Paayum Puli (transl. Pouncing Tiger) is a 1983 Tamil-language martial arts film[1] directed by S. P. Muthuraman, written by Panchu Arunachalam and produced by AVM Productions. The film, inspired from the 1978 film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, stars Rajinikanth and Radha, alongside Jaishankar, Silk Smitha and R. N. Sudarshan, with K. Balaji making a cameo appearance. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja, while cinematography and editing were handled by Babu and R. Vittal respectively.
| Paayum Puli | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. P. Muthuraman |
| Written by | Panchu Arunachalam |
| Produced by | M. Kumaran M. Saravanan M. Balasubramanian M. S. Guhan |
| Starring | Rajinikanth Radha |
| Cinematography | Babu |
| Edited by | R. Vittal |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Box office | ₹20 million |
Paayum Puli was released on 14 January 1983, coinciding with Pongal. The film became a commercial success at the box office.
Plot
editBharani, a meek person, joins a martial arts school and trains to become a martial artist, in order to exact revenge against Balram, a smuggler responsible for the death of Bharani's sister Sumathi.
Cast
edit- Rajinikanth as Bharani alias Paayum Puli
- Radha as Revathy
- Jaishankar as Ranjith
- R. N. Sudarshan as Balram
- V. K. Ramasamy as Ceylon Sundari's uncle
- Manorama as Ceylon Sundari
- Thiagarajan as Thiyagu
- Y. G. Parthasarathy as Gopalakrishnan
- Sathyaraj as a gangster in Radha's tea stall
- Silk Smitha as Roopa
- Janagaraj as Chinnasamy
- Y. G. Mahendran as Mahi
- LIC Narasimhan as a hotel manager
Cameo appearance
Production
editS. P. Muthuraman and Panchu Arunachalam, who were cashing on the popularity of Bruce Lee and his martial arts films, designed the story of Paayum Puli with Judo. K. K. Rathnam being hired as the action choreographer.[3] and The film was inspired by 1978 film The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.[4] AVM Productions initially wanted A. C. Tirulokchandar to play the antagonist, but he declined the offer.[5] Karate Mani, a stuntman was later cast in the role, but he walked out and the role finally went to Jaishankar.[6][7]
Soundtrack
editThe music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja and lyrics were written by Vaali. Pothukittu oothuthadi is the popular song from the movie even today.[8][9] The disco song "Aadi Maasam" was well received, and it was later remixed by Srikanth Deva in Thottupaar.[10]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Appakada Annakili" | Malaysia Vasudevan, P. Susheela | 3:20 |
| 2. | "Aadi Maasa Kaathadikka" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 5:34 |
| 3. | "Pothukkittu Oothuthadi" | Malaysia Vasudevan, P. Susheela | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Vaa Vaa Maama" | S. Janaki | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 17:51 | ||
The film was dubbed into Telugu as Debbaku Debba and the lyrics were written by Rajashri
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Joru Vana Kurishindhi" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja | |
| 2. | "Ra Ra Mama" | S. P. Sailaja | |
| 3. | "Aata Paata" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja | |
| 4. | "Ammayi Andalani" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. P. Sailaja |
Release and reception
editPaayum Puli was released on 14 January 1983, coinciding with Pongal.[11][12]
Thiraignani of Kalki said the real pouncing tigers of the film were the hero and the technicians.[13]
Paayum Puli was a commercial success, completed a 133-day run at theatres and grossed over ₹20 million (equivalent to ₹340 million or US$4.1 million in 2023).[14][15] The makers wanted to release the film in Sri Lanka, but got into trouble as the title had "Puli" (Tiger), perceived as alluding to the LTTE. It was decided to release the film in the country with the title Irumbu Karangal (transl. Iron hands), but the film did not release there.[16]
References
edit- ^ Barkan, Jonathan (28 June 2019). "DREAD X: SOMETHING ELSE's Arvind Harinath Picks 10 Intro To Indian Horror Films". Dread Central. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, p. 265.
- ^ Ramachandran 2014, p. 147.
- ^ Ghosh, Devarsi (29 May 2018). "Bruce Lee died in 1973, but Indian filmmakers refuse to let his memory fade". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ சரவணன், ஏவி.எம். (26 June 2005). "பாக்யராஜின் மனைவி பட்ட கவலை!" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 44–47. Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, pp. 263–264.
- ^ முத்துராமன், எஸ். பி. (20 April 2008). "சண்டைக்குப் போன ரஜினி!" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). Retrieved 16 April 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Paayum Puli (1983)". Music India Online. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ "Paayum Puli Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraaja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 20 July 2021. Retrieved 20 July 2021.
- ^ "Script matters: Director Tarun Gopi". The New Indian Express. 9 December 2009. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, p. 263.
- ^ "Baashha to Darbar: Here is a list of Rajinikanth's Pongal releases that turned super hits". Asianet News. 8 January 2020. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ திரைஞானி (30 January 1983). "பாயும் புலி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 63. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
- ^ "Paayum Puli". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
- ^ Raghu, Sunita (4 May 2014). "The top 10 grossers so far". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 November 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, p. 266.
Bibliography
edit- Ramachandran, Naman (2014) [2012]. Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. New Delhi: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-14-342111-5.
- Saravanan, M. (2013) [2005]. AVM 60 Cinema (in Tamil) (3rd ed.). Rajarajan Pathippagam. OCLC 1158347612.
External links
edit- Paayum Puli at IMDb