''Dharma Chakkaram'' () is a 1997 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

-language

action drama film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as ...

directed by

K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter and actor who primarily works in Tamil cinema and few Telugu films. He is one of the most commercially successful directors of Indian cinema. He has won m ...

and produced by

Lakshmi Movie Makers Lakshmi Movie Makers is an Indian film production and distribution company headed by K. Muralidharan, V. Swaminathan and G. Venugopal. History Lakshmi Movie Makers' first film was '' Aranmanai Kaavalan'' (1994). The studio experienced signif ...

. The film stars

Vijayakanth Vijayaraj Alagarswami (25 August 1952 – 28 December 2023), known by his stage name Vijayakanth, was an Indian actor, filmmaker, philanthropist and politician. He worked in Tamil cinema in a career spanning four decades. He ventured into politi ...

, Rambha and

Deepti Bhatnagar Deepti Bhatnagar is a former Indian actress and model known for her work primarily in Hindi and Telugu language, Telugu films, along with a few appearances in other languages. She made her film debut in Ram Shastra, ''Ram Shastra'' (1995), direc ...

. It was released on 14 January 1997.

Plot

Chakkaravarthy, chief of the village manages the problems that ensue the villagers. His past is marked by Vijayalakshmi, that he was supposed to marry. Arumugam, a jealous enemy of Chakkaravarthy, challenges him. Chakkaravarthy accepts it as long as he gives him something. Arumugam puts on a fight competition and would only surrender Vijayalakshmi to him in marriage, if he loses. Confident, she orders to win against Arumugam. But Chakkaravarthy loses and Vijayalakshmi sacrifices her life after marrying Arumugam. Entering the village Vijayalakshmi who has the same name as the old one. Vijayalakshmi is rebellious and defended by Chakkaravarthy when confronted by the villagers. When she is tortured by Arumugam's goons, Chakkaravarthy comes to her rescue.

Cast

Production

Suvaluxmi and

Laila Leila (, , ) is a feminine given name primarily found in the Middle East, including all Arab countries, as well as Iran, Turkey, and Israel. In the Latin alphabet, the name is commonly spelled in multiple ways, including Leila, Layla, Laylah, ...

had turned down the lead female role before

was selected.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

Deva Deva may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Deva, List of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition monsters, an ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monster * Deva, in the 2023 Indian film ''Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefir ...

, with lyrics by R. V. Udayakumar.

Release

''Dharma Chakkaram'' was released on Pongal 1997 alongside ''

Minsara Kanavu ''Minsara Kanavu'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Rajiv Menon. The film stars Arvind Swamy, Prabhu Deva, and Kajol (in her Tamil debut), and revolves around Priya (Kajol), a conven ...

'', ''

Periya Thambi ''Periya Thambi'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed and co-produced by Chitra Lakshmanan. The film stars Prabhu and Nagma. It was released on 14 January 1997. Plot Siva (Prabhu) lives with his father Soundarapandian (Th ...

'', ''

Iruvar ''Iruvar'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil-language epic political drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam. The film, inspired by the lives of M. G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi and J. Jayalalithaa, is set against the backdrop ...

'' and ''

Bharathi Kannamma ''Bharathi Kannamma'' () is a 1997 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Cheran (director), Cheran in his directorial debut , starring R. Parthiban and Meena (actress), Meena. The film marks Cheran's ...

''. According to ''Indolink'', the film "fared pretty well". Rocky Rajesh won the Cinema Express Award for Best Stunt Director.

Legacy

Following Vijayakanth's death in 2023, ''

Film Companion Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-defunct digital platform Film Compani ...

'' included the film in their list "7 Vijayakanth Films That Left an Indian Cinema Legacy".

References

External links

* {{K. S. Ravikumar 1990s Indian films 1990s Tamil-language films 1997 action drama films 1997 films Films directed by K. S. Ravikumar Films scored by Deva (composer) Films with screenplays by K. S. Ravikumar Indian action drama films Tamil-language action drama films Tamil-language Indian films