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Iyarkai

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Iyarkai (pronunciationⓘ, transl. Nature) is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by S. P. Jananathan in his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam and Radhika. Arun Vijay—who at the time was known as Arun Kumar—makes a cameo appearance and Bollywood actor Seema Biswas plays a supporting role. Iyarkai marks the debuts of Radhika and Biswas in Tamil cinema.

Iyarkai
Poster
Directed byS. P. Jananathan
Written byS. P. Jananathan
Screenplay byN. Kalyanakrishnan
Produced byV. R. Kumar
A. E. Gunasekaran
G. Natarajan
StarringShaam
Radhika
CinematographyN. K. Ekambaram
Edited byN. Ganesh Kumar
Music byVidyasagar
Production
company
Prisem Films
Distributed byPrisem Films
Release date
  • 21 November 2003 (2003-11-21)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹1 crore[1]

Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story White Nights, the film revolves around a young woman who is unable to accept the love of a sailor because she is in love with a ship captain who was lost at sea. It was made on a budget of one crore (₹10,000,000). Vidyasagar composed the music for the film.

Iyarkai was released on 21 November 2003. Although the film was not successful at the box office, it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil at the 51st National Film Awards in 2004, and N. K. Ekambaram won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer.

Plot

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Marudhu, a sailor, arrives at Rameshwaram port from Rome, after being away for fourteen years. At Senthil Aandavar Bar, a popular bar in the port, he meets Nandu while playing cards against Dorai and his posse at the bar. Marudhu asks Nandhu where the church is. Nandu directs Marudhu to the church, where he tells the church father, Stephen, the story of a captain who attempted to escape from his capsized ship. Marudhu later meets Nancy, who overheard his conversation with Stephen, at a roadside restaurant run by her sister-in-law, Mercy.

One day, Nandu comes to the bar with a bandaged nose. After seeing that Nandu is hurt, Marudhu looks for Dorai. A member from Dorai's posse tells Dorai that Marudhu is looking for him and Dorai goes in search of Marudhu. Marudhu finds Dorai fights him and his men. While fighting Dorai, Marudhu asks him who is he looking for, and if it is his lover. Nancy, overhears their conversation and, distracted by her thoughts, gets her dress stuck on train tracks as she is walking. Marudhu saves Nancy from an incoming train. She tells Marudhu to come to the only lighthouse in town at 6 p.m.

Later that day, Marudhu is directed to remove a stuck object from his ship's propeller. While effecting the repair, the propeller turns on and Marudhu is injured, making him unable to go to the lighthouse. To Marudhu's dismay, Nancy tells Marudhu that she was not waiting for him, but for a ship captain that she had met three years ago while selling mangoes and had fallen in love with. The ship captain had told her not to wait for him because she was too young to make a proper judgement about love, but he gave her a ring. Nancy also persuaded him to promise to return in one year.

Marudhu decides to help Nancy in her search for the ship captain. The search proves difficult, however, because Nancy does not know the captain's name, as she only addressed him as "Sir" and "Officer". After Marudhu reveals his love for Nancy, she distances herself from him. One day, Nancy comes across Joe, a crewman who sailed under the ship captain, after recognizing him in the bar. Joe tells Nancy that the ship captain's name is Mukundan and that he died in a shipwreck. The next day, Mercy wakes up and realizes that Nancy is missing. She tells Marudhu to go find Nancy. He gets on a ship docked at the port going to Sri Lanka after being directed there by one of the people working in the port. He finds an emotionally unstable Nancy sitting in the ship. Marudhu tries to get Nancy off the ship, but a man named Adam tells him that he cannot take her unless he fights him. After they fight, Nancy jumps off the ship and Marudhu follows to save her.

At night, Nancy and Marudhu sail on a canoe in search of Mukundan, when Marudhu accidentally loses Nancy's ring. The next day, he returns the ring to Nancy and tells the church father that he and his ship crew are planning to leave Christmas night. He writes his name on one piece of paper and "Captain" on the other and asks the church father to choose one of the papers, which he takes with him. On Christmas Eve, a man, unbeknownst to Nancy, arrives in the port. Marudhu helps the man get off his boat although Marudhu does not know that the man that he helped is Mukundan.

Marudhu asks Nancy if she is willing to accept his love. He starts to open the piece of paper to sees whose name is written, before Nancy stops him and agrees to marry him the next day, on Christmas. During their wedding, Nancy sees Marudhu and a group of other men dancing with Santa Claus masks. One of the men kneels and presents a ring on Nancy. To Nancy's surprise, the man removes his mask and reveals that he is Mukundan, not Marudhu. A depressed Marudhu leaves aboard his ship and drops the piece of paper into the ocean.

