| Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Suseenthiran |
| Screenplay by | Suseenthiran |
| Based on | Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai by Bhaskar Sakthi |
| Produced by | P. Madhan |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Theni Eswar |
| Edited by | Kasi Viswanathan |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Cloud Nine Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
| Budget | ₹4.5crore[2] |
Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (transl. Azhagarsami's Horse) is a 2011 IndianTamil-languagemysterycomedy drama film directed bySuseenthiran, based on the short story of the same name penned by writer Bhaskar Sakthi.[citation needed] The film starsAppukutty andSaranya Mohan in lead and features music byIlaiyaraaja.[3] The film was produced byEscape Artists Motion Pictures and distributed byCloud Nine Movies.[4][5] It was released on 12 May 2011.
The film was screened at the2011 Toronto International Film Festival,[6] becoming the secondTamil film to be screened there afterKannathil Muthamittal (2002). In 2012, the film was honored with twoNational Film Awards forBest Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment andBest Supporting Actor for Appukutty.
The story is set in a village called Mallayapuram nearTheni. The villagers believe the Rain Gods will favour them after the annual Temple Festival (Thiruvizha), during which the deity is taken around the village on a wooden horse. They are in for a rude shock when the horse goes missing. At the same time, Azhagarsami, a youngster who earns his livelihood by ferrying loads on his horse in Aagamalai village in Periyakulam, gets ready for his marriage. His horse also goes missing, and his marriage is put on hold. Whether the villagers and Azhagarsami find their respective horses or not forms the rest of the story.[7]
Rediff's Pavithra Srinivasan labelled the film as "brilliant" and "a must-watch for its unconventional story-line, protagonists and plot-points", giving it 3.5/5.[8]Sify's critic described the film as "good" that deserved a "viewing because films like this are hard and few to find in these days of mass masala", further citing that Suseenthiran had "come out with another beautiful feel good film that pulls at your heart strings."[9]The Hindu critic Malathi Rangarajan, too, gave a positive feedback, describing the film as an "innovative" and "interesting attempt" that stayed "within the format of commercial cinema even while steering clear of formula!"[10] Anupama Subramanian fromDeccan Chronicle termed the film as a "simple, heartwarming and refreshing deviation from the mainstream mayhem [that] definitely warrants a watch", while giving it three out of five too.[11]
The film is the only South Indian candidate to be selected for screening at the2011 Toronto International Film Festival in the contemporary world cinema category.[12]
| Azhagarsamiyin Kudhirai | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 16 March 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 16:35 | |||
| Label | Sony Music India | |||
| Producer | Ilaiyaraaja | |||
| Ilaiyaraaja chronology | ||||
| ||||
Following collaborations withV. Selvaganesh andYuvan Shankar Raja, Suseenthiran worked withIlaiyaraaja for the musical score ofAzhagarsamiyin Kuthirai.[13] The soundtrack album, consisting of only three songs, was released on 16 March 2011 atSathyam Cinemas, with while Ilaiyaraaja himself launching the audio.[5] The song "Poovakkelu" is set inPahadi.[citation needed]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kuthikkira Kuthikkira" | J. Francis Kiruba | Ilaiyaraaja | 5:55 |
| 2. | "Adiye Ivale" | Snehan | Thanjai Selvi, Snehan, Lenin Bharathi, Hemambika, Murugan, Iyyappan, Master Regan,Senthildass Velayutham, Anita | 5:19 |
| 3. | "Poovakkelu" | Yugabharathi | Karthik,Shreya Ghoshal | 5:21 |
| Total length: | 16:35 | |||
