THR India's 25 in 25: Punching Past Limits in 'Sarpatta Parambarai'

Set in the ‘70s, Pa. Ranjith's Sarpatta Parambarai remains one of South Indian cinema’s very best sports dramas, showcasing an intense clash between two boxing clans in northern Chennai set amidst the politically charged backdrop of that era.  

Starring Arya in the lead role as Kabilan —a Dalit labourer who aims to become a champion pugilist — and Pasupathy as his unerring coach Rangan Vaathiyar, Sarpatta Parambarai goes through all the classic hoops of several underdog boxing dramas in the past; the rise, the fall and eventual redemption. But what sets it apart from others in the fray is director Ranjith’s deft screenplay that packs in a host of colourful supporting characters — Dancing Rose, Vembuli and Kevin ‘Daddy’ to mention a few — who have all since become part of Tamil film pop-culture lore.  

Arya in Pa. Ranjith's 'Sarpatta Parambarai'

Drawing inspiration from greats in the sport such as boxers Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson and George Foreman, Ranjith sketches all his characters’ arcs with striking detail, and peppers the several rousing highs and lows in the narrative with references to Ambedkarism, political incidents (namely, Indira Gandhi imposing Emergency) and the working-class culture of that time period.  

Arya gets the role of a lifetime and backs it up both physically and emotionally with a commanding performance, while Pasupathy is his usual imperious self. The film also marked breakthroughs for cast members such as John Kokken, Shabeer Kallarakkal and Dushara Vijayan, while constant Ranjith collaborators Murali G. and composer Santhosh Narayanan are uniformly excellent. 

Though the movie was slated for a theatrical release, the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to plans and the film instead had a streaming premiere; a sequel has been announced since with Arya reprising his role as Kabilan. 

Pa. Ranjith on Making Sarpatta Parambarai 

Director Ranjith vividly remembers the last time he saw his sports drama — it was before the film was released directly on streaming due to the COVID-19 pandemic when theatres were shut down.  

“Before the release, I watched it at the sound studio to check the audio, and then again on a different screen to check the visuals, this time without sound to make some last-minute corrections. That was the last time I watched the film,” he says. When the movie premiered on OTT later, the director says he had to walk away after 15 minutes as he kept imagining how it would have been had it come out in theatres.  

On the sets of Pa. Ranjith's 'Sarpatta Parambarai'

“Even the audience kept telling me that this would have made for an incredible theatrical experience,” he says. “Having said that, the financial situation and uncertainty during the pandemic made it impossible for us to wait any longer, and the streaming release did bring the film global acclaim immediately as fans across the world could watch it.”  

Ranjith admits he even initiated a conversation with the streamer to bring it to the theatres later after the pandemic, but his request was denied. “But perhaps it can happen once that agreement gets done. I have a dream to release it somehow theatrically, just before Sarpatta Parambarai: Round 2 comes out! That would be fantastic.” 

He attributes Sarpatta Parambarai’s legacy to his writing. “When I wrote the film, I tried to keep the world-building and multiple characters as real and rooted as possible apart from keeping the story engaging. This was evident later, when apart from the hero, even all the supporting characters worked wonderfully for the audience, which was a huge lesson for me. Since it was set in the 1970s, there was a lot of work put in to figure out the character design, staging, costumes, language and style of speaking.” 

The director adds that the making of the film during the heights of the pandemic was an unforgettable experience. “We had over 1,000 people on set, and nearly everyone got COVID by the end of it — except Arya and Kalaiyarasan. Groups of people — both from the cast and crew — would randomly fall sick and disappear for a few days, but they would always push their recovery and come back to set as soon as possible. Everyone came through incredibly for me,” he says.