Padayappa
Padayappa is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. It stars Sivaji Ganesan in his penultimate release and Rajinikanth in the titular lead. Ramya Krishnan, Soundarya and Pritha Hari share other lead roles, while Lakshmi, Radha Ravi, Nassar, Abbas and Sithara play supporting roles. The soundtrack album and background score were composed by A. R. Rahman. The film revolves around the title character and his family being targeted in a generations-long revenge by his cousin Neelambari, a narcissistic woman who was left humiliated after Padayappa rejected her love proposal as he was in love with her good-natured home worker Vasundhara.
Principal photography for the film began in October 1998. Padayappa was released on 10 April 1999 on the eve of Tamil New Year's Day. This was the first Tamil film to be released worldwide with 210 prints and 700,000 audio cassettes. It became Tamil cinema's highest-grossing film at that point. Ramya Krishnan's performance was praised, winning her a Filmfare Award under the Best Actress category. The film also won five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
Plot
Padayappa is a mechanical engineer who returns to his village Jalakandapuram to attend his sister Nandhini's engagement to Suryaprakash, the son of their maternal uncle Rajarathnam. His father, Dharmalingam, is a respected village chieftain. During his stay, Padayappa comes across Vasundhara, Rajarathnam's maid, and falls in love with her. Suryaprakash's sister, Neelambari, also falls in love with Padayappa, making Vasundhara scared to admit her feelings. Dharmalingam's younger brother Ramalingam demands a share in the family property because he wants wealth and respect like his brother, but Dharmalingam refuses to divide the property and instead gives the entire property and wealth to Ramalingam. The family leaves their home the same evening to go to Padayappa's home in Madras, but unable to bear the shock, Dharmalingam dies just as they leave. Within days, Suryaprakash marries Ramalingam's daughter Meena without the villagers' knowledge, craving their newfound wealth and status. Padayappa's mother, Savitri is insulted by Rajarathnam, but she blesses the couple and leaves.While Padayappa sets to clean his land for agriculture, Ramalingam's spy finds small rocks, and he discovers that a hill on that property is solid granite, which is very valuable. He tries to get that granite hill by giving the family property back to Padayappa, but after many obstacles, Savitri cancels the deal. Ramalingam tries to force them to sign over, and reveals the reason for the deal. Padayappa bashes his men and leaves with his family. He starts the granite business, becoming wealthy and taking over the chieftain position of his father while his family settles in a new mansion and regains their respect. Nandhini marries Sivaraman, one of the chief engineers who works in Padayappa's company.
Neelambari learns about Padayappa's love for Vasundhara and is furious; she tries to harm herself. Her parents beg Savitri to allow Neelambari to marry Padayappa. However, to everyone's surprise, Savitri proposes marriage to Vasundhara; she was aware of Padayappa's love for Vasundhara, and wanted to get revenge on Rajarathnam for humiliating her. Unable to bear the humiliation, Rajarathnam commits suicide the same night. Neelambari vows to get revenge, but fails twice, and Padayappa marries Vasundhara. Suryaprakash brings Neelambari to his home, but she locks herself in her room, and refuses to come out, watching Padayappa's wedding video on repeat.
18 years later, Neelambari is still staying in her room, while Suryaprakash has become the home minister. Ramalingam is in financial straits, and he and his family are in danger of being evicted from their home. Suryaprakash refuses to help because it would endanger his position. Padayappa comes to their rescue, saving Ramalingam and his family. Ramalingam becomes indebted to Padayappa and seeks forgiveness for his misdeeds. Padayappa pardons him.
Neelambari plans her revenge on Padayappa, now a father of two daughters. Suryaprakash also has a son, Chandraprakash alias Chandru, who studies at the same college in Chennai as Padayappa's elder daughter, Anitha. Neelambari advises Chandru to make Anitha fall in love with him. At the same time, Padayappa plans to get Anitha married to Nandhini's son Sarathi. Neelambari, having made Chandru pretend to fall in love with Anitha, plans to humiliate Padayappa by making Anitha say that she does not wish to marry a groom of her parents' choice, and that she is in love with someone else. At the marriage ceremony, after Anitha does what Neelambari told her to do, Padayappa then makes an oath to unite Anitha with her lover by the next Muhurta. Padayappa discovers that Chandru really did fall in love with Anitha, even though he was initially only pretending to do so on Neelambari's orders. When Padayappa takes Chandru and Anitha to the temple to get married, Neelambari and Suryaprakash give chase to stop them. During the chase, Suryaprakash is killed in a car accident.
