin and Tamizharasan, Vichu's father, who comes in the flashback.
  • Prabhu as Muthuvel, Tamizh's brother and Vichu's uncle. He tells Tamizh's flashback story.
  • Nedumudi Venu as Gayathri's father and Vichu's grandfather. He does not want Vichu to be like Tamizh.
  • Sneha as Gayathri, a Brahmin girl who is Tamizh's wife and Vichu's mother in the flashback.
  • Sana Khan as Jaanu. She falls in love with Vichu and wants to make him more like a man should be.
  • Santhanam as Saama, a joking priest. He provides the comic relief in the film and plays a role in assisting Vichu to fight against the villain.
  • Kishore as Duraisingham, the main antagonist. Polladhavan fame Kishore plays the villain, which is a fantastic act.
  • Ponvannan as Veeraiyan, a leader who claims back every bit of land that he has donated to the landless and poor, but Muthuvel and Tamizh oppose his order.
  • Vinayakan as a victim that Vichu saved from an attempt to kill in a temple gateway.
  • Manobala as Jaanu's father
  • Nirosha as Jaanu's mother
  • Yuvarani as Duraisingam's wife
  • Raaghav as Veeraiyan's son
  • Karunas as Villager
  • S. N. Lakshmi as Thamizh & Muthuvel's grandmother
  • Pragathi as Muthuvel's wife
  • Mayilsamy as Priest
  • Crane Manohar as Napoleon
  • Sendrayan as Local Rogue
  • Lollu Sabha Balaji as Duraisingam's PA
  • Ilavarasu
  • V. Swaminathan as Registrar
  • S. S. Kumaran
  • Chtti Babu
  • Kanal Kannan as Pulippal Boopathy (special appearance)
  • Premji Amaren in an item number (cameo role in the song "Where Is The Party")
  • Antara Biswas in an item number
  • Rachana Maurya in an item number
  • Robert (special appearance in the song "Nallamdhana")
  • Chaams (uncredited) as Ammanji

Production

Development

In September 2007, early indications suggested that Lakshmi Movie Makers were set to make a film starring T. R. Silambarasan directed by Saravanan.[3] Simbu confirmed the project and stating that he had put on weight and grew a beard for his participation in the project. Following the flop of Kaalai, Silambarasan started immediately to commencing his shoot for the film. The film was launched at AVM Studios on 7 December 2007.[4] Silambattam was 25th film for "Lakshmi Movie Makers".[5] The 40-member unit consisting of Silambarasan, director Saravanan, cameraman Mathi, action choreographer Kanal Kannan and a few stunt men from Chennai began their first schedule for a 10-day stint.

The crew shot schedules in Theni and Ooty and various other locations in South India during the filming. The film finished its talkie portion in early September 2008, and the song were canned in India as well as parts of Sri Lanka. The film, initially described as a "musical action comedy".

Casting

Following the announcement of the project, Kajal Aggarwal was rumoured to be the heroine, following her successful role in Pazhani. However, due to differences, Kajal was ousted from the project due to her limited callsheets. However other indications claimed that Kajal was ousted from the project, even Bhavana and Shriya were considered for the role.[6] Then Sneha replaced Kajal Agarwal.[7][8] Sana Khan was introduced as the other heroine of the project. Nedumudi Venu was selected to play the role of the grandfather of Silambarasan, whilst Prabhu Ganesan was given a chance to make a cameo appearance in the film as Silambarasan's uncle. Supporting actors Santhanam, Karunaas and Premji Amaren also play roles in Silambattam. For a particular sequence, Simbhu donned the costume of Billa.[9] Meenakshi of "Karuppusaamy Kuthagaithaarar" fame has roped in for a single song.[10]

Filming

Simbhu was dancing for a song sequence at Pollachi but due to his misfortune he sustained sprain injury in his ankle leading to the cancellation of the shooting. He was immediately rushed to a local hospital where he was administered treatment and was advised for the next couple of days.[11] Some scenes for Silambattam were shot in a small village called Thirukadaiyur near Kumbakonam district. Since the shooting in Thirukadaiyur is over, the Silambattam troop has now moved to Thiruvaiaru which is near Thirukadaiyur for shooting the next part. A grand set has been erected to depict a 'thiruvizha' scene and shooting is going on day and night.[12] For a song sequence, a set was put up for a cost of Rs. 70 lakhs and it was picturized for 10 days.[13] Yesteryear actress Sangita, who married Saravanan, helped her husband on Silambattam shooting.[14]

Soundtrack
Silambattam
Soundtrack album by
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Released20 October 2008 (2008-10-20)
Recorded2008
GenreSoundtrack
Length27:11
LabelSony Music South
Think Music
ProducerYuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology
Aegan
(2008)		 Silambattam
(2008)		 Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum
(2009)

