Sagaa (transl. Friend) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action crime film directed by Murugesh. It was produced by R. Selvakumar and Ramprasath. The film features Saran Shakthi, Ayra, Kishore, Sree Raam, Pandi, Neeraja, and Prithvi Rajan. Music director Shabir composed the songs and background music.[1][2] Niran Chander handled the cinematography, while Hariharan did the editing. The film released on 1 February 2019 to mixed reviews from critics criticizing the writing, dialogues and cinematography.[3]
| Sagaa | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Murugesh |
| Written by | Murugesh |
| Produced by | Selvakumar Ramprasath |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Niran Chander |
| Edited by | Hariharan |
| Music by | Shabir |
Production company | Selly Cinemas |
Release date |
|
Running time | 122 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Synopsis
editThe movie is set in the dark areas of a bustling metro. Orphans Sathya (Saran Shakthi) and Kathir (Pandi) are raised by a local transgender woman. They are orphaned again when she is killed by her brother over a property dispute. Sathya and Kathir avenge her death and then land in jail.
While in jail, Kathir is killed by a rowdy named Ganga (Prithvi Rajan). Sathya vows to kill Ganga. He befriends inmates Shiva (Kishore) and Jacky (Sree Raam) and escapes with them, but Jacky gets caught. After that, Shiva and Sathya separate. The warden learns of their escape. He catches Shiva and pushes him to reveal Sathya's whereabouts. Shiva leads him to a house where Sathya is hiding but is shocked to find his sweetheart Pooja (Neeraja) instead. He is killed by the warden for showing the wrong place.
Meanwhile, Sathya gets on a bus. One of the warden's henchmen arrives to kill him. He falls in love with Aarohi (Ayra), a young girl who saves him from the henchman. Later, he is seen fighting with Ganga, but Ganga is killed by Jacky. Jacky reveals that his sister Jeni (Gayathri Krishnaa) was raped and killed by Ganga, and he sought revenge. Sathya beats up Ganga. The movie ends with Sathya telling Aarohi that he will come back for her one day.
Cast
edit- Saran Shakthi as Sathya
- Ayra as Aarohi, Sathya's love interest
- Kishore DS as Shiva
- Sree Raam as Jacky
- Pandi as Kathir
- Neeraja S Das as Pooja, Shiva's love interest
- Prithvi Rajan as Ganga
- Thennavan as Rajendran, a jail warden
- Sai Dheena as Jail Warden
- Ambani Shankar as Convict
- Gayathri Krishnaa as Jeni, Jacky's sister
- Vinod Sagar as Jail Warden
- Ravi Venkatraman as Anbumani IPS
- Kannan
- Harish
- Subash
- Baby Savi
- Master Vikash
- Master Bubesh
Production
editSagaa is SellyCinemas' debut film venture. Pre-production commenced in January 2015. Principal photography began in EVP film city in Chennai. The film's jail sets were constructed and erected by SellyCinemas. The filming progressed at the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry and concluded in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The film released on 1 February 2019.[4]
Soundtrack
editShabir signed on to the project in early 2015.[5][6] The album consists of 7 songs. Shabir had reportedly collaborated with a European orchestra to produce one of the pieces. The album features Malaysian and international Tamil rap pioneer Dr. Burn, South East Asian metal band Rudra, singer and actress Andrea Jeremiah, playback singer Naresh Iyer, and gospel singer Alphonse.[7] The soundtrack was produced in four countries including Singapore, Hungary, Malaysia and India. The initial single "Sevulu Kizhiyum" was released on 9 May 2016.[8] The music video featuring Shabir and the cast was released on YouTube by Think Music India.[9] The hit single "Yaayum" took its lyric from classical Tamil poetic work Kuṟuntokai from Sagaa achieved millions of views on YouTube. The album received rave reviews with IndiaGLitz calling it "Strikingly Impressive".[10][11]
| Sagaa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 2019 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 25:07 | |||
| Language | Tamil | |||
| Producer | Shabir | |||
| Shabir chronology | ||||
| ||||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yaayum" | Sembula Peyaneerar | Naresh Iyer, Rita | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Vithiye" | Shabir | Shabir, Janani Rajan | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Aathadi" | Shabir | Shabir, Rita | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Nenji Kizhinji Pochu" | Shabir | Hariharasudhan, Shabir, Sathyaprakash | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Sevulu Kizhiyum" | Shabir | Shabir ft Dr Burn, Rudra | 2:31 |
| 6. | "Sagaa" | Shabir | Alphones | 3:27 |
| 7. | "Semma Piece" | Shabir | Andrea Jeremiah, Shabir | 3:19 |
| Total length: | 25:07 | |||
Reception
editA critic from The Times of India gave the film two out of five stars and wrote that "Sagaa is a classic example of bad writing ruining a premise that has promise".[12] A critic from The New Indian Express gave the film 2 out of 5 writing "While, it is impressive that he doesn't pull back any punches because his actors play boys, and not men, they are hence burdened with pointless romantic numbers, sacrificial side-kicks, too many slow-motion shots, hollow punch dialogues, and inconsequential heroines."[3]
References
edit- ^ Christall, Sneha Mary (27 May 2016). "Kollywood calling". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2019 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Censor officer wanted 21 minutes removed from 'Sagaa'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ a b "'Sagaa' movie review: A promising revenge saga tied down by commercial compromises". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
- ^ "17 - 22 வயதுக்குள் சிறையில் உள்ள இளைஞர்களை பற்றி பேசும் "சகா"!! - Theekkuchi.com". theekkuchi.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ hermes (3 August 2016). "Shabir tempa nama di Kollywood, Berita Gah! - BeritaHarian.sg". BeritaHarian. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Singapore musician comes to Kollywood". The Hindu. 22 May 2016. Archived from the original on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2019 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Could the next A R Rahman come from Singapore?". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ Christall, Sneha Mary (27 May 2016). "Kollywood calling". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 December 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2019 – via www.thehindu.com.
- ^ "Lampadine". sgcafe.me. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Sagaa Music review songs lyrics". IndiaGlitz.com. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- ^ "Singapore musician debuts as composer in Kollywood". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
- ^ "Sagaa Movie Review {2.0/5}: Critic Review of Sagaa by Times of India". The Times of India.