Sethum Aayiram Pon

Sethum Ayiram Pon: Roots (transl. Thousands of gold after death) is a 2019 Tamil-language drama film directed by Anand Ravichandran in his directorial debut. The film stars Srilekha Rajendran, Nivedhithaa Sathish, and Avinash Raghudevan in the lead roles. The film was released directly through online streaming services after showing in select film festivals.

Sethum Aayiram Pon
Release poster
Directed byAnand Ravichandran
Produced by
  • Anshulika Dubey
  • Priyanka Agarwal
  • Shashwat Singh
Written byAnand Ravichandran
Starring
Music byShamanth Nag
CinematographyManikantan Krishnamachary
Edited byPrakash Karunanithi
Production
company
Wishberry Films
Release date
Running time
102 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Plot

The film revolves around the relationship between Krishnaveni (Srilekha Rajendran), an oppari singer, and her 23-year-old granddaughter, Meera a.k.a. Kunjamma (Nivedhithaa Sathish), who is a make-up artiste, after a period of separation.

Cast
  • Srilekha Rajendran as Krishnaveni
  • Nivedhithaa Sathish as Meera (Kunjamma)
  • Avinash Raghudevan as Kuberan, a make-up artiste for dead bodies
  • Gabrella Sellus as Amudha, Meera's friend
  • Mosakutty Rajendran as Bahubali
  • Rathaakrishnan as Sangudevan
  • Vichitran as Muthupandi
  • Aishwarya as Rani
  • Kousalya Devi as Usidha
  • Dharma as Pechiyamma
  • Vasantha Devi as Angamma
  • Akash as Chembiyan
  • Sanjay as Marudhu
  • Kalimangalam Muniyammal as Muniyammal
  • Pandiyamma as Pandiyamma

Production

The film is directed by Anand Ravichandran, a former software official. Ravichandran had previously directed the short film Kuberanum Irandu Gundargalum.[1] Television actress Srilekha Rajendran and Nivedhithaa Sathish, of Sillu Karupatti fame, play the lead roles. Ravichandran began research on oppari, an ancient way of mourning the dead. The film was shot in 17 days in Appanur near Paramakudi, and real oppari artists were used in the film.[1][2] Nivedhithaa Sathish revealed that she plays an angry woman who is still trying to figure out her life.[2]

Soundtrack

All songs were composed by Shamanth Nag.

Song TitleLyricist / DescriptionArtists
"Enkonji"Traditional Tulu folk songSumana C., Shamanth Nag
"Hey Oppari Kezhavi"Raghavan, Shamnath NagAnila Rajeev, Shamanth Nag
"Aridharam Poosaama"Shamnath NagAnila Rajeev
"Panjaarathu Kili"Nivedhithaa Sathish
"Aridharam"Cello and Violin ThemeSeenu, Shamnath Nag
"Jaari Jokar Iyya"RaviGomanthi
"Kodongi"Traditional folk songDharma
"Arumbu Meesakaran"Traditional folk songKalimangalam Muniyammal

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
2019 New York Indian Film Festival Best Screenplay Anand Ravichandran for Sethum Ayiram Pon Nominated [1]

Release

The film released on 1 April 2020 on Netflix.[2]

Reception

Haricharan Puddpeddi of the Hindustan Times gave the film a positive review and wrote that "Anand Ravichandran's directorial debut does not have a single dull moment".[3] Shubhra Gupta of the Indian Express gave positive ratings with 3.5/5 and wrote that "Both Sathish and Rajendran work well together, and as they head towards an unexpected finish, we see what the director wants us to: blood will tell, and life, with all its pain and problems, is a celebration".[4] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "(but)...the film works because there's grace, there's a quiet dignity. Even a technique as flashy as a whip-pan becomes (almost) unobtrusive — Manikantan Krishnamachary is the cinematographer — because the shots are held for long and there's so much happening that the techniques serve the story instead of overpowering it...the drama unfolds confidently, and with touches of humour — the flavourful dialogues are a big help.".[5]

References
  1. "'Sethum Aayiram Pon' to be screened at New York Indian Film Festival". The Times of India. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. "Tamil film 'Sethum Aayiram Pon' out on Netflix". gulfnews.com.
  3. "Sethum Aayiram Pon review: A heartwarming tale of life, death and everything in between". Hindustan Times. 1 April 2020.
  4. "Sethum Aayiram Pon movie review: Life is a celebration". The Indian Express. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  5. "Sethum Aayiram Pon Movie Review: It's Easy To Identify With This Netflix Drama About An Estranged Relationship". FilmCompanion. 4 April 2020.
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