Sura (film)

Sura
Release Poster
Directed by	S. P. Rajkumar
Written by	S. P. Rajkumar
Produced by	Sangili Murugan
Starring	Vijay Tamannaah Bhatia Vadivelu Dev Gill
Cinematography	M. S. Prabhu N. K. Ekambaram
Edited by	Don Max
Music by	Mani Sharma
Production company	Murugan Cine Arts
Distributed by	Sun Pictures
Release date	30 April 2010 (2010-04-30)
Running time	170 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Sura (transl. Shark / Aquaman)^[1] is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by S. P. Rajkumar, starring Vijay in the title role along with Tamannaah Bhatia, Vadivelu, and Dev Gill in supporting roles. The film, produced by Sangili Murugan and distributed by Sun Pictures features film's soundtrack and score was composed by Mani Sharma. Cinematography was handled by M. S. Prabhu and N. K. Ekambaram respectively and editing was handled by Don Max. The film was the 50th film of Vijay.^[2]

The story revolves around a fisherman who fights against a cruel, greedy and corrupt minister in order to save the lands which is used to build homes for his fishermen hamlet. The rest of the film is about how Sura manages to build lands for his hamlet and destroy the plans of minister. The film, which commenced production in November 2009 in Kerala, was released worldwide on 30 April 2010. The film fared well in overseas box office has collected $897,597 but underperformed domestically.^[3] Producer Sangili Murugan reported to the media that the film Sura recovered only its budget in its film run.^[4] In 2020, Sura film was re-released in Kerala state.

In survey taken for week 45 (4-10 November 2017), Sony Max Hindi TV channel increased its viewership by 25% after Hindi dubbed film Sura telecast.^[5] The film became popular in Indonesia, and cited it as an Indian Aquaman.^[1]

Plot

In the picturesque coastal town of Yaazh Nagar, a fisherman hamlet in Tamil Nadu, Sura, a brave and compassionate young man, grows up with his loyal friend, Ambar La, known affectionately as Umbrella. Sura is known for his good deeds and selflessness in helping his fellow villagers, earning him admiration and respect from all around.

Meanwhile, a heartbroken young woman named Poornima arrives in Yaazh Nagar, seeking solace after the tragic loss of her beloved pet dog, Ramesh. Overwhelmed with grief and struggling to find purpose, Poornima is drawn to Sura's kindness and finds comfort in his presence. As they spend time together, a genuine connection forms between them, and they fall deeply in love.

Enter Samuthira Raja, a ruthless, corrupt minister with a sinister agenda. Samuthira Raja desires to seize control of Yaazh Nagar's beautiful coastal land to build a grand fairground, exploiting the villagers' simplicity and innocence for his own gains. He employs every crooked tactic in the book, using his political power to threaten and intimidate the villagers.

Sura, however, refuses to be bullied into submission. He becomes the voice of resistance and leads the villagers in fighting back against Samuthira Raja's malicious intentions. In a thrilling series of events, Sura takes on Samuthira Raja's cronies single-handedly, showcasing his intelligence, resourcefulness, and unparalleled bravery. With the support of the villagers, Sura outsmarts the corrupt minister and saves their homes and livelihoods.

But Samuthira Raja is not one to accept defeat easily. Consumed by his lust for vengeance, he devises a diabolical plan to eliminate Sura once and for all. He plants a deadly bomb in Yaazh Nagar, intending to destroy the entire village and Sura with it. In a heart-stopping confrontation, Samuthira Raja captures Sura, gloating over his impending victory.

However, Sura reveals a startling truth that leaves Samuthira Raja dumbfounded – the chief guest for the hamlet's upcoming inauguration is none other than Samuthira Raja's wife, a compassionate and kind-hearted woman unaware of her husband's evil deeds. This revelation sends shockwaves through Samuthira Raja, questioning his actions and his moral compass.

Faced with a dilemma, Samuthira Raja is torn between his thirst for revenge and the possibility of redemption through his wife's innocence. As the clock ticks, Sura urges Samuthira Raja to choose the path of compassion and forgiveness, to end the cycle of violence and corruption.

