Aalayam Productions

Aalayam Productions
Company typeFilm production
Film distribution
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1990–2002
Headquarters
Chennai
,
India
Key people
S. Sriram
Mani Ratnam
ProductsMotion pictures
(Tamil)

Aalayam Productions was an Indian film production and distribution company headed by S. Sriram. The firm had been a leading production studio in the Tamil film industry in the 1990s, with director Mani Ratnam also being a partner.

History

S. Sriram and Mani Ratnam set up Aalayam Productions in 1990 and produced K. Subash's Chatriyan (1990) as their first venture. Featuring Vijayakanth and Bhanupriya in the lead roles, the film won critical acclaim and performed well at the box office.[1][2]

Following the release of Roja (1992), director Mani Ratnam opted to stop making films for external production houses and chose to work solely for Aalayam Productions.[3] The pair collaborated on Mani Ratnam's films including the heist comedy Thiruda Thiruda (1993) and the romantic drama Bombay (1995).[4] As Bombay had faced political trouble prior to release, Sriram had said that he hoped that the film's plight and clearance would make it easier for future filmmakers to make films on religious riots without leading to controversy. Bombay went on to become one of the highest-grossing films from the Tamil industry and was also screened at many international film festivals.[1] The studio also produced Vasanth's Aasai (1995), which gave actor Ajith Kumar his career breakthrough in the Tamil film industry.[5]

Mani Ratnam later left the production house in the mid-1990s to prioritise work on his own studio, Madras Talkies.[3]

Sriram died following a heart attack on 4 September 2019. Sriram was survived by his wife Nalini Sriram, a costume designer in the Indian film industry, and son, Nikhil Sriram.[1][6]

Filmography

Title Year Language Director Cast Synopsis Ref.
Chatriyan 1990 Tamil K. Subash Vijayakanth, Bhanupriya, Revathi Selvam, a former police officer is pressurized by Annachi, his enemy whom he had arrested to return to the police force.
Dasarathan 1993 Raja Krishnamoorthy Sarathkumar, Heera Rajagopal, Sivakumar Dasarathan who cannot tolerate injustice becomes a cop against his father's wishes their relationship worsens when he kills an innocent man during a riot.
Thiruda Thiruda Mani Ratnam Prashanth, Anand, Heera Rajagopal Two petty thieves stumble upon a secret related to an cash container.
Bombay 1995 Arvind Swamy, Manisha Koirala, Nassar Hindu boy and Muslim girl fall in love and get married after their parents object to their relationship, later they get embroiled in Bombay riots. [7]
Aasai Vasanth Ajith Kumar, Suvaluxmi, Prakash Raj An ex-service man who has an eye on his wife's sister kills his wife and separates her lover and tricks into marrying her.
Samurai 2002 Balaji Sakthivel Vikram, Anita Hassanandani, Jaya Seal A man along with group of people runs a rebel movement to expose corrupted politicians. [8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "'Bombay' producer S Sriram passes away". The News Minute. 4 September 2019.
  2. ^ "Bombay producer S Sriram passes away". 5 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b "With Kaatru Veliyidai, Mani Ratnam continues to explore love, complex identities". Hindustan Times. 13 April 2017.
  4. ^ "Aalayam Sriram, producer of 'Bombay' movie, dies in Chennai". The Times of India. 4 September 2019.
  5. ^ "'Aalayam' Sriram, producer of Aasai and Bombay, passes away". Cinema Express.
  6. ^ "Mani Ratnam's Bombay-producer 'Aalayam' Sriram passes away". The New Indian Express.
  7. ^ Kannan, Anand. "Bombay". Planet Bollywood. Archived from the original on 11 July 2001. Retrieved 20 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Samurai". The Hindu. 19 July 2002.