Sethu
Encyclopedia
Sethu is a 1999 Tamil romantic tragedy film directed by debutant Bala
. The film stars Vikram
and Abitha in the lead roles with Sivakumar
and Sriman
in other pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilaiyaraaja
.
The film opened in December 1999 at a single noon show at a suburban theatre but built up through word-of-mouth publicity and ran over one hundred at several cinema halls across Chennai
, becoming a critical and commercial success. Sethu won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
and secured wins in the Best Film category at the Filmfare Awards and the Cinema Express Awards
, while Bala and Vikram won several awards for their contributions to the film. The film was also remade in Hindi
as Tere Naam
starring Salman Khan
and released in 2003.
) is a rough and macho
college student and also The Chairman of the college, who uses violence as the only way to deal with people. He lives with his brother, a Judge (Sivakumar
), and his sister-in-law, who is the only person who seems to understand him properly.
Sethu has a staple diet of yes-sir friends surrounding him. He comes across a timid girl, Abitha, who is the daughter of a poor temple priest, and starts to woo her. A wonderfully constructed sequence of events leads him to rescue her elder sister after she accidentally enters a brothel.
When the girl falls in love with him, Sethu becomes a victim of brothel-goons and ends up in a mental institution with brain damage. With Sethu with no memory of his past and his unusual behaviour he starts to recollect memories. At one point, he is completely back to his normal self and in an attempt to escape, he climbs over the gates. Unfortuntely, he fails and ends up with serious injuries.
Whilst sleeping with his injury, Abitha makes a surprise visit. However Sethu is asleep and she leaves with this woeful memory of him. As she is about to leave the institution, he wakes up and realises that she had come to see him. As he calls out, she leaves unable to hear him.
Persistent to meet her he makes another attempt to leave the institution and this time he is successful. When he arrives at her house he is presented with his love unfortuately dead. He realises that she had killed herself.
Distraught after what he saw, he just walks out and at that point he is met with the mental institution wardens who came chasing after him. The ending shows him leaving with them as he has nothing to live for after his true love's death.
who refused the film. In 1997, debutant director Bala
offered Vikram the role of the rogue, Sethu (Chiyaan), in the film of the same name. To prepare for the character, Vikram shaved his head, thinned down to half his size by losing
21 kilograms and grew nails for the role. Furthermore, he did not accept any other offers during this period in order to maintain the continuity of his looks, with the film took two full years for completion. Vikram has since described the period of production as "the worst phase of his career" as he was weak economically, and "his fire was in danger of dying down". Keerthi Reddy
was initially signed on to play the lead female role, but was later replaced Abitha.
The film struggled to find a distributor and only after sixty seven screenings did the film manage to find a buyer, with most refusing the film due to the tragic climax.
, with Vikram being mobbed by people on the streets as a result of the film's success. Critics lapped up Vikram's performance with a reviewer labeling that "Vikram is a revelation" and that "he is very natural and his acting in last few scenes are just too good and could even be compared with the best we have seen". Similarly, a critic from the New Straits Times
described the film as an "unforgettable experience" and described Vikram's performance as "praise-worthy".
The following year, Sethu won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
, while also securing wins in the Best Film category at the Filmfare Awards and the Cinema Express Awards
. Bala
won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director
and the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil for his directorial debut. The performance also drew accolades for Vikram who won the Filmfare Special Award – South and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his portrayal of the title character, while reports emerged that he missed out on the National Film Award for Best Actor
by a single vote to Mohanlal
. Post-success, Vikram has described the film would have been close to him regardless of the commercial success and that it put him on the "right path", with Vikram choosing to adapt the prefix of Chiyaan to his screen name.
by Ilaiyaraaja
.
Bala (director)
Bala is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, working in Tamil cinema. Bala is frequently credited with having "revolutionized Tamil cinema", through his realistic, dark and disturbing films that have garnered high critical acclaim...
. The film stars Vikram
Vikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
and Abitha in the lead roles with Sivakumar
Sivakumar
Sivakumar is a Tamil cinema actor who has portrayed a wide range of character roles onscreen. Sivakumar was introduced in the Tamil movie Kaakum karangal which was produced by AVM Productions....
and Sriman
Sriman (actor)
Sriman is a character artist who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films. He is primarily known for his prominent roles in Aayutha Ezhuthu, Panchathanthiram, Pokkiri and Aegan. He is the son of noted producer, Prakash Reddy.- Early life :Sriman was born in Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh...
in other pivotal roles. The film's score and soundtrack are composed by Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
.
