Sattam Oru Iruttarai (1981 film)

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Sattam Oru Iruttarai
File:Sattam Oru Iruttarai 1981.jpg
Poster
Directed byS. A. Chandrasekhar
Produced byVadaloor S. Chidambaram
Written byS. A. Chandrasekhar
StarringVijayakanth
Poornima Devi
Music byShankar–Ganesh
CinematographyD. D. Prasad
Edited byB. Gowtham Raj
Production
company
Vadularan Combines
Distributed byVadularan Combines
Release date
  • 14 February 1981 (1981-02-14)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Sattam Oru Iruttarai (transl. The Law is a Dark Room) is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar in his debut. The film stars Vijayakanth in the lead role. The film is about a man who wishes to avenge the killers of his parents. After its massive success and became a blockbuster, it was remade in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi languages. Recently, the film was also remade in Tamil again, by the director's granddaughter, Sneha Britto. The songs and score was composed by Shankar–Ganesh.[1]

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Sattam Oru Iruttarai is the directorial debut of S. A. Chandrasekhar.[3] The film borrows its title from a dialogue spoken in Velaikaari (1949): "Sattam oru iruttarai, aathil vakeelin vadham oru vilakku. aanal adhu ezhaikku ettadha vilakku", which translates to, "[The] law is a dark room where the lawyer's argument is a lamp. But it is inaccessible to the poor".[4] Chandrasekhar revealed that the script of the film was rejected by 20 producers.[5] Producer Chidambaram chose Vijayakanth for the lead character after he was impressed by his performance in Neerottam. Selection of actor arose stiff opposition from some quarters protesting against giving the hero chance to Vijayakanth in the film. Despite these objections, the producer stood firm in his decision and made Vijayakanth the lead actor in the film.[6]

Soundtrack[edit]

The music was composed by Shankar–Ganesh. Lyrics were written by Gangai Amaran, Poonguyilan and Gnani. The audio was released under the label Saregama.[7]

No. Title Singer(s)
1 "Pagalil Oru" Shobha Chandrasekhar
2 "Sattam Oru Iruttarai" Malaysia Vasudevan
3 "Thanimayile" S. N. Surendar, S. Janaki
4 "Rajathi Munnale" S. N. Surendar

Release and reception[edit]

Sattam Oru Iruttarai was released on 14 February 1981.[8] On 1 March 1981, Ananda Vikatan positively reviewed the film, particularly the script.[9]

Remakes[edit]

Sattam Oru Iruttarai was remade in Telugu as Chattaniki Kallu Levu (1981), in Hindi in as Andhaa Kaanoon (1983), in Malayalam as Maattuvin Chattangale,[10] in Kannada as Nyaya Ellide (1982),[citation needed], in Sinhala as Inspector Geetha and again in Tamil under the same title by Chandrasekhar's granddaughter Sneha Britto (2012).[10]

Legacy[edit]

The film's success established Vijayakanth as a star in Tamil cinema.[6] The success also inspired similar themes about law system which were mostly directed by Chandrasekhar and his disciple Shankar.[11][12]

References[edit]

  1. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/Top-10-Vijayakanth-movies/Top-10-Vijayakanth-movies/photostory/48666045.cms
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 ராம்ஜி, வி. (2 July 2018). "சட்டம் ஒரு இருட்டறை - அப்பவே அப்படி கதை!". Kamadenu (in தமிழ்). Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  3. "Tamil actor Vijay's father S.A. Chandrasekhar undergoes surgery after fall". The Indian Express. 24 August 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  4. "Tamil cinema, p. 4". Jump Cut. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  5. M. Allirajan (21 March 2005). "'Message' man". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  6. 6.0 6.1 "Cine Biography: Vijayakanth (Part-1)". Dinakaran. Archived from the original on 18 January 2000. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  7. "Sattam Oru Iruttarai". Saregama. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  8. http://etamil24.com/readmore.php?id=v2y2x2q2a4
  9. "சட்டம் ஒரு இருட்டறை". Ananda Vikatan (in தமிழ்). 1 March 1981.
  10. 10.0 10.1 "Tamil Friday: 'Sattam Oru Iruttarai' is all set to hit the silver screens". News18. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  11. malathi rangarajan. "Back to his route". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  12. "A direct hit?". The Hindu. Retrieved 16 September 2015.

External links[edit]

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