Sankar Guru (1987 film)

Sankar Guru is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by L. Raja and produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian and M. S. Guhan. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu as Chinnari Devatha with Raja Naidu as director. It stars Arjun, Seetha, Rajani and Baby Shalini. The film was released on 19 March 1987, and was commercially successful in both languages. The film was remade by Raja in Kannada as Soori (1992) with Shashikumar.

Sankar Guru
Tamil poster
Directed byL. Raja (Tamil)
Raja Naidu (Telugu)
Screenplay byV. C. Guhanathan
Story byM. Sivachandran
Produced byM. Saravanan
M. Balasubramanian
M. S. Guhan
StarringArjun
Seetha
Rajani
Baby Shalini
CinematographyViswam Natraj
Edited byR. Vittal
C. Lancy
Music byChandrabose (Tamil)
K. Chakravarthy (Telugu)
Production
company
Release date
  • 19 March 1987 (1987-03-19)
Running time
127 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesTamil
Telugu

Plot

In a small village, three brothers Kanagaraj, Ethiraj & Nagaraj hold control with the eldest brother Kanagaraj leading a notorious crime ring. Anyone who dares to defy them faces brutal violence or death. However, the fruit stall owner, Sankarguru / Babu, becomes a reluctant hero when he intervenes in a harrowing incident involving the youngest brother, Nagaraju, who attempts to molest a young school teacher, Rekha. Sankarguru / Babu beats Nagaraju so severely that he requires hospitalization.

Aware of Sankarguru's actions, the second eldest brother Ethiraj schemes to teach him a lesson by framing him for selling illegal arrack. However, a young girl Devi and her monkey companion overhear the plot and inform Sankarguru / Babu. He confronts and defeats the second brother, earning himself a reputation. Tensions rise between Sankarguru / Babu and the brothers when the youngest brother publicly murders a school headmaster who tried to prevent another assault on the teacher Rekha who by now has become the love interest of Sankarguru / Babu.

Learning of this tragedy, Sankarguru / Babu rushes to the scene in a fit of rage, overpowering the brothers and delivering them to the town's police station. To everyone's surprise, it is revealed that Sankarguru / Babu is not merely a fruit stall owner but an undercover police inspector on a special assignment.

Meanwhile, the little girl, having discovered Sankarguru / Babu's true identity, tries to distance herself from him. Sankarguru insists on understanding her reasons and learns about her tragic past. Her parents were victimized by the trio, with her mother being killed and her father falsely framed for the crime, aided by a corrupt policeman. Sankarguru vows to find her father and reunite them.

The remainder of the story revolves around Sankarguru's determination to fulfill his promise to the young girl, as he navigates the corrupt underworld and seeks justice for her family.

Cast
Tamil version
Telugu version

Production

AVM Productions wanted to remake the Bengali film Shatru (1984) in Tamil and Telugu.[1] However, the remake rights proved too expensive, so the idea was dropped. Instead, AVM borrowed two scenes from that film and created a new story, titled Sankar Guru in Tamil and Chinnari Devatha in Telugu. Both versions were filmed simultaneously.[2]

Soundtrack

The music of Sankar Guru was composed by Chandrabose, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[3][4] The music of Chinnari Devatha was composed by K. Chakravarthy, with lyrics by Veturi.[5][6]

Tamil
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Maadi Veettu Mynar"Malaysia Vasudevan4:20
2."Enna Pathti Nee"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki4:21
3."Kakki Sattai Potta Machan"Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Sailaja4:33
4."Chinna Chinna Poove" (male)K. J. Yesudas4:24
5."Chinna Chinna Poove" (female)S. Janaki4:26
6."Kumbakonamey Konam"Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Sailaja5:11
Total length:27:15
Telugu
No.TitleLength
1."Maa Intipere Anuragam"4:48
2."Gudapah Camo Bojiuaa"4:17
3."Melukuma Devudanta"4:18
4."Kachuko Chalibhada"4:37
5."Nemmadi Nemmadiga"4:41
6."Maa Inti Pere Anurangam"4:08
Total length:26:49

Release and reception

Sankar Guru was released on 19 March 1987.[7] The Indian Express called it "absolutely unpretentious entertainer".[8] Jayamanmadhan of Kalki, despite noting several flaws, appreciated the director for making an entertaining film from beginning to end.[9] The film was commercially successful in both the languages it was made.[10]

References
  1. சரவணன், ஏவி.எம். (31 July 2005). "ரஜினி கேட்ட டீ.வி.!" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 60–63. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
  2. Saravanan 2013, pp. 305–306.
  3. "Sankar Guru Tamil Film LP VInyl Record by Chandrabose". Macsendisk. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  4. "Sankar Guru". Gaana. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  5. "Chinnari Devata (1987)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  6. "Chinnari Devatha – 12 Inch LP". vintagestore.in. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
  7. Saravanan 2013, p. 305.
  8. "Action". The Indian Express. 27 March 1987. p. 14. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  9. ஜெயமன்மதன் (12 April 1987). "சங்கர் குரு". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 84. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  10. Saravanan 2013, pp. 306–307.

Bibliography
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