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Isai

2015 Tamil film directed by S. J. Surya

Manuscripts, fine bindings, an engraving plate and preserved performance ephemera
Arts and lettersInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionSep 2, 2026
Entity authorityQ6078447
Source-derived summary

Isai (transl. Music) is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language musical romantic psychological thriller film written, directed and music composed by S. J. Suryah, who starred himself in the lead role alongside Sathyaraj and Sulagna Panigrahi in her Tamil debut. The film marked Suryah's return to direction after a five-year hiatus since 2010, and also his debut as a music composer. The film revolves around the rivalry between Vetriselvan, an established veteran composer and A. K. Shiva, his assistant and an emerging composer in the film industry.

Isai was announced in 2004 with other two projects, but did not materialise. Suryah then revived the project in November 2011. Principal photography commenced in May 2012 and continued till January 2014, despite a brief stalling and production turnaround; filming took place in Chennai and Kodaikanal. The film's cinematography was handled by Soundararajan while editing was done by K. M. Riyas.

After being delayed multiple times, Isai was theatrically released on 30 January 2015. It received generally positive reviews from critics, praising the performances (particularly that of Sathyaraj's), screenplay, direction, cinematography, but was critical of the three-hour length and divided opinions regarding the twist in the climax.

Plot

Vetriselvan (Sathyaraj) is an established and old-fashioned music director who is loved and respected for his works.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Isai” is 2015 Tamil film directed by S. J. Surya. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Isai, Tamil and film, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA productive route into publication, performance and collection histories when the underlying object or edition remains clearly identified. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2015, 2010, 2004, 2011—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 2015. For this dossier, Isai, Tamil and film is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “2015 Tamil film directed by S. J. Surya” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6078447. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2015, 2010, 2004 and 2011.

Critical limits

Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.

Best used for
  • Identifying works and editions
  • Tracing reception history
  • Finding collection records
Verify next

The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Isai”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Isai primary sources, Isai archive and Isai research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Isai”?
  2. Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
  3. Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Isai” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.