Appu (2000 film)

Appu is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language romantic action thriller film written and directed by Vasanth. The film stars Prashanth, Devayani and Prakash Raj. It is a remake of the Hindi film Sadak (1991). The film was released on 16 June 2000.

Plot
Appu is a taxi driver in Mumbai. He had a sister Saradha who committed suicide as her husband sold her to a brothel for money. Appu had a habit of paying prostitutes just to talk to them. One day, Appu meets Seetha and develops affection, but she is also sold by her uncle to a brothel managed by Maharani, a transgender, as he is unable to repay his debt. Appu decides to save Seetha from the brothel by having an affair with Maharani. In the meantime, he finds out his sister was also sold to the same brothel managed by Maharani, so he decides to take revenge. Love blossoms between Appu and Seetha. Appu loses his friend Mano and lover Pooja, as they both get killed by Maharani. They sacrifice their lives for Appu and Seetha. Finally, Appu kills Maharani and unites with Seetha.

Production
During production, the film was briefly titled as Surya before being renamed to Appu. Simran was considered for the lead role before Devayani was finalised. Devayani's voice was dubbed by actress Deepa Venkat, who make her debut as dubbing artist.

This film is the Tamil remake of Hindi film Sadak (1991). Prakash Raj played the character of an eunuch. During the shoot of the film, some eunuchs hailing from Thiruvannamalai, threatened that if portions of the film were not reshot, they would initiate large scale protests and do their best to hinder shooting schedules. They were upset that Raj played a 'sexually handicapped' person who is the villain. They argued that the eunuchs are treated as socially unwanted having little social standing, and that such films would further threaten their status in the society. The song "Idam Tharuvaya" is shot in South Africa while the song "Punnagaikku" was shot at Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by Deva, all song lyrics were by Vairamuthu. The audio was launched at Kamarajar Memorial Hall. Venky of Chennai Online wrote "Though the songs sound familiar, they are definitely worth a hear".

Reception
Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote "Vasanth has laid a firm foundation by choosing a solid story, though there is nothing novel about it, and the rest just falls in place.Heavy at times, Appu appeals nevertheless". Rajitha of Rediff.con wrote "It is not as though there were glaring deficiencies in this remake of the Sanjay Dutt-starrer Sadak -- the disappointment comes from the fact that the Tamil remake, with Prashant and Devyani in the lead, simply fails to grip. You expect more much more from" Vasanth, she however praised the music and Prakash Raj's acting. Krishna Chidambaram of Kalki praised the acting of Prashanth and Prakash Raj and Ramesh Khanna's humour but felt the revenge in second half could have been forceful if Prashanth got to know the culprit in former half. Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote, "A sensitive director of Vasanth's caliber is clearly wasted here. But he does leave a mark in his song picturisations (Va da va…), which are catchy, despite the absence of expensive props and sets. Cinematographer Vinod leaves a mark in his maiden effort". India Info wrote "Remake films do not always stand up to the originals. There are rare exceptions though. Appu falls into that category. The director Vasanth has done a good remake job of Sadak in Tamil. The lead stars Prasanth and Devyani have also managed to put in a performance that matches up to the original. However, the credit goes to Prakashraj who could live up to the expectations his role raised. He had the challenge of essaying the role that won Sadashiv Amarpurkar a national award. The native touch that he has given to the eunuch character is commendable".