Sasanam

Sasanam (transl. The Will) is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language film directed by Mahendran. The film, based on the short story of the same name by Gandharvan, stars Arvind Swamy, Gautami and Ranjitha, while Balabharathi composed the music and K. P. Nambiathiri handled the cinematography.

Sasanam
Directed byMahendran
Story byGandharvan
StarringArvind Swamy
Gautami
Ranjitha
CinematographyK. P. Nambiathiri
Murali
Edited byB. Lenin
V. T. Vijayan
Music byBalabarathi
Production
company
Release date
28 July 2006
Running time
141 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

The film began production in the mid-1990s but was only released in 2006 due to production trouble, with all three of the lead actors retired at the time of release.

Plot

Muthiah and his wife Visalakshi are a loving couple, and they come across Saroji who with no one to go for, takes refuge in Muthiah's house. Muthiah and Saroji develop soft corner towards each other. The rest is what transpires between the trio, exploring the nuances of an extra-marital affair.

Cast

Production

My film deals with the unwritten laws and codes which I feel are more meaningful to a life than the written ones. Like love, gratitude, respect.

— Mahendran, on the meaning of the film's title[1]

When Mahendran attended film festivals, he met foreigners who requested him to make a film on Tamil Nadu culture instead of taking inspiration from world cinema which led Mahendran to make a film on Nagarathar culture of Karaikudi for which he researched them for three years and the film was an adaptation of the short story of same name written by Gandharvan. The film was majorly shot at a house at Kandanur at Karaikudi.[2]

The film began production in the mid-1990s and Balabharathi composed the music while Lenin and Vijayan were signed on as editors.[3][4][5] Former State Assembly Speaker and senior AIADMK leader K. Kalimuthu penned a song for the film which was sung by Chithra, Sriram and Sathyanarayana.[6] By January 1999, the film was described to be ready for release and Mahendran moved on to work on other projects.[7]

By 2000, the film was referred to as "delayed, believed dead" by the media, with reporters suggesting that Gouthami's change since signing the film would hinder any chances of release.[8] During production, the film's budget became overrun so Mahendran approached the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) to take over the financing of the film in 2000. To avoid the film being delayed further due to financial problems, the lead actor Arvind Swamy opted against receiving any salary for the film.[9][10][11] The film later finally geared up for release in mid-2006 and during the time of release, Arvind Swamy and Gautami had already quit the Tamil film industry, while Ranjitha was semi-retired.

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by Balabharathi.[12]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Pudhiya Kalai"Sriram, K. S. Chithra 
2."Aasaigalai Nenjukulle"Malaysia Vasudevan 
3."Poove Nee"K. S. Chithra 
4."Vaazhkayin Vaasal"K. S. Chithra 

Reception

A reviewer from Sify said that the film "tugs your heart strings, striking the right chord though a bit slow and old fashioned in shot compositions and presentation".[13] In regard to performances, the critics adds that "Gouthami returns after a break and she is excellent as Visalakshi. Ranjita is the only drawback and she is not convincing as a dancer and is not able to get her expressions correctly" and that Arvind Swamy is "first rate opting for a restrained mode in which he is able to bring out the pathos and hidden feeling of the character very well."[14]

The film was later shown during the 7th annual film festival of India at Atlanta from 21 August 2009.[15][16]

References
  1. Mannath, Malini (14 July 2006). "Sasanam". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 18 July 2006. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  2. "சாசனம் - ஒரு சமூகத்தின் கதை!" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). 15 March 1998. pp. 92–95. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  3. "Sasanam Preview". IndiaGlitz. 4 July 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  4. "LIFE IS AN UNWRITTEN 'SAASANAM'". Dinakaran. Archived from the original on 23 October 2004. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. "No more light, start, action for Arvind Samy". Behindwoods. 13 August 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  6. "Sasanam Speaker is writer too". IndiaGlitz. 18 July 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  7. Rajitha (16 January 1999). "And the Pongal windfall..." Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  8. Rajitha (7 May 2000). "Delayed, believed dead". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  9. "Long pending Mahendran's Sasanam to hit theatres on July!!". Behindwoods. 29 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  10. "Of human values, relationships". The Hindu. 20 January 2006. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  11. "GOKUL'S TAMIL CINEMA NEWS | JANUARY ISSUE". Oocities.org. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  12. "Sasanam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - EP". Apple Music. 1 December 2006. Archived from the original on 28 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  13. "Sasanam". Sify. 29 July 2006. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  14. "Sasanam". BizHat.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  15. "Ray's classics, "Rudali" to be screened at India fest in US". The Hindu. 10 August 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2009. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  16. "Treasures from India's National Film Development Corporation". Atlanta Dunia. High Museum of Art Atlanta. 23 August 2009. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
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