10 Years of 'Subramaniapuram': Reasons why Sasikumar’s film was destined to be a blockbuster

Actor-director Sasikumar’s directorial debut ‘Subramaniapuram’ became a landmark film in Tamil cinema for all the right reasons. It’s one of the rare instances where a film wins both critically and commercially. Made on a small budget, ‘Subramaniapuram’ went on to fetch enough moolah for the producers. On its 10th anniversary, several filmmakers ranging from Anurag Kashyap to AR Murugadoss have appreciated Sasikumar for coming up with a raw and gritty film. As the film completes 10 years, we give you five reasons why ‘Subramaniapuram’ became what it is today.

After being an erstwhile assistant director to filmmaker Bala, Sasikumar became friends with director Ameer and has worked as an assistant in films like ‘Mounam Pesiyadhe’ and ‘Raam’. It was only during the shoot of ‘Paruthiveeran’ that Sasikumar started working on ‘Subramaniapuram’. Reportedly, Sasikumar was turned down by several producers, after which he decided to produce, act and direct ‘Subramaniapuram’. Even in terms of direction, ‘Subramaniapuram’ doesn’t seem to be the work of a newcomer. The tragedy-drama was shot for 85 days and released in 2008 to outstanding reception from critics and audience alike. ‘Subramaniapuram’, in many ways, was an important film for Sasikumar, as it was for Tamil cinema itself.

Set in Madurai, ‘Subramaniapuram’ tells the story of a bunch of vagabonds who eventually become a pawn in the game of money and power. Apart from the politics, ‘Subramaniapuram’ also gives focus to friendship and loyalty, which also forms the theme of the story. What’s surprising even today is how Sasikumar managed to create the ‘80s setting so beautifully in ‘Subramaniapuram’. In the sense that every character we meet is rooted, real and vulnerable in their own sense. Upon release, Sasikumar also won lots of appreciation for the earthy dialogues, especially the scene where Jai says, "Oru pombala kaal la vizha vechitan Parama.” In an interview sometime back, Bollywood filmmaker Anurag Kashyap revealed that it was ‘Subramaniapuram’ that inspired him to make ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, which won the hearts of the global audience. Needless to say, it all began with ‘Subramaniapuram’.

Unlike many Tamil films of that time, Sasikumar didn’t succumb to the pressure of "mass" audience. In other words, Sasikumar stayed true to the genre and didn’t pay heed to the commercial compromises such as item songs and needless romance. More than anything, it’s Sasikumar conviction that paved the way for the success. ‘Subramaniapuram’ is a glowing example that content is invariably the king and not the stars. Every department, be it direction, sound or edit was highly praised to reconstruct the episode that happens in the ‘80s. One of the most hard-hitting scenes of ‘Subramaniapuram’ is the last 20 minutes or so, which turned out to be one of the best-written climax scenes ever.

When Sasikumar made ‘Subramaniapuram’, none of the actors were such prominent names as they are today. Telling the story of an unabashed friendship, the film had Sasikumar and Jai playing the lead roles, while actress Swathi played the leading lady. Even after all these years, ‘Subramaniapuram’ is widely known for the performances of actors Samuthirakani and Ganja Karuppu, who played a negative role in the film. Particularly, the character Kanugu, played by Samuthirakani, was well-received by fans, after which Samuthirakani played several such roles in films. The biggest strength of ‘Subramaniapuram’ was that it had actors playing rooted characters and not stars. Even today, Sasikumar is more popular for his role as Paraman, Jai as Azhagar and so on.

Interestingly, James Vasanthan was Sasikumar’s high school teacher. Reportedly, Sasikumar was worried to approach an established music composer as it marked his first feature film. Hence, Sasikumar approached James Vasanthan to compose the songs and background score for ‘Subramaniapuram’. And the rest, as they say, is history! The album of ‘Subramaniapuram’ became a chart-busting hit and won the hearts of the audience. Long before ‘Jimmiki Kammal’ and ‘Kolaveri Di’, it was James Vasanthan’s ‘Kangal Irandal’ that became a sensational hit among music lovers. The song was extremely popular among youngsters and thereby paved the way for the film’s promotions. Other songs like ‘Madura Kulunga’ and ‘Kadhal Siluvayil’ also went on to top the charts. Upon release, James Vasanthan received immense appreciation for his work in ‘Subramaniapuram’.