Kaakki Sattai

For the 2015 film, see Kaaki Sattai.

Kaakki Sattai (transl. Khaki Shirt) is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Rajasekhar, starring Kamal Haasan, Ambika, Madhavi, Sathyaraj, Rajeev and Thengai Srinivasan. The film, released on 11 April 1985,^[1] became a major box office success.^[2] It was loosely remade in Hindi as Guru (1989).^[3]

Kaakki Sattai
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Rajasekhar
Story by	Sathya Movies Story Department Radha Veerannan
Produced by	G. Thyagarajan V. ThamizhAlagan
Starring	Kamal Haasan Ambika Madhavi Sathyaraj Rajeev
Cinematography	V. Ranga
Edited by	K. R. Krishnan
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Production company	Sathya Movies
Release date	11 April 1985 (1985-04-11)
Running time	143 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Plot

Murali is a young man who trains very hard to become a police officer. Uma is his neighbour and they fall in love with each other while Uma supports Murali to achieve his goal but he is rejected after the physical test due to not having influence or money.

Angered by the rejection, Murali turns into a local rowdy. He causes trouble in his district and comes to the attention of a notorious smuggler and murderer, Vicky and his partner Anand. After initial conflict between the two, Vicky recruits the rowdy Murali into his gang. Murali becomes his most trusted member. He grows intimate with a girl, Anita, who is looking for personal revenge against Anand.

But soon Vicky's activities time and again, are foiled by the police and he finds out that they have a mole in his gang. Uma spots the changed Murali with Anita and becomes furious and breaks up with him. Then Murali reveals the truth to her. He was not rejected by the police but was recruited by a senior officer to bring down Vicky and Anand's gang. He became a rowdy to get into the gang and is acting as a mole to bring the gang down. They patch things up but Vicky finds out the truth too. In the climax, Anita kills Anand. Vicky kidnaps Uma after killing Anita and when police arrive to arrest him and blackmails Murali to help him escape. After initially helping his escape, Murali rescues Uma and Vicky is killed in the blast.

Cast

• Kamal Haasan as Muralidharan "Murali"
• Sathyaraj as Vicky
• Ambika as Uma
• Madhavi as Anitha
• Rajeev as Anand
• Thengai Srinivasan as Vicky's assistant
• Bob Christo
• V. Gopalakrishnan as IG
• Kallapetti Singaram as Murali's father
• Y. Vijaya as Singari
• Senthamarai as Bhaskar
• Thavakalai as Murali's friend
• Kanchana

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja.^[4][5] He finished composing the songs in half-a-day, well before the three-day schedule.^[6][7] The guitar portions of the song "Vaanile Thenila" were performed by Ilaiyaraaja's brother-in-law Sasidharan Muniyandi.^[8] The song "Kanmaniye Pesu" is set in Pahādi raga,^[9] and "Vaanile Thenila" is set in Chakravakam.^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Kanmaniyae Pesu"	Pulamaipithan	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki
2.	"Namma Singaari Saraku"	Vaali	S. P. Balasubramanyam
3.	"Poo Potta Dhavani"	Avinashi Mani	S. P. Balasubramanyam, S. Janaki
4.	"Vaanile Thenila"	Na. Kamarasan	S. P. Balasubramanyam, S. Janaki
5.	"Pattu Kannam"	Muthulingam	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela

Reception

Jayamanmadhan of Kalki praised the performance of Haasan and Sathyaraj, stunt choreography and Ilaiyaraaja's music but felt Rajeev's character was unnecessary.^[11]

Re-release

A digitally restored version of the film was released on 30 March 2018.^[2]

References

1. "ரஜினியின் படத்தை முந்திய கமல் படம்.. 38 வருடங்களுக்கு முன் புத்தாண்டில் நடந்த பரபர போட்டி!". News18 (in Tamil). 12 April 2023. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
2. "Digitally remastered 'Kaakki Sattai': Kamal Haasan's classic to re-release on March 30". The Times of India. 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
3. "Kamal's Kaakki Sattai was remade". The Times of India. 24 June 2014. Archived from the original on 31 July 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
4. "Kaaki Chattai (1985)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
5. "kakki Sattai Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
6. Ramanujam, Srinivasa (31 May 2018). "The Ilaiyaraaja interview: 'Why should filmmakers know about music creation?'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
7. "கற்பனையால் ரசிகர்களை வியக்க வைப்பதே வெற்றி; எல்லாவற்றையும் தாண்டிய இசை ஒன்று இருக்கிறது!: இசைஞானி இளையராஜா சிறப்பு நேர்காணல்" [It's a huge gamble to attract fans by imagination; there is a music beyond it: Ilaiyaraaja interview]. Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 2 June 2018. Archived from the original on 22 August 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
8. Sundar, Anusha (2 February 2021). "Bass Guitarist Sasidharan Muniyandi Dies at 60". Silverscreen India. Archived from the original on 11 November 2024. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
9. Mani, Charulatha (28 September 2012). "Sivaranjani for pathos". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
10. Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani. p. 165. OCLC 295034757.
11. ஜெயமன்மதன் (5 May 1985). "காக்கிசட்டை". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 10–11. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023 – via Internet Archive.

External links

• Kaakki Sattai at IMDb 
• Kaakki Sattai at Rotten Tomatoes