# Sundarapandian

Sundarapandian is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action comedy drama film written and directed by S. R. Prabhakaran in his debut, and produced by M. Sasikumar. The film stars Sasikumar and Lakshmi Menon, while Vijay Sethupathi, Inigo Prabhakaran, Soori, Appukutty, and Soundararaja appear in supporting roles. Music was composed by N. R. Raghunanthan, while cinematography was handled by Premkumar Chandran. The film was released on 14 September 2012 and became a commercial success. It was remade in Kannada as Raja Huli (2013) and in Telugu as Speedunnodu (2016).

## Plot

In Kandamanoor, near Theni, Sundarapandian is the only son of Raghupathi, a landlord and village head. Sundarapandian's close friend Arivazhagan "Arivu", after failing his board exams twice, is now in his final year of college, falls in love with Archana from a nearby village, who commutes daily on the bus from Madurai to Theni. Arivu is too timid to express his feelings and seeks Sundarapandian and Murgesan's assistance in confessing his love.
Sundarapandian, Murugesan, and Arivu commute on the same bus as Archana. Bhuvaneshwaran "Bhuvanesh", who also travels on the bus, tries to propose to Archana, leading to a clash with Arivu. Sundarapandian gives Bhuvanesh 31 days to win Archana's heart, however, he fails, giving Arivu again a chance. But a surprising twist emerges: Sundarapandian had proposed to Archana three years ago while he was in college and was rejected. Encouraged by Arivu, Sundarapandian decides to propose again, but Archana unexpectedly proposes to Sundarapandian, revealing she's had feelings for him all along. Arivu steps aside, and Sundarapandian accepts Archana's proposal. However, Archana's parents want her to marry their relative Jegan, despite her disinterest.
Archana asks Sundarapandian to give her space during her exams. Bhuvanesh takes advantage of this and harasses Archana on the bus. Sundarapandian intervenes, but Bhuvanesh continues to cause trouble. In a violent confrontation, Bhuvanesh is pushed out of the moving bus and dies. Sundarapandian is arrested, but released on bail as it's deemed an accident. Sundarapandian's father, Raghupathi, takes care of Bhuvanesh's family. However, Bhuvanesh's friends vow to take revenge on Sundarapandian, while Paranjothi secretly harbours anger towards him. Raghupathi convinces Archana's father Pandi to accept his marriage proposal between Archana and Sundarapandian. Jegan is furious about the upcoming wedding and discovers that Sundarapandian is his old college friend. Jegan decides to kill Sundarapandian, and Paranjothi agrees to help. Paranjothi tricks Sundarapandian into meeting Jegan, claiming he's become a drunkard. Sundarapandian decides to help Jegan, unaware of the danger. Arivu accompanies Sundarapandian to the meeting, oblivious to the planned ambush.
Sundarapandian meets Jegan in the outskirts of town and tries to reason with him. However, Jegan and Paranjothi attack Sundarapandian. In a shocking turn, Arivu stabs Sundarapandian, revealing his hidden vengeance. Sundarapandian fights back, confronting Jegan, Arivu, and Paranjothi. He scolds Jegan for trying to force Archana into marriage, despite knowing that she is in love with him. Sundarapandian also exposes Paranjothi's betrayal, revealing that he had sent thugs to kill him. Moreover, he reveals that Arivu was the one who killed Bhuvanesh, not him. Sundarapandian had taken the blame to protect Arivu. Heartbroken, Sundarapandian leaves, lamenting the loss of his closest friends.
Sundarapandian and Archana tie the knot. The film concludes with Sundarapandian choosing to keep the betrayal by his friends a secret, instead opting to quietly end their friendships.

## Cast

* M. Sasikumar as Sundarapandian
* Lakshmi Menon as P. Archana (voice dubbed by Meenalokshini)
* Vijay Sethupathi as S. Jegan
* Inigo Prabhakaran as Arivazhagan
* Soori as Murugesan
* Appukutty as Bhuvaneshwaran
* Naren as Kandamanoor Raghupathi
* Kai Thennavan as Pandi
* Soundararaja as Paranjothi
* Tulasi as Archana's mother
* Sujatha as Archana's aunt
* Neethu Neelambaran as Ilamathi
* Thavasi
* Winner Ramachandran
* Soumya as Sundarapandian's mother

## Production

Sundarapandian is the directorial debut of Prabhakaran, previously an assistant director under Sasikumar; the latter produced the film and also plays the lead role. Prabhakaran cast Lakshmi Menon as the lead actress after being impressed with her performance in Kumki.

## Soundtrack

The music was composed by N. R. Raghunanthan. The audio was released by Bala and received by Muthaiya and Socrates, two assistant directors of Sasikumar.

## Critical reception

N. Venkateswaran from The Times of India gave it 3.5 out of 5 and called it a "clean family entertainer". The reviewer wrote that "the racy script, easy flowing dialogues and the twists he introduces in the screenplay to take it off the beaten path are commendable" and added that "one more student has passed out with flying colours from the Sasikumar school of cinema". Vivek Ramz of In.com wrote "Sundarapandiyan is a well made commercial flick with right dose of comedy, sentiment and thrill". IBNLive claimed that the film was a "honest attempt. Prabhakar does his best and make it an interesting watch thanks to Sasikumar". A critic from Sify wrote that debutant director SR Prabhakaran made "a confident debut with a film that is both respectable and engaging" Anupama Subramanian from Deccan Chronicle described it as an "honest attempt from Prabhakaran which is engaging family fare", while noting that "Sasi[kumar]'s touches [were] seen till [the] climax". Similarly, Zee News termed the film a "satisfying wholesome entertainer".

## Accolades

| Event | Category | Recipient(s) | Verdict | Ref. |
| Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | Best Actress | Lakshmi Menon | Won | |
| Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | Best Villain | Vijay Sethupathi | Won | |
| Tamil Nadu State Film Awards | Best Screenplay Writer | S. R. Prabhakaran | Won | |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Film – Tamil | Sundarapandian | Nominated | |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Director – Tamil | S. R. Prabhakaran | Nominated | |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Film | Sundarapandian | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debutant Director | S. R. Prabhakaran | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Debutant Female | Lakshmi Menon | Won | [15] [16] |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Comedian | Soori | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Cinematographer | Premkumar | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Best Debutant Director | S. R. Prabhakaran | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Best Debutant Actress | Lakshmi Menon | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Aadukalam Naren | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Best Comedian | Soori | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Face of the Year | Lakshmi Menon | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Favourite Hero | M. Sasikumar | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| 7th Vijay Awards | Favourite Film | Sundarapandian | Nominated | [17] [18] |
| Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Debutant Actress | Lakshmi Menon | Won | |