| Simmarasi | |
| Director: | Erode Soundar |
| Producer: | R. B. Choudary |
| Cinematography: | G. Kicha |
| Editing: | V. Jaishankar |
| Music: | S. A. Rajkumar |
| Studio: | Super Good Films |
| Runtime: | 162 minutes |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Tamil |
Simmarasi is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language film directed and written by Erode Soundar. The film stars Sarathkumar and Khushbu. Kanaka, Manorama, Anandaraj and Vineeth play supporting roles. It was released on 19 October 1998, during Diwali,[1] and became a success. Sarathkumar won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.[2] A sub-plot of the film went on to be used in the Telugu film Siva Rama Raju and the Kannada film Paramashiva, both of which were remakes of another Sarathkumar film Samudhiram.
A man named Manickavasagam happens to stop a caste fight in a village. The villagers ask him to remain and help with their conflicts, thus inciting the wrath of Maragatham. Maragatham is the biggest badman in the village, and he even killed his own brother for marrying into a different caste. Lakshmi's son Kathir wants to build a factory, which Manickavasagam will not allow. This makes Kathir ally with Maragatham. Finally Manickavasagam kills Maragatham.
Kanaka replaced Nagma in the film during July 1998 after her relationship with Sarathkumar ended.[3]
The soundtrack was composed by S. A. Rajkumar.[4]
A critic from Dinakaran noted that "some of the scenes have come out good. But there is very, very long flash back scenes that among them some of the scenes really don't have that much relevance to the story line".[5] Kala Krishnan-Ramesh of Deccan Herald wrote "Simmarasi deserves a response because its themes, its emotions, its sounds and colours are grander than those we are accustomed to."[6] D. S. Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote, "Good performance by the principal players and the dialogue and screenplay of director Erode Sounder sustain the momentum in Supergood Films', Simmaraasi. The emotional content of the human drama, told in two parts, one taking place in the city and the other in a village, has been adequately supported by situations".[7]