''Paayum Puli'' () is a 1983

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

-language

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

directed by S. P. Muthuraman and written by

Panchu Arunachalam Panchanathan Arunachalam (22 March 1941 – 9 August 2016) was an Indian writer, director, producer and lyricist who worked in Tamil cinema. He was mentored by poet Kannadasan who was his uncle. He also worked as a lyricist in the Tamil cin ...

. Produced by

AVM Productions AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappan. It is the final oldest survived studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...

, the film stars

Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor, producer and screenwriter. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 160 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Kannad ...

and

Radha Radha ( sa, राधा, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. She is the avatar of goddess Lakshmi and is also de ...

. Inspired by ''

The 36th Chamber of Shaolin ''The 36th Chamber of Shaolin'', also known as ''The Master Killer'', ''Shaolin Master Killer'' and ''Shao Lin San Shi Liu Fang'', is a 1978 Hong Kong kung fu film directed by Lau Kar-leung and produced by Shaw Brothers, starring Gordon Liu. T ...

'' (1978), it revolves around a meek man who learns martial arts to seek revenge for the murder of his sister. ''Paayum Puli'' was released on 14 January 1983,

Pongal Pongal may refer to: * Pongal (festival), an annual Tamil festival * Pongal (dish) Pongal, also known as pongali or huggi, is an Indian rice dish. In Tamil, "pongal" means "boil" or "bubbling up". The two varieties of pongal are ''chakarai pong ...

day. The film became a commercial success and completed a 133-day run at the box office. It was one of the highest-grossing films that year.

Plot

When a smuggler kills his sister, Bharani, a meek man vows to deliver justice for her death and joins a martial arts school. He trains hard there to become a master fighter, honing his fighting skills. Taking on a new identity, ''Paayum Puli'' (Pouncing Tiger), he sets off for revenge, but the affection of a beautiful woman Revathy soon puts a hitch in his plans.

Cast

as Bharani (Paayum Puli) *

as Revathy *

Jaishankar Jaishankar (12 July 1938 – 3 June 2000) was an Indian actor known for his work in Tamil cinema. He was a very popular lead actor in the 1960s and 70s. He was credited onscreen with title of ''Makkal Kalaingnar'' (people's artiste) or '' ...

as Ranjith * K. Balaji as master of martial arts (guest appearance) * R. N. Sudarshan as Balram * V. K. Ramasamy as Uncle of Ceylon Sundari * Manorama as Ceylon Sundari *

Thiagarajan Thiagarajan Sivanandam (born 21 June 1946) is an Indian actor, director and producer in Tamil cinema. Beside Tamil, he has also acted in several Malayalam and Kannada films and a few Telugu films. He is the father of Tamil actor Prashanth and t ...

as Thiyagu *

Y. G. Parthasarathy Yecha Gunja Parthasarathy (born Y G Parthasarathy; 30 September 1917https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-samsung&biw=412&bih=652&tbm=bks&ei=7cf-XPSLFrPAmwW9lZ34BQ&q=Y.+G.+Parthasarathy+30th+September+1917&oq=Y.+G.+Parthasarathy+30th+Sep ...

as Gopalakrishnan *

Sathyaraj Rangaraj Subbiah (born 3 October 1954), professionally known as Sathyaraj, is an Indian actor, producer, director and a media personality who has predominantly appeares in Tamil cinema and Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. His 240 films also includ ...

as a Gangster in Radha's Tea Stall *

Silk Smitha Vijayalakshmi Vadlapati (2 December 1960 – 23 September 1996), better known by her stage name Silk Smitha, was an Indian actress and dancer who worked predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films. Smitha was part of seve ...

as Roopa *

Janagaraj Janagaraj is an Indian actor who has appeared in over 200 films predominantly in Tamil cinema as a comedian or in supporting roles. He also starred in few Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. Early life Janagaraj was born to Vadivelu and Muthul ...

as Chinnasamy * Y. G. Mahendra as Mahi *

LIC Narasimhan LIC Narasimhan was an Indian character actor who appeared in Tamil-language films. He has appeared in over 300 films and was also seen on the small screen and in ads. He was working for LIC as an officer, quit his job to take up a career in ...

as Hotel manager *

Azhagu ''Azhagu'' ( ) is a 1984 Indian Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil peopl ...

as a fighter (uncredited)

Production

Cashing on the huge popularity of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

and his martial arts films, S. P. Muthuraman and

designed the story of a meek person who takes training in a martial arts school to avenge the death of his sister.

Judo. K. K. Rathnam K. K. Rathnam (8 August 1930 – 26 January 2023), known as Judo. K. K. Rathnam, was an Indian action choreographer in Kollywood, Bollywood, Mollywood, Sandalwood and Tollywood. He made his debut as an actor in the film ''Thamarai Kulam'' in ...

was the action choreographer, and the film was inspired by ''

'' (1978). The production company

initially wanted

A. C. Tirulokchandar A. C. Thirulokachandar (11 June 1930 – 15 June 2016), also known as A. C. Tirulokchandar, was an Indian film director and screenwriter who worked mainly in Tamil films from the 1960s to 1988. He also directed a few films in Hindi and Telugu. ...

to play the antagonist, but he declined. Karate Mani, a stuntman was later cast in the role, but he walked out. The role finally went to

Soundtrack

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 ...

and lyrics were written by Vaali. The

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

song "Aadi Maasam" was well received and it was later remixed by

Srikanth Deva Srikanth Deva is an Indian music director of Tamil films. He made his debut as music director in the Tamil movie '' Doubles'' in 2000. He is the son of composer Deva, nephew of the famous music director duo Sabesh–Murali and the cousin of actor ...

in ''

Thottupaar ''Thottupaar'' ( en, Try and touch me) is an Indian Tamil action film written and directed by newcomer K. V. Nandhu and produced by Janaki Sivakumar. The film, which starred Vidharth, Ramana and Lakshana in leading roles, released on 15 Octobe ...

'' (2010).

Release and reception

''Paayum Puli'' was released on 14 January 1983,

day. ''

Kalki Kalki ( sa, कल्कि), also called Kalkin or Karki, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is described to appear in order to end the Kali Yuga, one of the four periods in the endless cycle of exist ...

'' said the real pouncing tigers of the film were the hero and the technicians. The film was a commercial success, completed a 133-day run at theatres, and grossed over . The makers wanted to release the film in Sri Lanka, but got into trouble as the title had "puli" (tiger), perceived as alluding to the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

. It was decided to release the film in the country with the title ''Irumbu Karangal'' (), but the film still did not release there.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{AVM Productions 1980s Tamil-language films 1983 films 1983 martial arts films AVM Productions films Films directed by S. P. Muthuraman Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja Films with screenplays by Panchu Arunachalam Indian films about revenge Indian martial arts films