Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam

Plot

The town of Jayshankarapuram, home of Tamil-speaking cowboys, is ruled by a one-eyed tyrant Kizhakku Kattai (Nasser) (literally translating to East Wood as in Clint Eastwood, who rules over other villages as well, and is always surrounded by his assistants, a cowgirl named Pakki (Lakshmi Rai) and an outlaw named Ulakkai (Sai Kumar). In order to free their town from Kattai's rule, four men (Bilagiri James (Mouli), Dagelandi (Ilavarasu), Jada (Ramesh Khanna), and Viruma (Vaiyapuri)) travel to a neighboring town Sholaypuram to seek out a savior.

There, they encounter Singaram (Lawrence), a man with a noble heart, who has been sentenced to death for negligence of duty. The gang saves Singaram from execution and explains their situation. Singaram learns why he was chosen: the previous marshal of Jayashankarapuram, the brave Singam (also Lawrence), the only one who stood up to Kattai's tyranny, bore a striking resemblance to Singaram. Singam disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago and the town was left defenseless.

Thus Singaram is brought to the village and passed off as Singam. Singaram learns to adapt to his new name, learning all of the hero's skills and tricks. He wins the respect of the village seniors (Paandu Paramu (Delhi Ganesh), Keluthi Amma (Manorama) and others), and a girl Baali (Padmapriya) falls for him. Soon he surpasses the original hero's prowess, though initially it is due to dumb luck.

In between the hero���s and the villain���s camp is a Red Indian village where the tribals are pure vegetarians. With the introduction of this village, Athirikesa (M. S. Bhaskar), the leader of the tribal group, his father Rangula (Senthil), and his beautiful daughter Thumbi (Sandhya) are also introduced.

The gist of the story: The villagers at Jayashankarapuram find a map that is hidden in their ���MGR Timesquare���. But it is only one half they have. They have to find the other half to hunt for treasure that is preserved and hidden somewhere far away. But the villain, Kattai has other plans. He negotiates a deal of freeing prisoners in exchange of the treasure. Does the Marshall Singam along with Ulakkai, Pakki, Viruma, Dagelandi, Athirikesa and Lee (Chaams) find the treasure?

Cast

Soundtrack

All songs lyrics written by 'Kaviperarasu' Vairamuthu...

Production

The film was shot in 86 days. A huge effort went into Art Direction and Costume design. The film was shot in Ambasamutharam, Palakad, Salem, Thiruvanamalai, Raichutti and Kandi in Karnataka. For the first time a huge set was constructed across the river in Kandi. The crew also travelled to Vietnam - Holong bay for a song shoot in an old ship.

Release

The satellite rights of the film were sold to Kalaignar TV. The film was given a "U" certificate by the Indian Censor Board.

Reception

Produced on a huge budget of 12 crores the film was an average success at the boxoffice grossing over 15 crores. It was well received by family audiences especially children. The film comically highlights the current world politics. It was well received by the critics. Art direction, Cinematography and Costume design were highly appreciated. The final treasure hunt sequences were on par with any Hollywood films. Riko

Dubbed film

The film was dubbed into Telugu as Super Cowboy.