The film opened in December 1999 at a single noon show at a suburban theatre but built up through word-of-mouth publicity and ran over one hundred at several cinema halls across Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, becoming a critical and commercial success. Sethu won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The following lists the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The year in the header refers to the date when the film was censored and submitted for the awards, without of regard of when the award was presented. Apart from the Silver Lotus Award "Certificate of Merit" was also given...
and secured wins in the Best Film category at the Filmfare Awards and the Cinema Express Awards
Cinema Express Award for Best Film – Tamil
The Cinema Express Best Film Award is given as a part of its annual Cinema Express Awards for Tamil films.-Winners:...
, while Bala and Vikram won several awards for their contributions to the film. The film was also remade in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
as Tere Naam
Tere Naam
Tere Naam is an Indian Hindi film. The film was directed by Satish Kaushik and released on 15 August 2003. The film stars Salman Khan and Bhoomika Chawla in leading roles. It is a remake of the 1999 Tamil film Sethu....
starring Salman Khan
Salman Khan
Salman Khan is an Indian film actor. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films.Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi with Rekha in a lead role, had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya , for which he won a Filmfare Award for...
and released in 2003.
Plot
The main character Sethu (VikramVikram (actor)
Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
) is a rough and macho
Macho
Macho typically refers to machismo. Other uses include:*Macho , a short-lived disco group in the late 1970s*Pique macho, Bolivian dish*Macho Man , a 1978 disco song performed by the Village People...
college student and also The Chairman of the college, who uses violence as the only way to deal with people. He lives with his brother, a Judge (Sivakumar
Sivakumar
Sivakumar is a Tamil cinema actor who has portrayed a wide range of character roles onscreen. Sivakumar was introduced in the Tamil movie Kaakum karangal which was produced by AVM Productions....
), and his sister-in-law, who is the only person who seems to understand him properly.
Sethu has a staple diet of yes-sir friends surrounding him. He comes across a timid girl, Abitha, who is the daughter of a poor temple priest, and starts to woo her. A wonderfully constructed sequence of events leads him to rescue her elder sister after she accidentally enters a brothel.
When the girl falls in love with him, Sethu becomes a victim of brothel-goons and ends up in a mental institution with brain damage. With Sethu with no memory of his past and his unusual behaviour he starts to recollect memories. At one point, he is completely back to his normal self and in an attempt to escape, he climbs over the gates. Unfortuntely, he fails and ends up with serious injuries.
Whilst sleeping with his injury, Abitha makes a surprise visit. However Sethu is asleep and she leaves with this woeful memory of him. As she is about to leave the institution, he wakes up and realises that she had come to see him. As he calls out, she leaves unable to hear him.
Persistent to meet her he makes another attempt to leave the institution and this time he is successful. When he arrives at her house he is presented with his love unfortuately dead. He realises that she had killed herself.
Distraught after what he saw, he just walks out and at that point he is met with the mental institution wardens who came chasing after him. The ending shows him leaving with them as he has nothing to live for after his true love's death.
Cast
- VikramVikram (actor)Vikram is an Indian film actor who has predominantly appeared in Tamil language films. During his years in the Indian film industry, he has won five Filmfare Awards as well as one National Film Award and Tamil Nadu State Film Award amongst other recognitions and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate...
as Sethu (Chiyaan) - Abitha as Abitha
- SivakumarSivakumarSivakumar is a Tamil cinema actor who has portrayed a wide range of character roles onscreen. Sivakumar was introduced in the Tamil movie Kaakum karangal which was produced by AVM Productions....
as Sethu's Brother - SrimanSriman (actor)Sriman is a character artist who appears in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films. He is primarily known for his prominent roles in Aayutha Ezhuthu, Panchathanthiram, Pokkiri and Aegan. He is the son of noted producer, Prakash Reddy.- Early life :Sriman was born in Rajamundry, Andhra Pradesh...
as Sethu's friend - Bharathi
- Mohan Vaidya as Abitha's Uncle
Production
Bala wrote the script of the film, then titled Akhil, in the mid 1990s and offered the film's lead role to his housemate VigneshVignesh (actor)
Vignesh is a Tamil film actor from Tamil Nadu, India. He has acted in several movies including Kizhakku Cheemayile, Kathali, Raman Abdullah, Velai, Appu, Ilango, Ennai Thalatta Varuvala, Soori and Aacharya. Even though he acted in all films but still he couldn't find success in cinema.-External...
