''Sankar Guru'' is a 1987 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 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 D ...

, directed by

L. Raja L. Raja is an Indian director and actor who works in predominantly Tamil language, Tamil language films and television series. Career Raja began his career as an assistant to director Rajasekhar (director), Rajasekhar. He debuted as a directo ...

and produced by M. Saravanan, M. Balasubramanian and

M. S. Guhan M. S. Guhan is an Indian film producer. He has been involved in hits, such as '' Sivaji: The Boss'', ''Thirupathi'', '' Minsara Kanavu'', ''Leader (2010 film)'', and recently Ayan. He is the son of noted producer M. Saravanan, who owns the AVM ...

via

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

. The film was shot simultaneously in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

as ''Chinnari Devatha'' with Raja Naidu as director. It stars Arjun,

Seetha Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

, Rajani and

Baby Shalini Shalini (formerly known as Baby Shalini; born 20 November 1979) is a former Indian actress and child artist who worked in Malayalam and Tamil films. During the 80s, Shalini was the most successful child artist in Malayalam and Tamil films. Aft ...

. The film was released on 19 March 1987, and was commercially successful in both languages.

Plot

In a small village, three brothers Kanagaraj, Ethiraj & Nagaraj hold control with the eldest brother Kanagaraj leading a notorious crime ring. Anyone who dares to defy them faces brutal violence or death. However, the fruit stall owner, Sankarguru / Babu, becomes a reluctant hero when he intervenes in a harrowing incident involving the youngest brother, Nagaraju, who attempts to molest a young school teacher, Rekha. Sankarguru / Babu beats Nagaraju so severely that he requires hospitalization. Aware of Sankarguru's actions, the second eldest brother Ethiraj schemes to teach him a lesson by framing him for selling illegal arrack. However, a young girl Devi and her monkey companion overhear the plot and inform Sankarguru / Babu. He confronts and defeats the second brother, earning himself a reputation. Tensions rise between Sankarguru / Babu and the brothers when the youngest brother publicly murders a school headmaster who tried to prevent another assault on the teacher Rekha who by now has become the love interest of Sankarguru / Babu. Learning of this tragedy, Sankarguru / Babu rushes to the scene in a fit of rage, overpowering the brothers and delivering them to the town's police station. To everyone's surprise, it is revealed that Sankarguru / Babu is not merely a fruit stall owner but an undercover police inspector on a special assignment. Meanwhile, the little girl, having discovered Sankarguru / Babu's true identity, tries to distance herself from him. Sankarguru insists on understanding her reasons and learns about her tragic past. Her parents were victimized by the trio, with her mother being killed and her father falsely framed for the crime, aided by a corrupt policeman. Sankarguru vows to find her father and reunite them. The remainder of the story revolves around Sankarguru's determination to fulfill his promise to the young girl, as he navigates the corrupt underworld and seeks justice for her family.

Cast

;Tamil version ;Telugu version

Production

wanted to remake the

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

film ''Shatru'' (1984) in

and

. However, the remake rights proved too expensive, so the idea was dropped. Instead, AVM borrowed two scenes from that film and created a new story, titled ''Sankar Guru'' in Tamil and ''Chinnari Devatha'' in Telugu. Both versions were filmed simultaneously.

Soundtrack

The music of ''Sankar Guru'' was composed by Chandrabose, with lyrics by

Vairamuthu Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he firs ...

. The music of ''Chinnari Devatha'' was composed by K. Chakravarthy, with lyrics by

Veturi Veturi Sundararama Murthy (29 January 1936 – 22 May 2010), known mononymously by his surname Veturi, was an Indian poet and lyricist who is known for his works in Telugu literature and cinema. Veturi is a recipient of the National Film Award, ...

Release and reception

''Sankar Guru'' was released on 19 March 1987. ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...

'' called it an "absolutely unpretentious entertainer". Jayamanmadhan of ''

Kalki Kalki (), also called Kalkin, is the prophesied tenth and final incarnation of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. According to Vaishnavism, Vaishnava cosmology, Kalki is destined to appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, the last of the four ages i ...

'', despite noting several flaws, appreciated the director for making an entertaining film from beginning to end. The film was commercially successful in both the languages it was made, and Chandrabose won the award for Best Music Director at the 8th Cinema Express Awards.

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{Sivachandran 1980s Indian films 1980s masala films 1980s Tamil-language films 1980s Telugu-language films 1987 action films 1987 films 1987 multilingual films AVM Productions films Fictional portrayals of the Tamil Nadu Police Films directed by L. Raja Films scored by Chandrabose (composer) Films with screenplays by V. C. Guhanathan Indian action films Indian multilingual films Tamil-language Indian films