Padayappa
Encyclopedia
Padayappa is a 1999 Tamil
drama
film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar
. The film features Rajinikanth, Soundarya
and Ramya Krishnan
playing lead roles, whilst Sivaji Ganesan
, Lakshmi
and Nassar
play pivotal supporting roles. With soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman
, it was highly successful at box office.
His family is then forced to leave their home. Due to this shock, his father suddenly dies. His sister's wedding is then cancelled because the groom went for money and married his uncle's daughter. Also, Nilambiri (Ramya Krishnan), the spoilt daughter of his maternal uncle, is in love with him.
Meanwhile, Padayappa finds out that the hill that he owns has granite, and he digs it out and once again becomes a very famous name in the city as he does a lot of service to the poor. His family, once again, is able to settle down. His sister gets married to an engineer Padayappa hired, and Padayappa maintains his father's position in the village.
Padayappa is in love with Vasundhara (Soundarya), Nilambari's servant. When Nilambari finds this out, she goes crazy. Her parents beg Padayappa's widowed mother to allow Nilambari to marry Padayappa. Padayappa obeys his mother's orders to get married. However, Padayappa's mother becomes wise and tells off her brother in front of the entire village, giving a proposal of marriage to Vasundhara's mother instead of her brother, not letting her brother forget the humiliation he put her through when Padayappa's father died. Nilambari's dad commits suicide in humiliation. Nilambari tries to kill Vasundhara, but is not successful.
After the wedding, Nilambari retreats into a room in her brother's house, only having Padayappa in her mind for 18 years. However, when her brother finally wakes her up, she plans her revenge on Padayappa, now a father of two adult daughters. Nilambari's brother also has a son, Chandra Prakash (Abbas) who studies in the same college as Padayappa's elder daughter (Preetha Vijayakumar). He is told by Nilambari that he should make Padayappa's daughter fall in love with him. At the same time Padayappa plans to get his eldest daughter married to his sister's son.
As a tradition in their village the groom and bride are asked if they both are not being forced to marry each other. Nilambari's plan is to make Padayappa's daughter say that she doesn't wish to get married to the groom that her parents want her to marry and that she is in love with someone else and in that process get Padayappa humiliated.
Her plan works, but Padayappa retaliates and makes his daughter's lover confess that he really fell in love with her, even though he was told only to act. Padayappa decides to take him to his house for the marriage, with Nilambari and her brother chasing behind. The chase sees Nilambari's brother killed in a car accident.
After a dramatic fight scene, the marriage takes place. Nilambari reaches the temple where the marriage is conducted and in anger tries to kill Padayappa. But Padayappa succeeds in saving her life by preventing a bull from attacking her while dodging the bullets fired from the gun. Rather than live with the humiliation of knowing that she was unsuccessful in avenging her father's death and having her life saved by her enemy, Nilambari commits suicide.
replaced Simran in the film and thus made a comeback in Tamil films. Actress Shalini who had appeared in a series of successful Tamil and Malayalam films in the late 1990s was first approached to play the role of Padayappa's sister in the film, which she refused eventually handing the role to Sithara
.
The film began its shoot in December 1998 and continued at the AVM Studios throughout the month.
The critic from Rediff.com
gave a verdict that "if you are a Rajni fan, this film is vintage stuff", praising the performances from Rajinikanth and Ramya Krishnan
. The New Indian Express
labelled it a "heady cocktail of comedy, action, songs, sentiment and the usual mannerisms", while also prasing the performances from the duo. The Deccan Herald also gave the film a positive verdict claiming that the "positive energy generated by this film is simply astounding", labelling Rajinikanth's role as "terrific". However the Times of India was critical of the film's allusions to the actor's political career and labelled that there's "more style than substance".
