''Azhagar Malai'' () is a 2009

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

masala film Masala films of Indian cinema mix multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be ...

written and directed by S. P. Rajkumar. It stars RK and Muktha, while

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Lal Lal ( fa, لعل, hi, लाल, bn, লাল, ur, لال, ps, Lāl) is an Indo-Iranian surname and given name, which means "darling", "precious", or "beloved", from the Sanskrit ''lala'' ("cajoling").''Dictionary of American Family Names''F ...

, and

Vadivelu Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the 2 ...

play supporting roles. The music was composed by

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

with cinematography by A. Karthik Raja and editing by J. N. Harsha. The film released on 7 August 2009.

Plot

The film is set in a village near Madurai. Pugazhendi ( RK) spends all his time drinking and is ridiculed by everyone. In contrast, his elder brother Pandithurai (

) is respected and admired by everyone. Pandithurai showers love and affection on Pugazh. He even tries to arrange for his wedding upon hoping he would reform. However, knowing about Pugazh and his habits, nobody comes forward to give their daughter to him. Pugazh, who spends all his time with his maternal uncle Kaththamuthu (

), comes across Janani ( Muktha). It is

love at first sight Love at first sight is a personal experience as well as a common trope in literature: a person or character feels an instant, extreme, and ultimately long-lasting romantic attraction for a stranger upon first seeing that stranger. Described by p ...

for him. Meanwhile, the family of Rathnavelu (

), another powerful man in the village, is hellbent on revenging Pandithurai and his family due to some previous enmity. They hatch a conspiracy and try to halt Pughazh and Janani's wedding. The film cuts to a flashback, and the reason for the ill-feeling between two families is revealed. It is now up to Pugazh to bump off Rathnavelu and restore peace in his family.

Cast

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by

Critical reception

''Behindwoods'' wrote, "There is nothing strikingly novel about the premise of the story. Yet, the director has managed to make something out of it." ''Sify'' wrote, "Azhagar Malai has nothing new to offer and has a silly excuse for a plot, with some of the poorest actors you could possibly assemble, aimed at B and C centre audiences." ''Rediff'' wrote, "The real problem is the screenplay though the comedy, and some slick production values are the only things that keeps it going while all the twists and turns are as predictable as a 70s pot-boiler."

References

External links

* {{S. P. Rajkumar 2000s masala films 2000s Tamil-language films 2009 action drama films 2009 films Films directed by S. P. Rajkumar Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja Films set in Tamil Nadu Films shot in Tamil Nadu Indian action drama films