Cast

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Production

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Development

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S. P. Jananathan began work on Iyarkai in 2001.[2] Jananathan was reported to have taken inspiration for the story from his friend's uncle, who, immediately after getting married, went alone on a boat voyage in the Mediterranean Sea. He was lost and his body was nowhere to be found. Unaware of the situation, his wife awaited his return.[3] However, the film is actually an unofficial adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story "White Nights".[4] The film reuses several sub-plots from the short story, such as a man falling in love with a distressed woman, the woman telling him about her failed romance, and the man about to tell her his love right when the past lover returns.[4] He told the story to producer Ramkumar Ganesan, whose cousin V. R. Kumar became the producer after liking the story.[3] The film was titled Iyarkai (transl. Nature) because the conflict between man and nature causes a woman to wait for her past lover to return.[5]

Casting and filming

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Suriya turned down the offer to play the lead role, saying he was not interested in doing romantic films.[6] Shaam, whom Jananathan worked with as an assistant editor on 12B (2001), was cast instead.[7][8] The film was shot in a coastal hamlet, where Shaam interacted with the locals to imitate their mannerisms.[9]

Kannadathi actress Radhika made her Tamil cinema debut as Nancy. The media referred to her as "Kutti" (குட்டி; transl. small) Radhika to differentiate her from the Tamil actress of the same name.[10] Jananathan based Nancy on his friend's uncle's wife, and described her as an independent women with the autonomy to choose the man with whom she wants a relationship.[11][12]

Arun Kumar was chosen to play the ship captain, a character based on the life of Jananathan's friend's uncle.[3] He turned down the role because he was not interested in a cameo, but he later changed his mind after Jananathan explained the role's importance in the film.[13] Bollywood actor Seema Biswas was cast as Nancy's sister-in-law, marking her Tamil film debut.[14] Although he was advised not to, Pasupathy accepted the role of the priest.[15] Pop singer Karunas was cast in a singing role in the film.[16][17]

The film's first and second schedules were shot in the first half of 2003.[18] The film's first schedule was a twenty-one day shoot at Rameshwaram, Tiruchendur, and Tuticorin.[18] The second schedule was shot on the Andaman Islands.[18]

Art directors Sabu Cyril and V. Selvakumar erected a lighthouse set for the film.[19][20] Since Jananathan demanded an abandoned, slanted lighthouse be erected on the Andaman Islands, Sabu spotted an island an hour away from Port Blair and built a five-foot lighthouse there with the help of thirty crew members (including ten carpenters, three molders and two painters) in eight days during the twelve days of filming at the location.[21]

Soundtrack

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The music was composed by Vidyasagar with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[22][23] The first song Vidyasagar composed for the film, "Kaadhal Vandhaal", was recorded before the film's first schedule in Tuticorin.[24] The song was well received upon release.[25] The song "Iyarkai Thaaye" from the film's soundtrack was not included in the film.[22]

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Pazhaya Kural"Sujatha5:05
2."Iyarkai Thaaye"Karthik, Srivarthini4:41
3."Kaadhal Vandhaal"Tippu, Manikka Vinayagam5:59
4."Alaiye Alaiye"Shankar Mahadevan4:34
5."Seetu Kattu"Karthik, Manikka Vinayagam5:57
6."Elelo Elo"—0:31
Total length:23:47

Release and reception

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"I feel audiences should appreciate a good film. I get confused when a film with no storyline, and which has just five songs and three fights, succeeds at the box office, and a well-made film like Iyarkai fails. Does that mean the audience wants only five songs and three solid fights, and no story?"

 — Shaam on the film's box office failure, 2005[8]

Iyarkai was scheduled to be released on 24 October 2003, coinciding with the Deepavali festival, but the release was delayed due to financial issues.[26][27] The film was released to positive reviews,[28] but it was a box office failure due to a lack of publicity and its delayed release. The film did not lose money because it was produced on a low budget.[3]

Malathi Ranagarajan of The Hindu praised the cinematography and art direction, stating: "Together with Sabu Cyril-Selvan's art, K. Ekambaram's lens paints a bewitching picture on screen". She also praised the performances of Shaam, Kutty Radhika, Arun Kumar, and several foreign actors.[14] Visual Dasan of Kalki appreciated the use of montage shots and Radhika's performance, but opined that Seema Biswas was underused.[29]

R. Rangaraj of Chennai Online gave the film a positive review and wrote: "The debutant director, S P Jhananathan, has handled the build-up to the climax and the climax scenes too effectively. The end is rather stunning and unexpected for a Tamil movie". He also noted that the film may not have succeeded at the box office because it lacked commercial elements.[30]

A critic from Sify wrote that "The three characters Shaam, Radhika and Arun Kumar are excellent. Shaam laces his portrayal with seriousness and dry wit, which he has not been able to do earlier. Newcomer Radhika looks fresh but has to improve in her acting. Arun Kumar is a revelation but Seema Biswas is wasted in an insignificant role. The interwoven screenplay is fresh and the climax is strange, intriguing and riveting".[31]

Nineteen years after the release of the film on 21 November 2022, several netizens celebrated the film on Twitter.[32]

