Isai (transl. Music) is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language musical psychological thriller film written, directed, and scored by S. J. Suryah. He also starred in the lead role, alongside Sathyaraj and Sulagna Panigrahi, who made her Tamil film debut. This was Suryah's first movie as a director since 2010. It was also his first time composing music for a film. The story focuses on the rivalry between Vetriselvan, an experienced veteran composer, and A. K. Shiva, his assistant and a rising composer in the film industry.

The film was first announced in 2004 with two other projects but was not completed. Suryah restarted the project in November 2011. Principal photography began in May 2012 and continued until January 2014, with a short pause and changes in production. Filming took place in Chennai and Kodaikanal. Soundararajan handled the cinematography, and K. M. Riyas edited the film.

After several delays, Isai was released in movie theaters on January 30, 2015. Critics generally praised the film for the acting (especially Sathyaraj's performance), the screenplay, direction, and cinematography. However, some reviewers found the three-hour runtime too long and had mixed opinions about the twist in the ending.

Plot

Vetriselvan (Sathyaraj) is a well-known and traditional music director who is admired for his work and is considered one of the greatest musicians of his time. A. K. Shiva (S. J. Suryah), who works as an assistant to Vetriselvan, gets a chance to compose music for a small film. When Shiva introduces new methods and starts using synthesizers, his music gains attention from many people. Because his music feels fresh and modern, Shiva becomes the most popular musician and surpasses Vetriselvan. Shiva becomes the top musician, creates his own studio, and marries Jeni (Sulagna Panigrahi). When everything seems to go well for Shiva, Vetriselvan shows his harmful side.

Vetriselvan wants to harm Shiva’s mental state so he cannot focus on music. He makes a deal with Shiva’s car driver, manager, cook, and studio staff to help him. One day, Shiva’s car driver parks his car in traffic and runs away, confusing Shiva. The loud honking from cars upsets him. Shiva’s manager lies about events that did not happen, causing confusion. Jeni becomes pregnant, but she has a miscarriage after the cook adds medicine to her food. Shiva becomes upset and cries, thinking he is mentally ill. He goes to a mental hospital.

Shiva’s unusual behavior is reported by the media, and his reputation is damaged. Vetriselvan is happy and notices that film directors are returning to him. Vetriselvan believes he has regained his former success. Later, it is discovered that Jeni is actually Vetriselvan’s daughter, who was sent to help him achieve his plan. Shiva becomes angry and tries to harm Jeni. However, Jeni explains that she truly loves Shiva and is pregnant again. Vetriselvan tries to convince Shiva to kill Jeni, but he stabs Shiva with a knife.

Suddenly, Shiva wakes up, and it is revealed that the entire story was a dream. Shiva is actually S. J. Suryah, and his wife is Madhu (Nila) from the movie Anbe Aaruyire. She tells him that fans are waiting for a new movie since he has not made one in ten years. Shiva says he got an idea from his dream and needs to decide the ending. The movie ends here.

Production

After the release of Anbe Aaruyire (2005), S. J. Suryah planned to direct a film called Isai, but the project did not move forward. In November 2011, Suryah announced he would restart Isai and take on the roles of producer, director, and music composer. He had already finished writing the new script. He described the film as a musical thriller. Originally, it was intended to be made in both Tamil and Telugu, but it was ultimately made only in Tamil. In August 2012, Suryah explained the film’s story: it follows the rivalry between two music composers. A veteran composer is replaced by a younger competitor, causing the older one to feel jealous. Suryah added that the film’s situations reflect real-life experiences, such as when someone in a leading position is replaced by another person. Initially, the film was produced by Victor Raj Pandian under ASA Productions, which was listed on the first look posters. However, ASA Productions later withdrew from the project, and S. Subbiah of SS Productions took over.

Suryah spent three months choosing the female lead. Over 124 girls from across India auditioned, and the role was given to Sulagna Panigrahi, an actress from Odisha, for her Tamil debut. She was credited as Savithri. Prakash Raj initially agreed to play the antagonist but left the project in January 2013 due to scheduling conflicts. Later that June, Sathyaraj was confirmed as his replacement. Sharad KRG, who previously worked as a marketing head at AGS Cinemas, played the role of Suryah’s business manager. He said his character was very different from his earlier role in Maattrraan (2012). Gibran Osman played an illusionist and shared that he took the role to learn from Suryah.