Armed with a machine gun, Neelambari reaches the temple where Chandru and Anitha are married, and tries to kill Padayappa. Instead, Padayappa saves her life by preventing a bull from attacking her, while at the same time dodging the bullets she fires at him. Furious at being defeated again, Neelambari commits suicide, promising to take revenge on Padayappa in her next birth, but Padayappa is certain it will never work. He prays for her soul to find peace.
Cast
Production
Development
In September 1998, Rajinikanth announced his next project, titled Padayappa, with K. S. Ravikumar as director. It also marks Ravikumar’s second collaboration with Rajinikanth after Muthu. The story of this film was taken in part from the historical Tamil novel, Ponniyin Selvan, by Kalki Krishnamurthy. Ravikumar had simultaneously discussed another script with Rajinikanth titled Hara, but the actor preferred to do Padayappa first. The title Padayappa is an adoption of Aarupadayappa a sobriquet for Murugan and his six abodes.The film was produced by K. Sathya Narayana, M. V. Krishna Rao, and H. Vittal Prasad under their production banner, Arunachala Cine Creations, along with P. L. Thenappan as co-producer. B. H. Tharun Kumar, Brinda & Lalitha Mani were the choreographers for the song sequences. A. M. Jyothi Krishna, son of producer A. M. Rathnam, was involved in the development of the film's script.
Casting
Rajinikanth was cast as the title character, a city-based engineer who returns to his ancestral village. Padayappa's cousin Neelambari is based on Nandini, a vengeful woman in Ponniyin Selvan. Meena and Nagma were earlier considered for the role, but Ramya Krishnan was ultimately cast. It was Ravikumar who suggested Krishnan's name for the role to Rajinikanth. She said she accepted the role because "it was opposite a superstar and that too the character was a negative one, no one was ready to do it, but I did it. I didn't have any second thoughts." According to Aishwarya Rai, she was also considered for the role, a claim Rajinikanth supports. However, Ravikumar denied the claim, saying she was actually considered for Hara.Simran was considered for the role of Vasundhara, before the role went to Soundarya, who had earlier worked with Rajinikanth in Arunachalam. Ravikumar revealed that the makers could not sign Simran due to her busy schedule and Meena was also considered for Vasundhara's role. Shalini was touted to play the role of Padayappa's sister, but the role eventually went to Sithara. Ramesh Kanna was chosen to play Murugesan after Rajinikanth was impressed with his performance in Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen. Apart from acting, Kanna also worked as the film's co-director.
The characterisation of the older Padayappa – bearded, with sunglasses – is based on Rajinikanth's look as the character Manik Baashha in Baashha. Vijayakumar was the initial choice for Padayappa's father before Sivaji Ganesan was cast; Padayappa was his penultimate release before Pooparika Varugirom. His character's appearance, with a mutton-chop moustache, is based on a similar role he played in Thevar Magan.
Filming
began at the Raghavendra Kalyana Mandapam on 1 October 1998. The climax scene was one of the first to be shot, and was filmed in one take using two cameras. Around 2,000 extras were used for the scene. The car that was used in the scene which introduces Neelambari was a Toyota Sera, which belonged to Ravikumar. Ravikumar used the newly purchased car in the film at Rajinikanth's insistence. Filming also took place in Mysore. The Vadapalani-based shop, D. V. Nehru wigs, supplied the wigs that were sported by Ganesan. In a 2016 interview with The Hindu, Ravikumar mentioned that the scene where Padayappa uses his shawl to pull down a swing from the ceiling on which he sits after not being given a chair to sit by Neelambari, was inspired by a sequence in the Indian epic Ramayana, where Hanuman makes a seat using his tail after Ravana does not provide him a chair to sit."Kikku Yerudhey" was the last song sequence to be shot. For the sequence, Rajinikanth required Ravikumar to sport an outfit similar to Rajinikanth's, and enact a small part in the song. Rajinikanth also selected the part of the song where Ravikumar would make his appearance. After reluctantly agreeing to do the part, the sequence where they both appear together was filmed. Rajinikanth said he felt the shot did not look right, and re-takes for Ravikumar's sequence were done. After the re-takes were completed, Rajinikanth admitted that the first sequence was fine. When Ravikumar asked the cameraman why he had not told him earlier, the cameraman replied by saying that Rajinikanth wanted Ravikumar to do seven takes, to teach him a lesson for all the takes that Ravikumar had required of Rajinikanth. The filming was completed in 70 days.