Ramya Krishnan
won the Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award
for portraying the character of Nilambari and critics lapped up her perfromance. The success of the film led to a film being named after a song, "Minsara Kanna
" starring Vijay with actress Kushboo appearing in a strong negative role much alike Ramya Krishnan's in Padayappa.
and lyrics penned by Vairamuthu
, the movie features a successful and critically acclaimed soundtrack. The soundtrack was a phenomenal success and created unprecedented sales in retail shops. It was reported that the audio shops ran out of cassettes and had to put up boards notifying that it was out of stock.
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
. The film features Rajinikanth, Soundarya
Soundarya
Soundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
and Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan is an actress who performs in Indian cinema. She has acted in over 200 films in five languages; Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.-Early life and background:...
playing lead roles, whilst Sivaji Ganesan
Sivaji Ganesan
Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...
, Lakshmi
Lakshmi (actress)
Lakshmi Narayan is an Indian National Film Award winning actress who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Lakshmi has acted in more than 300 films in all south Indian languages apart from few in Bollywood. She has won a Filmfare Best Actress Award and eight Filmfare Awards South.-Early...
and Nassar
Nassar
Nassar is a Tamil actor, producer, writer, director, lyricist, and singer. He has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English films. He is often cited as part of India's specialist character actors, along with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Nana Patekar...
play pivotal supporting roles. With soundtrack composed by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, it was highly successful at box office.
Plot
Padayappa (Rajinikanth) is an engineer who visits his hometown to attend his sister's wedding. His sister is engaged to the son of his maternal uncle. During this happy occasion, Padayappa's father's foster brother (Manivannan) demands a share in the family property. But, standing true to his words that the family property should not be divided, Padayappa's father (Sivaji Ganesan) gives the entire property to him.His family is then forced to leave their home. Due to this shock, his father suddenly dies. His sister's wedding is then cancelled because the groom went for money and married his uncle's daughter. Also, Nilambiri (Ramya Krishnan), the spoilt daughter of his maternal uncle, is in love with him.
Meanwhile, Padayappa finds out that the hill that he owns has granite, and he digs it out and once again becomes a very famous name in the city as he does a lot of service to the poor. His family, once again, is able to settle down. His sister gets married to an engineer Padayappa hired, and Padayappa maintains his father's position in the village.
Padayappa is in love with Vasundhara (Soundarya), Nilambari's servant. When Nilambari finds this out, she goes crazy. Her parents beg Padayappa's widowed mother to allow Nilambari to marry Padayappa. Padayappa obeys his mother's orders to get married. However, Padayappa's mother becomes wise and tells off her brother in front of the entire village, giving a proposal of marriage to Vasundhara's mother instead of her brother, not letting her brother forget the humiliation he put her through when Padayappa's father died. Nilambari's dad commits suicide in humiliation. Nilambari tries to kill Vasundhara, but is not successful.
After the wedding, Nilambari retreats into a room in her brother's house, only having Padayappa in her mind for 18 years. However, when her brother finally wakes her up, she plans her revenge on Padayappa, now a father of two adult daughters. Nilambari's brother also has a son, Chandra Prakash (Abbas) who studies in the same college as Padayappa's elder daughter (Preetha Vijayakumar). He is told by Nilambari that he should make Padayappa's daughter fall in love with him. At the same time Padayappa plans to get his eldest daughter married to his sister's son.
As a tradition in their village the groom and bride are asked if they both are not being forced to marry each other. Nilambari's plan is to make Padayappa's daughter say that she doesn't wish to get married to the groom that her parents want her to marry and that she is in love with someone else and in that process get Padayappa humiliated.
Her plan works, but Padayappa retaliates and makes his daughter's lover confess that he really fell in love with her, even though he was told only to act. Padayappa decides to take him to his house for the marriage, with Nilambari and her brother chasing behind. The chase sees Nilambari's brother killed in a car accident.
After a dramatic fight scene, the marriage takes place. Nilambari reaches the temple where the marriage is conducted and in anger tries to kill Padayappa. But Padayappa succeeds in saving her life by preventing a bull from attacking her while dodging the bullets fired from the gun. Rather than live with the humiliation of knowing that she was unsuccessful in avenging her father's death and having her life saved by her enemy, Nilambari commits suicide.