In a nail-biting climax, Samuthira Raja makes a pivotal decision. He deactivates the bomb, saving Yaazh Nagar and acknowledging the darkness within himself. In an unexpected twist, he sacrifices his own life to ensure Sura's safety and the welfare of the villagers. His final act of redemption leaves Sura and Poornima with mixed emotions, prompting them to reflect on the complexity of humanity.

Cast

Production

After the completion of Vettaikaaran (2009), Vijay announced that his 50th film was to be named as Urimaikural named after M. G. Ramachandran starrer of same name but it was titled as Sura.^[8][9] Many directors were considered for the 50th film of Vijay:^[10][11] Selvaraghavan,^[10] S. P. Rajakumar, K. V. Anand,^[11] Dharani,^[12] Prabhu Deva,^[13] Siddique,^[14] Raja Mohan,^[15][16] R. Madhesh,^[17] K. S. Ravikumar^[14] and Perarasu.^[18] Perarasu was initially selected as director,^[19] but later opted out. S. P. Rajkumar, who directed Azhagar Malai (2009) was selected as director. Prior to this, S. P. Rajkumar previously worked in Vijay starrer Once More (1997) as a dialogue writer.^[20]

In May 2009, Tamannaah Bhatia was confirmed to play a role in the film.^[21][22][23] Originally, Pasupathi was selected to portray the negative role but he was replaced by Dev Gill who appeared in Telugu film Magadheera (2009),^[24] after Vijay was impressed by his performance in that film.^[25]

The shooting of the film commenced in Kerala in November 2009^[26] and was continued in different places in Tamil Nadu like Marakkanam, Villupuram, Mamallapuram, Chennai, Alleppey, and Pondicherry.^[27] The shoot continued on 21 October and canned a few stunt sequences on the Uppaneri Bridge near Marakkanam Salt Lake. Vijay fought with villain Dev's gang for almost three days. After a three-day gap, the shoot resumed in Prasad Studios and the song "Thanjavur Jillakari" was shot at AVM Studio on 27 October.^[28][29] The unit created a slum set at East Coast Road.^[30] A song was shot at Ooty.^[31] During the shooting, cameraman M. S. Prabhu and Rajakumar had a misunderstanding and he was replaced by N. K. Ekhambharam.^[32] Ekambaram reveals that one of the fight sequences, which were shot in the high seas in Tuticorin at 2 am, was choreographed by Kanal Kannan and has stuntmen from Bangkok. Ekambaram says that he has used high speed cameras considering the risks involved in shooting in the seas. The opening song has been pictured in a scenic location in Dhanushkodi.^[33]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of the film, composed by Mani Sharma, was released on 29 March 2010 at Lady Aandal Venkat Subbarao School. The prominent guest list includes Sundar C, Sibiraj, Riyaz Khan and Uma Riyaz Khan, Ramanarayanan, K S Ravikumar, Parthiban, Vadivelu, Sonia Agarwal, Srikanth along with the lead stars of the film and the technical crew.^[34] Kabilan reveals that lyrics for all songs from the film were written even before Vettaikaran was released.^[35] The album features six songs all of which have been reused from his previous films. "Vetri Kodi Yethu", "Vanga Kadal Ellai", "Siragadikkum Nilavu", "Thamizhan Veera Thamizhan", "Thanjavoor Jillakkari", and "Naan Nadanthal Athiradi" are based on the Telugu songs "Inthe Inthinthe", "Nuvvasalu", "Tagilinadi Rabba", "Hut Hutja", "Bommali" and "My Name Is Billa", respectively.^[36][37]

Release

The film's release was originally slated to 23 April 2010, but was eventually postponed and released on 30 April 2010.^[38][39]

Reception

Behindwoods gave it two and a half stars, declaring it "Sura is a usual Vijay fare".^[40] Sify wrote that Sura proved that "conviction can bring any formula to life".^[41] Rediff.com gave 2 out of 5 stars and stated that "Give your brains a rest, and enjoy this mass masala entertainer".^[42] Ananda Vikatan rated the film 37 out of 100.^[43]

References

External links

• Official website
• Sura at IMDb

This page was last edited on 8 April 2024, at 20:19