who refused the film. In 1997, debutant director Bala
Bala (director)
Bala is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, working in Tamil cinema. Bala is frequently credited with having "revolutionized Tamil cinema", through his realistic, dark and disturbing films that have garnered high critical acclaim...
offered Vikram the role of the rogue, Sethu (Chiyaan), in the film of the same name. To prepare for the character, Vikram shaved his head, thinned down to half his size by losing
21 kilograms and grew nails for the role. Furthermore, he did not accept any other offers during this period in order to maintain the continuity of his looks, with the film took two full years for completion. Vikram has since described the period of production as "the worst phase of his career" as he was weak economically, and "his fire was in danger of dying down". Keerthi Reddy
Keerthi Reddy
Keerthi Reddy is an Indian actress. She also acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies.-Early life:Reddy was born to interior designer and mother a dress designer. Her grandfather is Ganga Reddy, Member of Parliament from Dichpally in Andhra Pradesh...
was initially signed on to play the lead female role, but was later replaced Abitha.
The film struggled to find a distributor and only after sixty seven screenings did the film manage to find a buyer, with most refusing the film due to the tragic climax.
Release
The film released in December 1999 and initially began running at a single noon show at a suburban theatre but gradually built up audiences through word-of-mouth publicity and ran over one hundred at several cinema halls across ChennaiChennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, with Vikram being mobbed by people on the streets as a result of the film's success. Critics lapped up Vikram's performance with a reviewer labeling that "Vikram is a revelation" and that "he is very natural and his acting in last few scenes are just too good and could even be compared with the best we have seen". Similarly, a critic from the New Straits Times
New Straits Times
The New Straits Times is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print , having been founded as The Straits Times in 1845, and was reestablished as the "New Straits Times" in 1965. The paper served as Malaysia's only broadsheet format English...
described the film as an "unforgettable experience" and described Vikram's performance as "praise-worthy".
The following year, Sethu won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
The following lists the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. The year in the header refers to the date when the film was censored and submitted for the awards, without of regard of when the award was presented. Apart from the Silver Lotus Award "Certificate of Merit" was also given...
, while also securing wins in the Best Film category at the Filmfare Awards and the Cinema Express Awards
Cinema Express Award for Best Film – Tamil
The Cinema Express Best Film Award is given as a part of its annual Cinema Express Awards for Tamil films.-Winners:...
. Bala
Bala (director)
Bala is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer, working in Tamil cinema. Bala is frequently credited with having "revolutionized Tamil cinema", through his realistic, dark and disturbing films that have garnered high critical acclaim...
won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director
The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films.-Winners:...
and the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Tamil for his directorial debut. The performance also drew accolades for Vikram who won the Filmfare Special Award – South and the Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his portrayal of the title character, while reports emerged that he missed out on the National Film Award for Best Actor
National Film Award for Best Actor
The National Film Award for Best Actor is an honor presented annually at the National Film Awards of India to an actor who has delivered the best performance in a leading role within the Indian film industry.-Background:The Directorate of Film Festivals makes awards annually in several categories...
by a single vote to Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
. Post-success, Vikram has described the film would have been close to him regardless of the commercial success and that it put him on the "right path", with Vikram choosing to adapt the prefix of Chiyaan to his screen name.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features 6 songs composedMusical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
by Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
.
- Sethuvukku Sethuvukku - Arun Mozhi
- Vaarthai Thavari Vittai - Ilaiyaraaja
- Kadhalenna Kadhalenna - SwarnalathaSwarnalathaSwarnalatha was a Indian playback singer. From 1987 onward, she rendered nearly 7000 songs in many languages including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Bengali, Oriya, Punjabi and Badaga....
- Videya Videya - Unnikrishnan
- Gaana Karunkuyile - Kovai Kamala
- Sikaadha Sitrondru - Unnikrishnan, Arun Mozhi
- Enge Sellum Intha - IlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraajaIlaiyaraaja is an Indian film composer, singer, and lyricist mainly in the Tamil film Industry. He is regarded as one of the finest music composers in India. Ilaiyaraaja is also an instrumentalist, conductor, and a songwriter...
- Maalai Enn Vethanai - UnniKrishnan , Arun Mozhi