Cast
- Rajinikanth as Aarupadayappan
- Sivaji GanesanSivaji GanesanViluppuram Chinnaiahpillai Ganesan Manrayar , commonly known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan , was an Indian stage and film actor active during the latter half of the 20th century. He is one of the most respected film actors in India. He is well known for his versatility and acting skills with...
- Ramya KrishnanRamya KrishnanRamya Krishnan is an actress who performs in Indian cinema. She has acted in over 200 films in five languages; Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.-Early life and background:...
as Nilambari - SoundaryaSoundaryaSoundarya was a film actress who appeared in Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films. She acted in more than 90 films, most of them in Telugu. She was killed in a plane crash near Bangalore.-Film career:...
as Vasundhara - LakshmiLakshmi (actress)Lakshmi Narayan is an Indian National Film Award winning actress who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Lakshmi has acted in more than 300 films in all south Indian languages apart from few in Bollywood. She has won a Filmfare Best Actress Award and eight Filmfare Awards South.-Early...
- SitharaSithara (actress)Sithara is an Indian actress who has performed in Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language films and television serials.-Filmography:-External links:...
- Radharavi
- NassarNassarNassar is a Tamil actor, producer, writer, director, lyricist, and singer. He has appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi and English films. He is often cited as part of India's specialist character actors, along with the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Nana Patekar...
as Suryaprakash - ManivannanManivannanManivannan is a popular Tamil actor and director. With over 400 films to his name, Manivannan is one of the most experienced actors in the field. He normally plays the role of a dad or a senior comedian.- Background :...
- SenthilSenthil (actor)Senthil is an actor from Tamil Nadu, India notable for his comedian roles in Tamil films.-Acting career:He has acted in many popular movies with several of the leading actors and comedians in the south Indian cine industry. He usually appears in films with Goundamani in a slapstick double act....
as Azhagesan - AbbasAbbas (actor)Mirza Abbas Ali , known as Abbas, is an Indian film actor and model. He has appeared in Kollywood Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films.Born in Calcutta and educated in Mumbai, he was discovered modeling in Bangalore...
as Chandraprakash - PreethaPreetha VijayakumarPreetha Vijayakumar is an Indian film actress in the Tamil film industry. Her parents are noted actors Vijayakumar and Manjula. She is married to Hari, a Tamil film director.-Filmography:-External links:...
- Anu Mohan
- Ramesh KhannaRamesh KhannaRamesh Kanna is a Tamil film actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.Ramesh Khanna was born in Coimbatore and third child to the family. Ramesh Khanna arrived in Chennai in the late 1980s to have a career as an actor...
- VadivukkarasiVadivukkarasiVadivukkarasi is a Tamil film and television actress. She has acted in more than 350 films and 10 television serials in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. During her career, she has played various characters, essaying lead, supporting as well as antagonistic roles.-External links:...
- Sathyapriya
- Mansoor Ali KhanMansoor Ali Khan (actor)Mansoor Ali Khan is a South Indian actor who is prominent in Tamil films. He usually plays comedic villains- villains with unusual characteristics making them funnily evil. His first film was Rajathi Thedi starring Karthik - as a pickpocket-cum-rowdy who harasses the heroine. From then on he has...
- Prakash RajPrakash RajPrakash Raj , better known by his stage name Prakash Raj, is a National Award winning actor, director and producer who has worked in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam films. Though he was born in a Tulu family he achieved fame through Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films. He got introduced to...
as Police - K. S. RavikumarK. S. RavikumarK. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
in a special appearance
Production
Ramya KrishnanRamya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan is an actress who performs in Indian cinema. She has acted in over 200 films in five languages; Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.-Early life and background:...
replaced Simran in the film and thus made a comeback in Tamil films. Actress Shalini who had appeared in a series of successful Tamil and Malayalam films in the late 1990s was first approached to play the role of Padayappa's sister in the film, which she refused eventually handing the role to Sithara
Sithara (actress)
Sithara is an Indian actress who has performed in Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam language films and television serials.-Filmography:-External links:...