Accolades

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Upon release, Ekambaram sent Iyarkai to the National Awards committee. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2003, competing with Virumaandi and Pithamagan.[3][33] Jananathan wanted to return the award in protest of the death penalty for the hanging of Dhananjoy Chatterjee, but he did not do so.[34]

Event Category Recipient Ref.
51st National Film Awards Best Feature Film in Tamil Iyarkai [35]
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Best Cinematographer N. K. Ekambaram [36]

Dropped sequel

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Jananathan wanted to shoot the film's sequel in Fiji, but the film never entered production.[37]

References

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  1. ^ "16 Years of Iyarkai: 16 Lesser-known Facts About SP Jananathan's National Award-winning Romantic Drama". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  2. ^ கோபாலகிருஷ்ணன், எஸ். (7 May 2020). "இயக்குநர் எஸ்.பி.ஜனநாதன் பிறந்த நாள் ஸ்பெஷல்: அடித்தட்டு மக்களுக்கான அரசியலைப் பேசும் படைப்பாளி". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Warrier, Shobha (17 October 2006). "'MGR Films Are My Reference Point'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b Woods, Bolly (26 September 2007). "The story of 'S'". Rediff.com. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  5. ^ "தீபாவளி ரேஸ்!" [Deepavali race!]. Kalki (in Tamil). 26 October 2003. pp. 56–57. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  6. ^ "'Aasai' to 'Dhruva Natchathiram': Five Big Hits That Were Turned Down by Suriya". The Times of India. 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  7. ^ "Honour Well deserved". The Hindu. 27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b Warrier, Shobha (30 November 2005). "The ABCD of Shaam's Life!". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  9. ^ Sangeetha, P. (19 October 2008). "Shaam Strikes Back". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 July 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  10. ^ "Big Time for Li'l Girl". The Hindu. 5 August 2005. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  11. ^ "Peranmai Is Not Gender Specific". Rediff.com. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  12. ^ Allirajan, M. (7 April 2004). "Waiting in the Wings". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  13. ^ Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (14 March 2021). "RIP SP Jananathan: Tamil Cinema Loses Its Comrade". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  14. ^ a b Rangarajan, Malathi (21 November 2003). "Iyarkai". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 December 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  15. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (7 May 2004). "The 'Virumaandi' Villain Makes a Mark". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  16. ^ Aravindan, M.R. (17 February 2003). "A Pop Singer in Actor's Costume". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  17. ^ Parameswaran, Prathibha (4 June 2005). "Laughing All the Way". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Mannath, Malini (26 June 2003). "Iyarkkai". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 10 February 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  19. ^ "Eyarkai". Sify. 5 November 2003. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  20. ^ Iyarkai (Motion picture) (in Tamil). Prisem Films. 2003. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 2:45.
  21. ^ "லைட் ஹவுஸ் காதல்!" [Lighthouse love]. Kalki (in Tamil). 1 June 2003. p. 68. Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Iiyarkai". JioSaavn. 11 July 2003. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  23. ^ "Iyarkai". BizHat. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  24. ^ Sangeetha, P. (14 March 2021). "Shaam: Being His First Hero, Jhananathan Sir Always Had a Special Place for Me in His Heart". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Happy Birthday Vidyasagar: Here Are 5 Iconic Tamil Songs of the Composer". The Times of India. 2 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  26. ^ Kamath, Sudhish (22 October 2003). "Explosive Flicks". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  27. ^ "Stars : Star Interviews : Excl: Interview with Shaam". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  28. ^ "மறக்க முடியுமா – இயற்கை" [Can You Forget – Iyarkai]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  29. ^ தாசன், விசுவல் (30 November 2003). "இயற்கை" [Iyarkai]. Kalki (in Tamil). p. 32. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  30. ^ Rangaraj, R. (26 October 2003). "Iyarkai". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  31. ^ Moviebuzz. "Review: Eyarkai". Sify. Archived from the original on 16 December 2004.
  32. ^ "இயற்கை | மூணு பேரோட ஆசையும் நேர்மையா இருக்கு! - 19 Years of Iyarkai பதிவுகள்" [Iyarkai | The desire of three people is honest! - 19 Years of Iyarkai Records]. Hindu Tamil Thisai. 22 November 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  33. ^ "லாபியில் இல்லாத விருது". Kalki (in Tamil). 5 September 2004. pp. 74–75. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  34. ^ Kollappan, B.; Naig, Udhav (7 November 2015). "Film Award-winners Divided Over Returning Awards". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  35. ^ "The Year That Was: 2006". Rediff.com. 27 December 2006. Archived from the original on 4 January 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  36. ^ "Tamil Nadu State Awards Announced". Rediff.com. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 18 December 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  37. ^ "'Iyarkai 2′ Was on the Cards', Reveals Shaam As He Pays Tribute to SP Jananathan on His Birth Anniversary". The Times of India. 8 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
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