Iyarkai

Iyarkai (pronunciation , transl. Nature) (spelt Eiyarkai onscreen)[2] is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film that was written and directed by S. P. Jananathan in his directorial debut. The film stars Shaam and Radhika, Bollywood actor Seema Biswas plays a supporting role, and Arun Vijay—who at the time was known as Arun Kumar—makes a cameo appearance. The film's story is set against the backdrop of a lost ship in the port town of Rameswaram, and revolves around a young woman and two men who love her.

Iyarkai
Poster
Directed byS. P. Jananathan
Screenplay byN. Kalyanakrishnan
Based onWhite Nights
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Produced byV. R. Kumar
A. E. Gunasekaran
G. Natarajan
StarringShaam
Radhika
CinematographyN. K. Ekambaram
Edited byN. Ganesh Kumar
Editing supervisor:
V. T. Vijayan
Music byVidyasagar
Production
company
Prisem Films
Distributed byPrisem Films
Release date
  • 7 November 2003 (2003-11-07)
Running time
140 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget₹1 crore[1]

Iyarkai marks the Tamil debuts of Radhika and Biswas. It is loosely based on Vennira Iravugal, the Tamil translation of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1848 short story "White Nights". The film was produced by V. R. Kumar, A. E. Gunasekaran, and G. Natarajan, and was made on a low budget. The soundtrack was composed by Vidyasagar.

Iyarkai was released on 7 November 2003. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil at the 51st National Film Awards in 2004, and N. K. Ekambaram won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Cinematographer. The film was a moderate success upon release but has since became a cult classic and is celebrated as a euphoric heartbreak film.

Plot

Marudhu, a Tamil man, is an orphaned ship mechanic and sailor who works on international cargo ships. After many years, he returns to Tamil Nadu, India, when his ship arrives at Rameshwaram port, where it remains for ninety days for repair and reloading. Marudhu wants to give up his sailing life and settle down in Tamil Nadu with the money he has saved. He develops a liking for Nancy, who sells fruits and other items to sailors on ships at the port. Nancy, however, is in love with Mukundan, the captain of a ship that docked three years before. Though Nancy had earlier proposed to Mukundan, he declined because he was 17, which he considered a very young age to marry. Mukundan told Nancy to wait for him or marry someone else at her will. Before leaving, he promised Nancy he would return in a year but failed to do so. Three years later, Nancy is still awaiting Mukundan's return.

Marudhu befriends Nancy and helps her search for Mukundan but when he reveals he loves Nancy, she distances herself from him. They reconcile and become friends. Mukundan cannot be found and they see the captain's junior, who is now the first officer of another ship, and tells them Mukundan's ship was destroyed in an explosion. Marudhu's ship is scheduled to leave on Christmas night. All of them try to persuade Nancy to forget about Mukundan and marry Marudhu. After considering the idea, of Christmas Eve night she agrees to the marriage and arrangements are made for the wedding next day. Mukundan returns, surprises Nancy and Marudhu, and finds him kissing her hand. Mukundan decides he is the best man for her. Nancy must choose between Mukundan or Marudhu, and finally selects the former. Marudhu boards his ship and leaves India in his ship, seeking more journeys and promising never to return to Tamil Nadu.

Cast

Production

Development

In 2001, S. P. Jananathan, who worked under B. Lenin, Bharathan, Vincent Selva and Keyaar, began working on his directorial debut Iyarkai.[8] The film's setting at a seaport was chosen because Jananathan grew up on the Marina Beach seashore.[9][10] Jananathan told the story to Ramkumar Ganesan, whose cousin V. R. Kumar became the producer after liking the story.[10][11]

Casting and filming

Suriya was initially offered the lead role but left the film, saying he was not interested in doing romantic films; he was later replaced with Shaam, with whom Jananathan worked with as an assistant editor in 12B (2001).[12][13] Kannada actor Radhika Kumaraswamy debuted in Tamil cinema with this film;[1][14] the media referred to her as "Kutti" Radhika to differentiate her from the Tamil actor of the same name because Radhika was hesitant to change her stage name.[4][15] Radhika played a bold woman and did not wear makeup for the role.[16] Arun Kumar was chosen to play the ship captain.[17] He initially rejected the role because it was a cameo but later accepted it after Jananathan explained the importance of the role.[18] The role is based on Jananathan's friend's uncle, who right after getting married, went alone on a boat voyage in the Mediterranean Sea and got lost at sea.[10] Radhika's role is based on Jananathan's friend's uncle's wife who waited for her husband to return.[10] Bollywood actor Seema Biswas was cast as an Anglo-Indian chain-smoking widow who runs a dhaba, marking her Tamil film debut.[19][20] Pasupathy accepted the role of a priest, although he was advised not to do so.[6] Pop singer Karunas played a supporting role and sang a song for the film.[21][22] The film was shot at Tuticorin harbour and in the Andaman Islands.[13][20][23] Art directors Sabu Cyril and Selvam erected a lighthouse set for the film.[20]

Themes and influences

Because Jananathan believed in Marxist ideology, he wrote the character of Nancy as a strong, independent women who chooses the man with whom she wants a relationship.[24] Jananathan was also influenced by ancient Tamil texts and only included the necessary navarasas (transl. nine emotions).[10] The film shows people from fishing hamlets who are well-travelled despite being uneducated.[25] Nature is the film's antagonist.[11]

Soundtrack

The music was composed by Vidyasagar and lyrics written by Vairamuthu.[4][26] Sify stated; "the music of Vidyasagar is soothing and melodious".[20]

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Pazhaya Kural"Sujatha Mohan5:05
2."Iyarkai Thaaye"Karthik, Srivarthini4:41
3."Kaadhal Vandhaal"Tippu, Manikka Vinayagam5:59
4."Alaiye Alaiye"Shankar Mahadevan4:34
5."Seetu Kattu"Karthik, Manikka Vinayagam, Karunas5:57

