Uyirodu Uyiraga (transl. With life, as life) is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Sushma Ahuja. The film stars Ajith Kumar and Richa Ahuja, while Sarath Babu, Srividya, Ambika, and Mohan Sharma play supporting roles. The music was composed by Vidyasagar with cinematography by Aravind Kamalanathan and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad. The film revolves around a couple's struggle to deal with the husband's terminal illness. The film released on 21 November 1998 and failed at the box office.
| Uyirodu Uyiraga | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Sushma Ahuja |
| Written by | Sushma Ahuja |
| Produced by | Sunil Mutreja Amit Bhatia Samer Mutreja |
| Starring | Ajith Kumar Richa Ahuja |
| Cinematography | Aravind Kamalanathan |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | Vidyasagar |
Production company | S.S Films Pvt. Limited |
Release date |
|
Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
editThis article needs an improved plot summary. (June 2023) |
The film details on how the parents of a young teenage boy Ajay, who is diagnosed with a chronic brain tumor, accept and deal with his sickness. Anjali does not have a brain tumor. Anjali's undeterred love for the optimistic Ajay, who is on the verge of death, is beautifully depicted throughout the film.
Cast
edit- Ajith Kumar as Ajay
- Richa Ahuja as Anjali
- Sarath Babu as Chandrasekhar
- Srividya as Raji
- Ambika as Anjali's mother
- Mohan Sharma as Anjali's father
- Sathyapriya as Nurse
- Devipriya as Priya
- Lavanya as Anjali's friend
- Adade Manohar
Production
editThe director, Sushma Ahuja, originally wanted to make in Hindi but eventually filmed in Tamil with Ajith Kumar and Richa Ahuja, her daughter. Richa took up the offer, after another popular actress had opted out of the role due to date issues.[1] Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, with whom Sushma worked on Pushpak, encouraged her to take up this project.[2] The film was reportedly based on a real event which had occurred in the early 1990s.[3]
Soundtrack
editThe songs were composed by Vidyasagar, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[4][5]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anbae Anbae" | Hariharan, K. S. Chitra | 5:10 |
| 2. | "I Love You" | Nandini Srikar, KK, Ajith Kumar | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Nathi Enge Valaiyum" | Ghanshyam Vaswani | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Nothing Nothing" | Harini | 4:44 |
| 5. | "Poovukellam Siragu" | Srinivas, KK, Harini | 5:27 |
| 6. | "Vannakili SolKonda" | Gopal Rao, Harini, Chorus | 4:38 |
| Total length: | 29:30 | ||
Release and reception
editThe film was initially scheduled to release on 19 October 1998 to coincide with Diwali, but was delayed by a month and released on 21 November.[6][7] Kala Krishnan Ramesh from Deccan Herald drew particular praise to the role of Srividya, claiming the film was "a pleasant experience, the crowds cheered Srividya almost as much as Ajith".[8] Ji of Kalki praised the acting of Ajith, Srividya and Sarath Babu but panned Vidyasagar's background score.[9] The film failed commercially, with Sushma Ahuja blaming the result on poor promotion.[2][10] Two years after release, the producers were given a ₹5 lakh (equivalent to ₹21 lakh or US$25,000 in 2023) subsidy by the Tamil Nadu government along with several other films.[11]
References
edit- ^ Ashok Kumar, S. R. (14 May 2001). "Looking beyond stardom". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ a b Mahesh, Chitra (26 February 2001). "Fame from many quarters". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ "1997–98'ன் கோடம்பாக்கக் குஞ்சுகள்" [1997–98 Kodambakkam babies]. Indolink. Archived from the original on 24 July 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Uyirodu Uyiraaga". Indolink. Archived from the original on 1 September 1999. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Ashok Kumar, S. R. (19 January 2001). "More romance in the offing". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Rajitha (17 October 1998). "Southern bonanza". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ "Uyirodu Uyiraga / உயிரோடு உயிராக". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ Ramesh, Kala Krishnan (21 February 1999). "Uyirodu uyiraga (Tamil)". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ ஜி (22 November 1998). "உயிரோடு உயிராக". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 96. Archived from the original on 13 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Aarkay (29 April 2000). "Oscar spurned, but not burned". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
- ^ Mass Media in India. Publications Division. 2001. p. 181. ISBN 9788123009421. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
