Avatharam (1995 film)
| Avatharam | |
|---|---|
.jpg) VCD cover | |
| Directed by | Nassar |
| Written by | Nassar |
| Produced by | Vaithyanathan |
| Starring | Nassar Revathi |
| Cinematography | P. S. Dharan |
| Edited by | M. N. Raja |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | Kamalam Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Avatharam (transl. Avatar) is a 1995 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Nassar, making his directorial debut. The film stars him and Revathi. It was released on 9 June 1995 and failed at the box office, but won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Third Best Film.
Plot
 | This article needs an improved plot summary. (February 2023) |
Kuppusamy, an innocent man, dreams to perform in Pandi's troupe, which performs in Hindu festivals. Baasi is expelled from the troupe for his bad behaviour. Finally, Pandi accepts Kuppusamy into his troupe. The blind girl Ponnamma, Pandi's daughter, falls in love with Kuppusamy. For some time, the festival's organisers prefer female dancers. Thereafter, Pandi dies during a stage performance, and the troupe splits up. Kuppusamy leaves the village with Ponnamma to become a film actor. There, they meet Baasi, and he accommodates them. Baasi then rapes and kills Ponnamma. Later, Kuppusamy is sent to a mental hospital, but he manages to escape. Kuppusamy is determined to take revenge on Baasi. Baasi, fearing for his life, seeks protection from the police in order to catch Kuppusamy. Kuppusamy first kills the policemen. A fight ensues between Kuppusamy and Baasi, in which Kuppusamy kills Baasi.
Cast
- Nassar as Kuppusamy
- Revathi as Ponnamma
- Bala Singh as Baasi
- Srividya as an advocate
- Delhi Ganesh as Pandi
- Vennira Aadai Moorthy as Singaram
- Sachu as Singaram's wife
- Kaka Radhakrishnan
- Junior Balaiah as Krishna
- Murali Kumar as Pungavanam
- Shanmugasundari as Marudhayi
- Vincent Roy as a police officer
- Thyagu
Production
Avatharam marked the directorial debut of Nassar.
Soundtrack
The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.[4][5] The song "Arithaaratha Poosikolla Aasai" is set to Keeravani raga,[6] "Thendral Vanthu Theendumbothu" is set to Jaunpuri,[7] and "Oru Gundu Mani Kulunguthadi" is set to Harikambhoji.[8] "Thendral Vanthu Theendumbothu" was later reused in the Telugu film Yevade Subramanyam (2015) as "Challa Gaali".[9]
All lyrics are written by Vaali, except where noted
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Arithaaratha Poosikolla Aasai" | Ilaiyaraaja, S. Janaki | 5:53 |
| 2. | "Chandirarum Sooriyarum" | Ilaiyaraaja | 6:09 |
| 3. | "Kanni Randil Etri Vaikkum" | Chorus | 2:53 |
| 4. | "Oru Gundu Mani Kulunguthadi" | Ilaiyaraaja | 5:01 |
| 5. | "Thendral Vanthu Theendumbothu" | Ilaiyaraaja, S. Janaki, Ganesh Manivannan | 5:24 |
| 6. | "Thondru Thottu Indru Varai" (Muthu Koothan) | Malaysia Vasudevan | 5:32 |
| Total length: | 30:52 | ||
Release and reception
Avatharam was released on 9 June 1995.[10] Since no distributors were willing to take up this film due to lack of commercial elements, the film's producer had to distribute the film by himself throughout Tamil Nadu.[3] K. N. Vijiyan of New Straits Times lauded the film, saying its only flaw was the cinematography: "Some scenes look blurry and dark".[11] R. P. R. of Kalki praised Nassar's direction while also praising for portraying the life of Therukoothu artistes with authenticity and realism while also praising Ilaiyaraaja's songs and re-recording.[12] However the film failed at the box office.[13][14] It won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Third Best Film.[15]
References
- ^ Krishna, Sandya. "Mookkan's many years of success". Indolink. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Bharat, U. (21 March 2001). "From humble beginnings to stardom – it was a long road for Nassar". India4u. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ a b துளசி (2 July 1995). "அவதாரம் தந்த பாடம்! - நாசர் பேட்டி". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 26–27. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Avatharam (1995)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "Avatharam-Ponnuthayie Tamil Film Audio CD by Ilayaraaja". Macsendisk. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
- ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 124.
- ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 162.
- ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 150.
- ^ Karthik (25 February 2015). "Yevade Subramanyam (Music review), Telugu – Radhan & Ilayaraja". Milliblog!. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
- ^ "avadharam ( 1995 )". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ Vijiyan, K. (26 June 1995). "Actor Nazer makes mark as director with Avathaaram". New Straits Times. p. 29. Retrieved 26 November 2020 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ ஆர். பி. ஆர். (2 July 1995). "அவதாரம்". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 24–25. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Rajitha (1 September 1997). "'Direction is challenging, acting is soul-satisfying'". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "Pop-carn". Sify. Archived from the original on 17 November 2003. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "TAMIL CINEMA | I997-- YEAR HIGHLIGHTS". Dinakaran. 1997. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
Bibliography
- Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani. OCLC 295034757.
External links
- Avatharam at IMDb