The music of Silambattam was scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja. Initially Dhina was roped in as the composer, before Silambarasan opted for his friend Yuvan Shankar Raja, with whom he has often worked together and has given very successful albums.[15] The soundtrack was released on 20 October 2008,[16] and features 5 songs, whilst lyrics were penned by 'Kavignar' Vaali, Gangai Amaran, Na. Muthukumar, Earl, Suzie Q. and Silambarasan himself. Already before the audio launch, three preview songs of the film were released online,[17] "Nallamdhana", "Silambattam" and "Where is the Party". The songs from the albums were released in late September to four leading FM stations in Chennai, with one song per station, in attempt to popularize it before the official launch.[18]

After the release, the songs gained much popularity especially among youth, with "Where is the Party" in particular, topping the charts for several weeks.[19][20][21] The song and also the album featured in Top 10 lists, too.[22][23] The album got three awards at the Isaiaruvi Tamil Music Awards 2008 in the categories, Sensational Youth Album, Crazy Song of the Year ("Where Is The Party") and Best Remix Song of the Year ("Vechikkava").[24]

No.TitleLyricsSingersLength
1."Silambattam"VaaliShankar Mahadevan5:08
2."Nallamdhana"Gangai Amaran, Earl, Suzanne D'MelloSilambarasan Rajendar, Earl D' Souza & Suzanne D'Mello6:22
3."Machaan Machaan"Na. MuthukumarIlaiyaraaja & Bela Shende5:30
4."Vechukkava" (Remix)Gangai AmaranSilambarasan Rajendar & Suchitra4:45
5."Where Is the Party"Silambarasan RajendarMukesh & Priyadarshini5:24
Telugu Track-List
No.TitleLength

Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to Kalaignar. The film was given a "U/A" certificate by the Indian Censor Board. Originally scheduled to release on Diwali,[25] but due to post-production works it was postponed to 12 December 2008.

Special screenings

Silambarasan had a special screening with Ajith Kumar.[26] On 14 December 2008, the cast and crew of Silambarasan's next film Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya also watched this film on a special screening.

Critical reception

Nowrunning wrote: "There is nothing to write home about in this routine film except that it is a wasted attempt by Silambarasan".[27] Sify wrote: "Silambattam is a typical mass masala entertainer. It is another 'Formulaic' film revolving around a larger than life hero, who romances, does comedy".[28] Hindu wrote: "What begins as a fairly suspenseful narrative dwindles into a run-of-the-mill line post-interval. Tales of vendetta have been churned out ever so many times".[5] Kollywood today wrote: "On the whole, Silambattam is a flick that is better to avoid watching".[29]

Awards
2009 International Tamil Film Awards
2009 Isaiyaruvi Tamil Music Awards
2009 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
2008 Vijay Awards
Nominations

References
  1. Listen to fast-pace 'Silambattam' songs
  2. "Simbhu's 'Silambattam' turns 'Maavadu' - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 10 March 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  3. "Simbu join hands with Saravanan". Kollywood Today. 17 February 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  4. "Silambattam begins — Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  5. Rangarajan, Malathi (26 December 2008). "Where is the finesse? -- Silambattam". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 23 January 2017.
  6. "Saravanan hunt for heroines". Kollywood Today. 19 February 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  7. "Sneha pairs up with Simbhu". Kollywood Today. 13 November 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  8. "Sneha in 'Silambattam' - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  9. "Simbhu as Billa Ajith". Kollywood Today. 11 August 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  10. "Meenakshi appears in a solo song sequence". Kollywood Today. 29 November 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  11. "Simbhu sustains injury". Kollywood Today. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  12. "'Silambattam' - Burning the midnight oil! - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 6 February 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  13. "Mammoth set for 'Silambattam' - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 18 July 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  14. "Sangeetha on a new role — Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. 21 August 2007. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  15. "'Silambattam': Dhina out Yuvan in". indiaglitz.com. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  16. "Silambattam's Music to be out". indiaglitz.com. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  17. "Simbu to premiere Silambattam audio on Internet". Sify. Retrieved 12 August 2009.
  18. "Audio trailer for 'Silambattam'". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  19. "Dance dance!". Chennai, India: The Hindu. 28 November 2008. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  20. ""I've been accepted as a mass hero" : Simbu". Sify. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  21. "Yuvan Shankar Raja opens out". Indiaglitz. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  22. "Milliblog Annual Music Round-up 2008". Milliblog. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  23. "TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2008". Behindwoods. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  24. "Stars, Songs and an Award". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  25. "Silambattam not for Diwali". Kollywood Today. 6 October 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  26. Ajith watches 'Silambattam', IndiaGlitz, 19 December 2008, retrieved 20 December 2011
  27. Prasad, Ayyappa (20 December 2008) Silambattam Tamil Movie Review nowrunning.com
  28. "Movie Review:Silambattam". Sify.com. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  29. "Review – Silambattam". Kollywood Today. 17 December 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
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