Vaigai (film)

Vaigai is a 2009 Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by L.R. Sundarapandi. The film stars Bala Joseph and Vishaka, with Sai Kumar, Thalaivasal Vijay, Ganja Karuppu, Thennavan, Shyam Ganesh, Singamuthu, Appukutty, and Ambani Shankar playing supporting roles. The film had music by Sabesh–Murali, cinematography by V. Lakshmipathi, and editing by K. M. K. Palanivel. The film released on 10 July 2009.

Vaigai
Directed by	L. R. Sundarapandi
Written by	L. R. Sundarapandi
Produced by	P. P. G. Kumaran P. P. G. D. Shankar
Starring	Bala Joseph Vishaka
Cinematography	V. Lakshmipathi
Edited by	K. M. K. Palanivel
Music by	Sabesh–Murali
Production company	PPG Enterprises
Release date	10 July 2009 (2009-07-10)
Running time	140 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Plot

In a remote village near Madurai, the happy-go-lucky man Arivu (Bala Joseph) and the village belle Uma (Vishaka) fall in love with each other. Arivu is the son of the village bigwig Mandakalai (Sai Kumar), while Uma is the daughter of the postman Manikkam (Thalaivasal Vijay). When Mandakalai knew about his son's love affair, he sends his cousin Duraisingam (Thennavan) and his henchmen to kill Uma, but Arivu saves her. The lovers consume poison and go separated, getting into different trains moving at opposite directions. Arivu is then admitted to the hospital and saved by the doctors. Mandakalai's henchmen cannot find the missing girl Uma, and the villagers conclude that she died.

The heartbroken Arivu with his friends moves to Chennai to try to forget this mishap. One day, Arivu's friends witness Uma in a temple, but Dr. Shyam (Shyam Ganesh) tells them that she is not Uma, thinking that they might be Mandakalai's henchmen. Uma is now living in Shyam's house but is afraid of returning home, so Shyam invites her parents at his home. When Uma and her parents return to their village, they come to know that Arivu committed suicide. Arivu was moved after the "death" of his lover, but he acted happy and positive to his friends and family. Uma is aghast to hear this news, and she decides to not get married. Every year, at the death anniversary of her lover, Uma places flower garlands at the burial place of Arivu.

Cast

• Bala Joseph as Arivu
• Vishaka as Uma
• Sai Kumar as Mandakalai, Arivu's father
• Thalaivasal Vijay as Manikkam, Uma's father
• Ganja Karuppu as Jeevarasi
• Thennavan as Duraisingam
• Shyam Ganesh as Dr. Shyam
• Singamuthu as Muthurasu
• Appukutty as Kulumai
• Shankar
• Theni Murugan as Bus Conductor
• Rajasekhar
• V. M. Subburaj
• Chellakoori
• Vijay Ganesh
• Amirthalingam
• Sai Gopi
• Yuvan Swang
• Madurai Saroja
• Anjali Devi
• Sujibala in a special appearance
• Ragasya in a special appearance

Production

L. R. Sundarapandi made his directorial debut with Vaigai, a film based on some real-life incidents that happened in Madurai which took place in the 1980s. Bala Joseph, the winner of the second season of Maanada Mayilada, was chosen to play the hero while newcomer Vishaka from Kerala was selected to play his love interest. Ganja Karuppu played a major role, and actress Ragasya appeared in an item song sung by actor Silambarasan. The film was shot in Pollachi, Madurai and Chennai.^[1][2][3]

Soundtrack

Vaigai
Soundtrack album by Sabesh–Murali
Released	2009
Recorded	2009
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	30:16
Producer	Sabesh–Murali

The film score and the soundtrack were composed by Sabesh–Murali. The soundtrack features six tracks with lyrics written by Snehan, Na. Muthukumar, and L. R. Sundarapandi.

Track	Song	Singer(s)	Duration
1	"Aayiram Thamarai"		4:20
2	"Aasaiyai Kadi"		5:07
3	"Ean Kavithai"		5:47
4	"Nan Unaku Niagara"	Silambarasan	4:22
5	"Nila Nila Vaa"		5:36
6	"Yetho Yetho"		5:04

Release

The film was released on 10 July 2009 alongside four other films.^[4]

Critical reception

A reviewer wrote, "Bala makes a perfect debut and is so decent on his take. He never overreacts at any point and so does the female lead Visaka" and cited the film as "worth watching".^[5] Another critic said, "The story inspired by a real-life incident has nothing new to offer in terms of the storyline but the director's interesting narration of the subject has made the movie a watchable one".^[6]