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Sandakozhi

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Sandakozhi
Poster
Directed byN. Linguswamy
Written byS. Ramakrishnan (Dialogues)
Screenplay byN. Linguswamy
Story byN. Linguswamy
Produced byVikram Krishna
StarringVishal
Meera Jasmine
Rajkiran
Lal
CinematographyJeeva
Nirav Shah
Edited byG. Sasikumar
Music byYuvan Shankar Raja
Production
company
Release date
  • 16 December 2005 (2005-12-16)
Running time
135 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹10 crore
Box office₹30 crore

Sandakozhi (transl. Fighting Rooster) is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by N. Linguswamy and produced by Vikram Krishna under the banner of G K Film Corporation. The film stars Vishal, Meera Jasmine, Rajkiran, and Lal, while Raja, Suman Setty and Ganja Karuppu play supporting roles. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja and the cinematography was handled by Jeeva and Nirav Shah, while the editing was handled by G. Sasikumar.

Sandakozhi was released on 16 December 2005 and became a major success, running for over 210 days in theatres and achieving cult status.[1] The Telugu dubbed version titled Pandem Kodi released on 19 May 2006 and was also commercially successful.[2] The film was remade in Kannada as Vayuputra. A sequel titled Sandakozhi 2 was released in 2018, but did not reach the success level of the original film.

Plot

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Balu is an engineering student studying in Chennai, who visits his classmate and friend Karthik's home in Chidambaram after the final exams. Balu meets Karthik's sister Hema and they develop an affection which transforms into love. Kasi is the local gangster in Chidambaram who is feared by the entire town. On his way back to his place, Balu sees Kasi chasing a man with an aruval. When Kasi was about to kill the man he was chasing, Balu interferes and stops Kasi, who gets enraged and immediately tries to attack Balu, but Balu smashes Kasi in front of everyone to save himself and leaves.

Kasi is furious and wants vengeance against Balu. Kasi's men trap Karthik/Hema's father and learn about Balu's native place. Kasi sets goons to kill Balu but gets shocked when he learns that Balu's father is a powerful chieftain of Theni named Durai, and it will be difficult to attack them. Kasi leaves to Theni and waits for the right moment to kill Balu and his family. Balu meets Hema, Karthik, and their family at a temple. Hema/Karthik's father is initially angered by seeing Balu as he was responsible to bring trouble by hitting Kasi, but Balu convinces him, and both families approve Balu and Hema's relationship.

One day, Kasi tries to kill Balu, but Durai gets attacked instead. Durai understands that Balu is being targeted and decides to protect him. A localite in Theni hates Durai and his family and decides to help Kasi kill Durai. Kasi utilises the opportunity to kill Balu and Durai during a temple festival, but Balu saves Durai and fights Kasi. Durai asks Balu to fight with him. Balu thrashes Kasi and leaves, challenging him to return if he still has guts to finish him.

Cast

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Production

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Sandakozhi was originally narrated for Vijay, but he declined the project without listening to the full script, and was replaced by Vishal.[3] Vishal worked hard for the role by taking courses in acting and dancing.[4] A fight scene involving Vishal and Lal was picturised in Dindigul for seven days. The songs were shot at locations in Australia, New Zealand and Chennai. An introduction song for Rajkiran was shot at Theni.[5] The song "Ennamo Nadakirathe" was shot at Mauritius for six days.[6]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, teaming up for the first time with director N. Linguswamy and Vishal, was released on 25 November 2005. Both the film score as well as the songs were appreciated and praised as outstanding with the song "Dhavanipotta Deepavali" considered as the pick of the album.[7][8]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Dhavanipotta Deepavali"YugabharathiVijay Yesudas, Shreya Ghoshal4:23
2."Ennamo Nadakkirathe"Na. MuthukumarShaan5:01
3."Gumthalakkadi Gana"Na. MuthukumarKarthik, Ranjith5:03
4."Ketta Kodukkira Boomi"ThamaraiGanga Sitharasu, Jassie Gift, Sujatha Mohan, Premgi, Yuvan Shankar Raja4:26
5."Mundasu Sooriyane"Pa. VijayKarthik, Palakkad Sreeram3:44
Total length:22:37

Reception

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Critical response

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Sify wrote "Sandakozhi is a well-packaged film without any big stars or unwanted sentiments."[9] Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote "Sandakozhi is an engaging entertainer, an action-flick with a difference".[10] Lajjavathi of Kalki wrote even though the impact of the film Run was visible at times, it was not boring. The first half is a non-stopping express and the second half is a fast-moving metro train with occasional stops. Sandakozhi which came out without major stars and any unnecessary sentiments is a Jaikira Kozhi (winning rooster).[11] Ananda Vikatan wrote that Lingusamy's mixed taste shines in the tumultuous romance and thrilling action knots; only if the liveliness and excitement of the first half had been the same in the second half, Sandakozhi could have been given a loud whistle.[12]

Box office

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The film was a commercial success grossing $4.5 million at the box office.[2]

Accolades

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Sandakozhi won two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards: Best Male Character Artiste (Rajkiran) and Best Stunts (Kanal Kannan).[13][14]

Sequel

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Main article: Sandakozhi 2

In December 2015, Linguswamy announced that he would direct the sequel of Sandakozhi with Vishal again, which was shelved. However, the project was revived in 2017 with Vishal confirming his presence in the sequel.[15] Rajkiran from the original has been retained in the sequel, with additional new cast involving Keerthy Suresh and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar.[16] The film was released in 2018; however, it failed to replicate the success of its original film.

References

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  1. ^ "Lingusamy's relationship with Vishal goes awry". Behindwoods. 6 January 2007. Archived from the original on 14 June 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Chitchat with Vishal". Idlebrain.com. 10 October 2006. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
  3. ^ "This 2005 Blockbuster Starring Vishal was Rejected by Vijay Without Hearing Full Script". News18. 30 April 2022. Archived from the original on 1 May 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Vishal signed by Lingusamy!". Sify. 13 October 2004. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  5. ^ Mannath, Malini (15 December 2005). "Sandai Kozhi". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 1 January 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  6. ^ "'Sandaikozhi' in Mauritius". Cinesouth. 1 December 2005. Archived from the original on 5 December 2005. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  7. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (23 December 2005). "Interesting twists". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 December 2005. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  8. ^ "Sandakozhi". Sify. Archived from the original on 13 March 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  9. ^ "Sandakozhi". Sify. Archived from the original on 13 January 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  10. ^ Mannath, Malini (26 December 2005). "Sandakozhi". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 6 January 2006. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  11. ^ லஜ்ஜாவதி (8 January 2006). "சண்டக்கோழி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 96. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 29 February 2024 – via Internet Archive.
  12. ^ "சினிமா விமர்சனம்: சண்டக்கோழி". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 8 January 2006. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  13. ^ "Tamil Nadu State Film Awards 2005". Webindia123. Archived from the original on 13 August 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
  14. ^ Naresh. "Rajnikant, Kamal Haasan adjudged Best Actors". Screen. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  15. ^ "Yuvan Shankar Raja on board for Sandakozhi 2". The New Indian Express. 2 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  16. ^ "Vishal: 'Sandakozhi 2' is Lingusamy's fifth draft". Sify. 7 September 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
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