Sankar Guru is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by L. Raja and produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian and M. S. Guhan via AVM Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu as Chinnari Devatha with Raja Naidu as director. It stars Arjun, Seetha, Rajani and Baby Shalini. The film was released on 19 March 1987, and was commercially successful in both languages.
| Sankar Guru | |
|---|---|
 Tamil poster | |
| Directed by | L. Raja (Tamil) Raja Naidu (Telugu) |
| Screenplay by | V. C. Guhanathan |
| Story by | M. Sivachandran |
| Produced by | M. Saravanan M. Balasubramanian M. S. Guhan |
| Starring | Arjun Seetha Rajani Baby Shalini |
| Cinematography | Viswam Natraj |
| Edited by | R. Vittal C. Lancy |
| Music by | Chandrabose (Tamil) K. Chakravarthy (Telugu) |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Languages | Tamil Telugu |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (February 2022) |
In a small village, three brothers Kanagaraj, Ethiraj & Nagaraj hold control with the eldest brother Kanagaraj leading a notorious crime ring. Anyone who dares to defy them faces brutal violence or death. However, the fruit stall owner, Sankarguru / Babu, becomes a reluctant hero when he intervenes in a harrowing incident involving the youngest brother, Nagaraju, who attempts to molest a young school teacher, Rekha. Sankarguru / Babu beats Nagaraju so severely that he requires hospitalization.
Aware of Sankarguru's actions, the second eldest brother Ethiraj schemes to teach him a lesson by framing him for selling illegal arrack. However, a young girl Devi and her monkey companion overhear the plot and inform Sankarguru / Babu. He confronts and defeats the second brother, earning himself a reputation. Tensions rise between Sankarguru / Babu and the brothers when the youngest brother publicly murders a school headmaster who tried to prevent another assault on the teacher Rekha who by now has become the love interest of Sankarguru / Babu.
Learning of this tragedy, Sankarguru / Babu rushes to the scene in a fit of rage, overpowering the brothers and delivering them to the town's police station. To everyone's surprise, it is revealed that Sankarguru / Babu is not merely a fruit stall owner but an undercover police inspector on a special assignment.
Meanwhile, the little girl, having discovered Sankarguru / Babu's true identity, tries to distance herself from him. Sankarguru insists on understanding her reasons and learns about her tragic past. Her parents were victimized by the trio, with her mother being killed and her father falsely framed for the crime, aided by a corrupt policeman. Sankarguru vows to find her father and reunite them.
The remainder of the story revolves around Sankarguru's determination to fulfill his promise to the young girl, as he navigates the corrupt underworld and seeks justice for her family.
Cast
edit- Arjun as Inspector Sankar Guru/Babu
- Seetha as Seetha
- Rajani/Sasikala as Rekha
- Baby Shalini as Devi
- Sarath Babu as Devi's father
- Manorama as Seetha's mother
- Rajya Lakshmi as Devi's mother
- Tamil version
- Senthil as Sub-inspector Karuvayan
- Senthamarai as Kanagaraj
- Y. G. Mahendran as Dharmaraj
- V. Gopalakrishnan as a police commissioner
- Jeeva as Ethiraj
- Rallapalli as police constable
- Balaji as Nagaraj
- Mohanapriya
- Chitralekha
- Chandrakala
- Chakravarthy as a police inspector
- Pasi Narayanan as a police constable
- Oru Viral Krishna Rao as a police constable
- K. K. Soundar as a school master
- Anumanthu as Seetha's father
- Idichapuli Selvaraj as Kanagaraj's assistant
- Omakuchi Narasimhan as Kanagaraj's assistant
- Visu in a special appearance as a doctor
- Telugu version
- Rallapalli as Sub-inspector Raju
- Senthamarai
- Y. G. Mahendra
- Jeeva
- Balaji
- Mada Venkateswara Rao
- Potti Prasad
- Hema Sundar
Production
editAVM Productions wanted to remake the Bengali film Shatru (1984) in Tamil and Telugu.[1] However, the remake rights proved too expensive, so the idea was dropped. Instead, AVM borrowed two scenes from that film and created a new story, titled Sankar Guru in Tamil and Chinnari Devatha in Telugu. Both versions were filmed simultaneously.[2]
Soundtrack
editThe music of Sankar Guru was composed by Chandrabose, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[3][4] The music of Chinnari Devatha was composed by K. Chakravarthy, with lyrics by Veturi.[5][6]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maadi Veettu Mynar" | Malaysia Vasudevan | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Enna Pathti Nee" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 4:21 |
| 3. | "Kakki Sattai Potta Machan" | Malaysia Vasudevan, S. P. Sailaja | 4:33 |
| 4. | "Chinna Chinna Poove" (male) | K. J. Yesudas | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Chinna Chinna Poove" (female) | S. Janaki | 4:26 |
| 6. | "Kumbakonamey Konam" | Malaysia Vasudevan, K. S. Chithra | 5:11 |
| Total length: | 27:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maa Intipere Anuragam" | 4:48 |
| 2. | "Gudapah Camo Bojiuaa" | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Melukuma Devudanta" | 4:18 |
| 4. | "Kachuko Chalibhada" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Nemmadi Nemmadiga" | 4:41 |
| 6. | "Maa Inti Pere Anurangam" | 4:08 |
| Total length: | 26:49 | |
Release and reception
editSankar Guru was released on 19 March 1987.[7] The Indian Express called it an "absolutely unpretentious entertainer".[8] Jayamanmadhan of Kalki, despite noting several flaws, appreciated the director for making an entertaining film from beginning to end.[9] The film was commercially successful in both the languages it was made,[10] and Chandrabose won the award for Best Music Director at the 8th Cinema Express Awards.[11]
References
edit- ^ சரவணன், ஏவி.எம். (31 July 2005). "ரஜினி கேட்ட டீ.வி.!" (PDF). Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 60–63. Retrieved 30 May 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, pp. 305–306.
- ^ "Sankar Guru Tamil Film LP VInyl Record by Chandrabose". Macsendisk. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Sankar Guru". Gaana. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
- ^ "Chinnari Devata (1987)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Chinnari Devatha – 12 Inch LP". vintagestore.in. Archived from the original on 22 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, p. 305.
- ^ "Action". The Indian Express. 27 March 1987. p. 14. Retrieved 22 February 2022 – via Google News Archive.
- ^ ஜெயமன்மதன் (12 April 1987). "சங்கர் குரு". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 84. Archived from the original on 29 July 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
- ^ Saravanan 2013, pp. 306–307.
- ^ Joseph, Angela (22 April 1988). "'Nayakan' and 'Kamal' are now part of history". Screen. p. 32. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
Bibliography
edit- Saravanan, M. (2013) [2005]. AVM 60 Cinema (in Tamil) (3rd ed.). Rajarajan Pathippagam. OCLC 1158347612.
External links
edit- Sankar Guru at IMDb