Pandhayam (transl. Bet) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar, starring Nithin Sathya and Sindhu Tolani while Prakash Raj and Radhika play supporting roles. Vijay did a guest role as himself. The music was composed by Vijay Antony with cinematography by Srinivas Devamsam and editing by J. N. Harsha. The film released on 19 September 2008.[1]
| Pandhayam | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | S. A. Chandrasekhar |
| Written by | S. A. Chandrasekhar |
| Produced by | Shoba Chandrasekhar |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Srinivas Devamsam |
| Edited by | J. N. Harsha |
| Music by | Vijay Antony |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Nemichand Jhabak |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editMasanam (Prakash Raj), a local thug and criminal who kills people, slowly rises up the ranks to be a minister. Shakthivel (Nithin Sathya) is a die-hard fan of an actor Vijay and studies in college. He falls in love with Masanam's sister Thulasi (Sindhu Tolani) and challenges him (he has a reason for that), and a cat-and-mouse game ensues. What follows is a series of incidents between the two that leads to a melodramatic climax.
Cast
edit- Nithin Sathya as Sakthivel
- Sindhu Tolani as Thulasi
- Prakash Raj as Masanam
- Radhika Sarathkumar as Masanam's wife
- Ganeshkar as Ganesh
- Vadivel Ganesh as Vadivel Ganesh
- Rajini Murugan as Mani
- Lavanya as Lavanya
- Dhamu
- Scissor Manohar
- Y. G. Mahendran as Dr. Pitchaimuthu
- Vimal as Murugesan (uncredited)
- Rajini Nivetha as Murugesan's mother
- Bala Singh
Special appearances :
- Vijay as himself
- Perarasu as himself
- Raj Kapoor as himself
- Meghna Naidu (special appearance in the song "Lusimbara")
- O Podu Rani as Chinna Maami (special appearance in the song "Chinna Maamiye")
- Ashok Raja (special appearance in the song "Chinna Maamiye")
- S. A. Chandrasekhar (special appearance in the song "Chinna Maamiye")
- Sampath Ram as Police Inspector (uncredited)
Production
editThe film was originally planned with Raghava Lawrence and Mallika Kapoor who were later replaced by Nithin Sathya and Sindhu Tolani.[2]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was composed by Vijay Antony.[3] It features remixes of the songs "Surangani" and "Chinna Maamiye".[4]
| Song | Singers | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|
| "Ammane" | Bellie Raj, Nidhesh Gopalan, Vinaitha | G. A. Robert |
| "Chinna Maamiye" | Christopher, MK Balaji, Shoba Chandrasekhar, Vinaya | Ceylon Manohar, Eknaath |
| "Kadhal Theeviravathi" | Vinaya, Jaidev | Priyan |
| "Lusimbara" | Ramya NSK, Vijay Antony, Christopher | Annamalai |
| "Surangani" | MK Balaji, Maya, Megha | Ceylon Manohar |
Critical reception
editBehindwoods wrote, "There is no singular theme or accent in Pandhayam and the film abounds in illogical narrations."[5] Rediff wrote "Watch Pandhayam if you've challenged your friends about sitting through a ridiculous movie. Even then, you might end up losing."[6] IANS wrote, "The movie looks like one that suffered a double Rip Van Winkle slumber since the 70s sans the vintage quality of that era".[7] The Hindu wrote "Looks like the experienced director is losing grip! Helming a film whose theme toes the beaten track of revenge, writer-director S.A. Chandrasekaran makes a hotchpotch of it. Every creator has a saturation point. SAC is no exception as this V.V. Creations’ product shows".[8]
References
edit- ^ "Pandhayam (2008)". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 29 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- ^ "Change of heroine in 'Pandhayam'". Cinesouth. 23 May 2008. Archived from the original on 27 May 2008. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ "Panthayam (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Gaana. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
- ^ Vamanan (6 February 2018). "His Surangani ferried Baila tunes from Lankan shores". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
- ^ "Pandhayam Review". Behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ Srinivasan, Pavithra (19 September 2008). "Review: Pandhayam". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
- ^ "'Pandhayam' – a bad movie bet (Tamil Film Review)". IANS. 20 September 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 29 April 2024 – via India Forums.
- ^ "Swarming with stereotypes -- Pandhayam". The Hindu. 26 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2024.