Sukran

Sukran is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written, produced and directed by S. A. Chandrasekhar. The film stars Ravi Krishna and Anita Hassanandani. Vijay appears in a cameo role. The music was composed by debutant Vijay Antony with the score composed by Pravin Mani.

Plot
Ravi Shankar and Sandhya, students of a college in Dindigul, are in love, but Sandhya faces a problem at home as her uncle is attracted to her. One day, he peeps into her bathroom while she bathes, and she complains about it to her malevolent stepmother, but she forgives and encourages him and tells her that they will one day marry. Sandhya also encourages Ravi, telling him that they will marry.

When Sandhya's stepmother discovers their affair, she pokes her nose in their wheel. Ravi's father, who is very caring and loving, sends them to Chennai. After they reach Chennai, he checks in on them, and in the middle of the phone call, he is killed by Sandhya's stepmother. After that, a corrupt police officer named Mahesh accuses Ravi of murdering his own father and apprehends Ravi on a complaint given by Sandhya's stepmother that he had murdered his own father when he put his foot down on their affair. Ravi is then put behind bars.

Sandhya is persuaded to seek the help of a judge named Needhi Manikkam to get a bail for Ravi. Manikkam, being an incorrect person, blackmails her into sleeping with him, causing her to spit on his face. Sandhya is taken to a palace by the police, where she gets gang-raped by Mahesh, Manikkam, and Tamil Kumaran (Bobby Bedi), the son of Minister Janardhanan. In the meantime, an honest police officer releases Ravi, so that he can save Sandhya. But before Ravi can reach the destination, the trio removes her clothes, bind her to the bed, and rape her by turns, which they also take a video clip of. Ravi tries to save her but is unsuccessful and is beaten by Needhi Manikkam's henchmen. After some time, Sandhya becomes unconscious. Ravi is also unconscious after a severe beating from the goons and getting thrown into the gallows.

After a series of events, Sandhya decides to commit suicide, because she says that she has undergone a lot of pain and anguish, and the pain is so terrible that she cannot forget it until she dies. Ravi, unwilling to lose her by death and be separated from her since he had already lost both of his parents, chooses to die along with her so that they are still together after life. At this juncture, a criminal lawyer named Sukran arrives to the beach to save them, teaches them the value of life and advises them to face all the troubles boldly. After that, he tells them to start a new life and to be happy and successful by the time they meet again. They get jobs and money, marry, move into a small house, and have a normal life. One day, when Sandhya is in her nightdress, Mahesh, Manikkam, and Kumaran force her again, causing the couple to get harassed by the police. The incident causes Sandhya to be arrested on false charges of prostitution. All efforts by Ravi to get her out on bail are futile. An agitated Ravi shoots Mahesh, Manikkam, Kumaran, and Sandhya's stepmother dead and escapes with Sandhya from the court.

Once more, Sukran steps in and promises to save the couple. He appears on Ravi's behalf and puts forward enough evidence to help him out. He also eventually kills Janardhanan, the minister who was responsible for all the wrongdoings and also due to his previous disputes with him. After that, Sukran surrenders to the police, stating that even though Janardhanan was a pervert, he should not have done the murder in front of the judge.

Production
Filming began in September 2004, after Vijay finished the shooting for his previous action masala venture Thirupaachi (2005), and was wrapped up in January 2005. Vijay was chosen as the titular main lead, and Ravi Krishna, Anita Hassanandani among others were chosen as the supporting characters. Although the story takes place in Chennai, the movie was predominantly shot only in Vishakhapatnam yet some minor portions were shot in Chennai as well. The song featuring Rambha choreographed by Ashokraja was shot on a dhaba set at AVM Studios.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by debutant Vijay Antony.

Release
Sukran was released worldwide on 18 February 2005. Prior to its release, the film was awarded an "A" (adults only) certificate by the Indian Censor Board with 22 cuts, while the UAE censors objected to the film's content and asked for deletion of footage amounting to 32 minutes, not following which the film got banned. But later on, the movie was re-revised with a "U/A" (parental guidance) certificate with some corrections, and was prepared for a Jaya TV premiere in November 2005.

Critical reception
Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote, "Producer, writer and director S. A. Chandrasekaran returns after a hiatus, youthful in imagination and agile in execution — at times too much so [..] Chandrasekaran's yen for courtroom drama, make Sukran a cocktail of sorts." Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote that "The first half does move at a fast pace, making one think that the director was on to a love story with a difference" and added that "Sukran not only takes care of the matter but also hogs the whole show, to the detriment of the script, totally sidelining Ravi and Sandhya who had put up such a good show till then!" A critic from Indiaglitz wrote that "Sukran begins as a campus love story ends haywire with the heroine being gang raped by a Judge, a Minister' son and a police officer and eventually the hero taking revenge on them for their heinous act. As usual, Chandrasekhar points an accusing finger at the corrupt judicial system and selfish police officers for the evils of the society". A critic from BizHat wrote that "Though the film has a romantic subject, the treatment of the story is unlike any other love story, from start to finish. Plenty of commercial elements add to the pace of the film".