Suryah planned to include four veteran directors in short roles, including K. Viswanath. Although Viswanath filmed scenes, they were not included in the final version. Later, Vishnuvardhan, A. R. Murugadoss, and Raju Sundaram filmed scenes for the film. Principal filming began in late May. By June 2012, scenes featuring Vishnuvardhan were shot at an information technology park in Tambaram. By late August 2012, the first filming schedule was completed, and the second schedule started at a set built at Binny Mills. A large waterfall set was created for this part. In August 2012, Suryah revealed that a village set was built in Kodaikanal, including 30 houses and a church in Parapatti, one of the highest hills in the area. He explained that the village was part of the story where the main character searches for material for an album called Sound of Nature. The cinematographer, Soundararajan, noted that the location was difficult to access and film. As of December 2013, the film was nearly finished except for one song that remained to be shot. Filming concluded in January 2014.

Themes and influences

The film's story is said to be based on real-life events involving Ilayaraaja and A. R. Rahman, though Suryah, the film's director, denied this claim. He explained that similar situations are common in the music industry, using examples from the Tamil music scene. He mentioned how M. S. Viswanathan gradually gained recognition when K. V. Mahadevan was at the height of his career, followed by Ilayaraaja taking Viswanathan's place, and later A. R. Rahman entering the scene. Suryah stated, "I am a great fan of all four composers, and it would be incorrect to say my film focuses on only two of them." M. Suganth of The Times of India noted a similarity to the American film The Truman Show (1998), writing, "Shiva does not realize that everyone around him is acting out a specific role and begins to question if he is truly losing his mind." Gauthaman Bhaskaran observed that the film's final scene resembles the style of M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense (1999), describing it as "both surprising and shocking."

Soundtrack

The music and background score for the film were created by S. J. Suryah, who made his first appearance as a composer with this movie. The soundtrack album includes eight songs, three of which are instrumentals. The lyrics for the songs were written by Madhan Karky. The album was released in November 2014.

Release

The film was originally planned to be released on 1 May 2014, the same day Suryah's first film, Vaalee (1999), was released. However, the release was delayed. The makers later planned to release the film on 2 October 2014, then on 30 January 2015. It was shown in 300 screens across Chennai and Tamil Nadu, which is the highest number for any film starring S. J. Suryah. The film first aired on television via Sun TV on 12 July 2015.

Isai opened in second place at the Chennai box office but had an average start due to its limited release. In its second weekend, it dropped to fifth place because fewer showings were scheduled due to new films being released. The film was shortened by seven minutes from its original length because of criticism about its long runtime.

M. Suganth of The Times of India gave the film a rating of three out of five, stating, "Isai isn’t as tight a thriller as Vaalee, but despite being too long, it is fairly engaging. The film doesn’t fully come together as a whole, but the scenes show a director with strong control." Suganth noted the film’s ending was "neither natural nor clever," suggesting Suryah avoided resolving plot issues. Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle gave three-and-a-half out of five, saying the screenplay was mostly tight but sometimes predictable. However, she praised the second half of the film, calling it a "brave attempt" by Suryah that kept audiences interested.

Baradwaj Rangan of The Hindu wrote that the story becomes increasingly strange, but the film’s unpredictability keeps viewers engaged. He noted the film shifts between genres, including thriller, melodrama, and horror, and called Suryah’s approach "audacious." S. Saraswathi of Rediff.com gave three stars out of five, mentioning the film’s long runtime and meandering script but praising the music, visuals, and performances.

Rakesh Reddy of Desimartini criticized the film’s three-hour runtime and lack of emotional depth but highlighted the climactic scene as a standout. Gauthaman Bhaskaran of Hindustan Times gave a negative review, stating the film failed to be good because Suryah focused too much on himself and included illogical elements. Ananda Vikatan rated the film 43 out of 100.