Isai

Isai
Theatrical release poster
Directed byS. J. Suryah
Written byS. J. Suryah
Produced byS. Subbiah
Starring
CinematographySoundararajan
Edited byK. M. Riyas
Music byS. J. Suryah
Production
company
SS Productions
Distributed byAnnai Mary Madha Creations
Release date
  • 30 January 2015 (2015-01-30)
Running time
189 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Budget8 crores
Box office26 crores

Isai (transl.Music) is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language musical thriller film written, directed and composed by S. J. Suryah, who starred himself in the lead role alongside Sathyaraj and Sulagna Panigrahi in her film debut. The film marked Suryah's return to direction after a five-year hiatus since 2010, and also his debut as a music director. 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 materialize. Suryah then revived the project in November 2011, and the film was launched in May 2012. Principal photography commenced the same month 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.