Release and reception

Iyarkai was scheduled to be released on Diwali but was delayed.[27] It enjoyed little success in the Tamil Nadu box office due to the lack of publicity and the film's delay. The film did not lose money because it was produced on a low budget.[10][28]

Malathi Ranagarajan of The Hindu praised the cinematographer and art directors, stating; "Together with Sabu Cyril-Selvan's art, K. Ekambaram's lens paints a bewitching picture on screen". She also praised the performances of Shaam, Kutty Radhika, and Arun Kumar.[4] Visual Dasan of Kalki appreciated the montage shots of the cinematographer and Kutty Radhika's performance but said Seema Biswas was underused.[29] R. Rangaraj of Chennai Online gave the film a positive review and wrote: "The debutant director, S P Jhananathan, has handled the build-up to the climax and the climax scenes too effectively. The end is rather stunning and unexpected for a Tamil movie". He also said the film's box office prospects could be low due to the lack of commercial elements.[30] A critic from BizHat opined that "Though the film has the same old love triangle story, the director has presented it in a novel way. Camerawork by Ekambaram is commendable. Visuals are exotic".[7]

Accolades

Upon release, Ekambaram sent Iyarkai to the National Awards committee and it won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil for 2003, competing with Virumaandi and Pithamagan as that year's submissions.[24][10] The National Film Award was the first award Jananathan had received in his career.[10][13]

Event Category Recipient Ref.
51st National Film Awards Best Feature Film in Tamil Iyarkai [31]
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Best Cinematographer Ekambaram [32]

Legacy

Years after its release, Iyarkai developed the status as a cult film and is celebrated as a euphoric heartbreak film.[18] Jananathan had prepared a script for a sequel but was hesitant to make it into a film.[33][34] He again collaborated with Shaam for the latter's 25th film titled Purampokku Engira Podhuvudamai (2015).[35]

References
  1. "16 Years of Iyarkai: 16 lesser-known facts about SP Jananathan's National award-winning romantic drama". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 26 December 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  2. Eiyarkai (motion picture) (in Tamil). Prisem Films. 2003. Event occurs at 1:40.
  3. "மறக்க முடியுமா - இயற்கை" [Can you forget – Iyarkai]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  4. Rangarajan, Malathi (21 November 2003). "Iyarkai". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 December 2003. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  5. Eiyarkai (motion picture) (in Tamil). Prisem Films. 2003. Opening credits, from 1:44 to 2:58.
  6. Rangarajan, Malathi (7 May 2004). "The `Virumaandi' villain makes a mark". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  7. "Iyarkai". BizHat. Archived from the original on 8 March 2007.
  8. கோபாலகிருஷ்ணன், எஸ். (7 May 2020). "இயக்குநர் எஸ்.பி.ஜனநாதன் பிறந்த நாள் ஸ்பெஷல்: அடித்தட்டு மக்களுக்கான அரசியலைப் பேசும் படைப்பாளி". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  9. "Five interesting facts about SP Jhananathan's maiden venture Iyarkai". The Times of India. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  10. "'MGR films are my reference point'". Rediff.com. 17 October 2006. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  11. "தீபாவளி ரேஸ்!" [Deepavali race!]. Kalki (in Tamil). 26 October 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  12. "'Aasai' to 'Dhruva Natchathiram': FIVE big hits that were turned down by Suriya". The Times of India. 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  13. "Honour well deserved". The Hindu. 27 August 2004. Archived from the original on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  14. "கடவுள் அனுப்பிய கதாநாயகி!" [God-sent heroine!]. Kalki (in Tamil). 26 October 2003. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  15. "Big time for li'l girl". The Hindu. 5 August 2005. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  16. Allirajan, M. (7 April 2004). "Waiting in the wings". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  17. Aravind, C.V. (12 December 2015). "On the cusp of success". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  18. Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (14 March 2021). "RIP SP Jananathan: Tamil cinema loses its comrade". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  19. Mannath, Malini (26 June 2003). "'Iyarkkai'". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 10 February 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  20. "Eyarkai". Sify. 5 November 2003. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  21. Aravindan, M.R. (17 February 2003). "A pop singer in actor's costume". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  22. Parameswaran, Prathibha (4 June 2005). "Laughing all the way". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  23. Sangeetha, P. (14 March 2021). "Shaam: Being his first hero, Jhananathan sir always had a special place for me in his heart". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  24. "'Peranmai is not gender specific'". Rediff.com. 14 October 2009. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  25. "Interview: Director Jananathan". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  26. "Iiyarkai". JioSaavn. 11 July 2003. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  27. Kamath, Sudhish (22 October 2003). "Explosive flicks". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  28. "Advantage Arun". The Hindu. 30 September 2005. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  29. தாசன், விசுவல் (30 November 2003). "இயற்கை". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 32. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  30. Rangaraj, R. (26 October 2003). "'Iyarkai'". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 4 February 2005. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
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  32. "Tamilnadu State Film Awards – awards for Vikram, Jyotika". Cine South. 13 February 2006. Archived from the original on 18 February 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  33. "'15 வருஷ சினிமா அனுபவத்துல, இதெல்லாம் ஒரு காரணம்னு சொல்லமுடியாது!" – 'இயற்கை-2', 'பார்ட்டி' கதை சொல்லும் ஷாம்". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
  34. "'Iyarkai 2' was on the cards', reveals Shaam as he pays tribute to SP Jananathan on his birth anniversary". The Times of India. 8 May 2021. Archived from the original on 8 September 2021. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  35. Raghavan, Nikhil (14 February 2015). "Etcetera: Woman power". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 26 August 2021. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
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