.
The film began its shoot in December 1998 and continued at the AVM Studios throughout the month.
Release
The film opened on 10 April 1999, four days prior to the Tamil New Year, and took the biggest opening ever with 200 prints being released. The film became a blockbuster at the commercially and earned over twenty crores profit. It ran for one hundred days across 86 cinema halls, creating a new record for such widespread success. The film's rights were sold to distributors in Japan for $50,000, the highest any Indian film has fetched for commercial release in 1999.The critic from Rediff.com
Rediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
gave a verdict that "if you are a Rajni fan, this film is vintage stuff", praising the performances from Rajinikanth and Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan is an actress who performs in Indian cinema. She has acted in over 200 films in five languages; Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.-Early life and background:...
. The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as the Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu. In 1991, following the death of the then owner Ramnath Goenka, the Goenka...
labelled it a "heady cocktail of comedy, action, songs, sentiment and the usual mannerisms", while also prasing the performances from the duo. The Deccan Herald also gave the film a positive verdict claiming that the "positive energy generated by this film is simply astounding", labelling Rajinikanth's role as "terrific". However the Times of India was critical of the film's allusions to the actor's political career and labelled that there's "more style than substance".
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan
Ramya Krishnan is an actress who performs in Indian cinema. She has acted in over 200 films in five languages; Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.-Early life and background:...
won the Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award
Filmfare Best Actress Award (Tamil)
The Filmfare Best Actress Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil films. The Award was first given in 1953...
for portraying the character of Nilambari and critics lapped up her perfromance. The success of the film led to a film being named after a song, "Minsara Kanna
Minsara Kanna
Minsara Kanna is a Tamil film which was released on September 9, 1999 and written and directed by K.S. Ravikumar. The film stars Joseph Vijay, Monicka, Rambha, and Kushboo Sundar. The soundtrack for the film was done by music director Deva.-Plot:...
" starring Vijay with actress Kushboo appearing in a strong negative role much alike Ramya Krishnan's in Padayappa.
Soundtrack
Scored by A. R. RahmanA. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
and lyrics penned by Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
, the movie features a successful and critically acclaimed soundtrack. The soundtrack was a phenomenal success and created unprecedented sales in retail shops. It was reported that the audio shops ran out of cassettes and had to put up boards notifying that it was out of stock.
| Song | Artist(s) |
|---|---|
| "En Peru Padayappa" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual Indian playback singer, actor, music director, voice actor and a film producer. He is referred to as S. P. B. or Balu by the media. He has won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times closely following K. J. Yesudas... |
| "Minsara Kanna" | Srinivas Srinivas (singer) Srinivas 'Srini' is an award winning playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is also a music composer.-Early life:... , Nithyasree Mahadevan Nithyasree Mahadevan Dr. Nithyasree Mahadevan, also previously referred to as S. Nithyashri, is an eminent Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. Nithyasree's paternal grandmother, D. K. Pattammal, and her granduncle, D. K... |
| "Suthi Suthi" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual Indian playback singer, actor, music director, voice actor and a film producer. He is referred to as S. P. B. or Balu by the media. He has won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times closely following K. J. Yesudas... , Harini Harini Harini is an Indian film playback singer and classical singer, who sings mainly in Tamil films. She has also sung in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam language films, whilst working with many leading film composers. She is married to another playback singer, Tippu.-Career:Harini learnt Carnatic... |
| "Vetri Kodi" | Palghat Sreeram & Chorus |
| "Kicku Eruthey" | Mano Mano (singer) Mano is an Indian playback singer. He sings in Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi.-Biography:Mano was born in a Muslim family and his original name is Nagoor Babu; he was rechristened Mano by Ilayaraja... , Febi |