Villadhi Villain (transl. The Ultimate Villain) is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film, written and directed by Sathyaraj, starring himself in three distinct roles.[1] Nagma and Radhika play his love interests. The film remains Sathyaraj's first and only directorial venture.[2] The film was also his 125th starrer, took a mammoth opening at the box office.[3]
| Villadhi Villain | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Sathyaraj |
| Written by | Sathyaraj |
| Produced by | Ramanathan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jayanan Vincent |
| Edited by | P. Sai Suresh |
| Music by | Vidyasagar |
Production company | Raaj Films International |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editMeenatchi Sundara Sasthiriyaar is a successful, cunning Brahmin lawyer in the city, and has never lost any case. He is known for his sheer intelligence in the court, and he is very brutal in nature, having excessive feelings for his caste. He is married to Parvathi, whom he always calls as Bombai. Also, they have a beautiful daughter named Janaki.
Edison, a man who comes from the area of Ambetkar, is a road roller driver and local who trains fighting for his locals, living with his poor and affectionate people at the slum. He is a staunch atheist and is like the leader of his group. He has trouble with the minister of that area whose name is Amsavalli. When his area is affected by a storm, he, along with his group, goes to the minister for help, but the minister badly abuses and insults their group. He and his friend Mani both get into a verbal exchange with the minister, leave the place and rebuild their huts. Angered by this, the minister orders her henchmen to beat up Edison and set the huts on fire, and the huts get burnt. As Edison reaches his anger point, he rides a bulldozer and demolishes the minister's house. Also mysteriously, she is killed, but the blame falls on Edison for driving the bulldozer on her and killing her.
In the meanwhile, previously Edison has saved both Parvathi and her daughter Janaki. Due to this, Janaki falls in love with Edison and Parvathi has a good regard for him. Upon seeing Edison's current situation, Parvathi asks her husband to be the lawyer for Edison and save him from the death sentence. Meenatchi Sundara Sasthiriyaar agrees to this. What happens next forms the rest of the story and the rest of the movie.
Cast
edit- Sathyaraj as Edison/Meenatchi Sundara Sasthiriyaar/Poo (Kannan)
- Radhika as Parvathi (Bombai Mami)
- Nagma as Janaki
- Goundamani as Mani
- Vichithra as Minister Amsavalli
- Manivannan as Minister Kuppusamy
- R. Sundarrajan
- Silk Smitha
- Mayilsamy
- Bobby Bedi as local area bully
- Halwa Vasu
Soundtrack
editThe music and background score was composed by Vidyasagar, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[4]
| Song | Singers | Length |
|---|---|---|
| "Bombai Maami" | Unni Menon, Sujatha | 5:19 |
| "Purappadu Thamizha" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Malaysia Vasudevan | 4:26 |
| "Sarakku Sarakku" | Arunmozhi, S. P. Sailaja, Suresh Peters | 4:35 |
| "Theemthalakadi" | Mano, Swarnalatha | 5:04 |
| "Vaimaiye Vellum" | Deepak, Anuradha Sriram | 4:30 |
| "Vayaso Pathikichu" | Mano, Swarnalatha | 4:57 |
Reception
editRPR of Kalki criticised the film for favouring box-office ingredients like action, comedy and songs over story.[5] K. Viijyan of New Straits Times reviewed the film more positively, despite noting the film being affected by censorship by the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia.[6]
Impact
editThe film was a blockbuster hit upon release. It gained popularity for the explicit glamour scenes played by Nagma and the song "Vayaso Pathikichu" was a famous chartbuster at that time.[7]
References
edit- ^ "Serene ride to success". The Hindu. 11 August 2000. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "'Baasha' to 'Sathi Leelavathi': Why 1995 is an unforgettable year for Tamil cinema fans". The News Minute. 1 December 2020. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Hit parade from a favourite". The Hindu. 31 December 2000. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Villadhi Villain (1995)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ^ ஆர். பி. ஆர். (9 July 1995). "வில்லாதி வில்லன்". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 3. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
- ^ Vijiyan, K. (10 July 1995). "A showcase for Satyaraj's talents". New Straits Times. p. 26. Archived from the original on 7 June 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ Sitaraman, Sandya (9 January 1996). "Tamil Movie News – 1995 review". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 27 February 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.