''Iraniyan'' is a 1999

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 P ...

film directed by

Vincent Selva Vincent Selva is an Indian film director and screenwriter associated with the Tamil film industry. This director is best known for his debut flick, '' Priyamudan'' starring Vijay, Kausalya. Other directors such as Mysskin and S. P. Jananathan ...

. The film stars Murali and

Meena Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the st ...

, while

Raghuvaran Raghuvaran Velayutham (11 December 1958 – 19 March 2008) was an Indian actor who predominantly acted in films made in South India. He has acted in more than 200 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. According to the ''Hindustan T ...

and Ranjith play other supporting roles. The film, which has music by

Deva Deva may refer to: Entertainment * ''Deva'' (1989 film), a 1989 Kannada film * ''Deva'' (1995 film), a 1995 Tamil film * ''Deva'' (2002 film), a 2002 Bengali film * Deva (2007 Telugu film) * ''Deva'' (2017 film), a 2017 Marathi film * Deva ...

, released in November 1999. The film was a fictional biography of freedom fighter "Vattakudi Iraniyan" who fought for the welfare of the village.

Cast

* Murali as Iraniyan *

as Ponni *

as Aande *

Sriman Sriman () is an epithet of the Hindu deity Vishnu. It refers to the deity being the possessor of Sri, both referring to his consort Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, as well as the material and non material aspects of fortune. Literature Sri ...

as Iraniyan's Friend * Ranjith as Police Officer *

Thalaivasal Vijay Thalaivasal Vijay is an Indian actor and dubbing artist. He was born on 4 August 1962 in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. He has acted predominantly in numerous Tamil and Malayalam films. Career Vijay's debut film was '' Thalaivaasal'' (1992) ...

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 ...

as Chinnaswamy *

Bala Singh Bala Singh (7 May 195227 November 2019) was an Indian actor who appeared in Tamil language films. After making his debut in Nassar's '' Avatharam'' (1995), he appeared as the antagonist in over a hundred films. Early life and career Bala Sin ...

* Ramji * Sanjeev as Iraniyan's brother *

Delhi Ganesh Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Natak ...

as Ponni's Father *

Mahanadhi Shankar Mahanadi Shankar is an Indian stage, film and television actor, who has appeared in Tamil language films and serials as supporting actor and negative roles. He has appeared in films including '' Mahanadi'' (1994), ''Baashha'' (1995), '' Ratchag ...

* C. R. Vijayakumari as Iraniyan's Mother *

Ajay Rathnam Ajay Rathnam is an Indian actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil films and serials. He is known for his supporting and negative roles and has acted in over 300 movies. Standing at 6 ft 4 in (193 cm), Rathnam is one of the tallest actors in ...

as Aande's Son *

Ambika Ambika may refer to: Mythology * Ambika (goddess), an avatar of the Hindu goddesses Durga, Parvati, and Shakti * Ambika (Jainism), a Jain Yakshini goddess * Ambika (Mahabharata), the wife of Vichitravirya was also the mother of Dhritarashtra, ...

as Aande's Wife *

S. N. Lakshmi Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi (1927 – 20 February 2012) was an Indian actress, who appeared in supporting roles, often playing roles of a mother or grandmother in films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani and Kalaiselvam awards, ...

Soundtrack

The music composed by

Production

A legal suit was filed against the film's original title of ''Vaattaakkudi Iraniyan'' and subsequently the prefix was removed.

Release

The film received mixed reviews upon release, with a critic noting "ironically, the biggest problem with the movie is this emphasis on it being fictitious rather than real". A reviewer from ChennaiOnline.com noted "this is worth a watch. Murali performs with intensity and conviction." However Kalki praised the film for its realistic approach and cast.https://archive.org/details/kalki1999-12-12/page/n131/mode/2up

References

1999 films 1990s Tamil-language films {{1990s-Tamil-film-stub