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{{short description|1995 film directed by Vasanth}}
{{about||the 1956 film|Aasai (1956 film)}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Aasai poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[Vasanth]]
| writer = Vasanth
| producer = {{Unbulleted list|[[Mani Ratnam]]|[[S. Sriram]]}}
| starring = {{Unbulleted list|[[Ajith Kumar]]|[[Suvaluxmi]]|[[Prakash Raj]]}}
| cinematography = [[Jeeva (director)|Jeeva]]
| editing = {{Unbulleted list|[[B. Lenin]]|[[V. T. Vijayan]]}}
| music = [[Deva (composer)|Deva]]
| distributor = 
| released = {{film date|1995|9|9|df=y}}
| studio = [[Aalayam Productions]]
| runtime = 144 minutes{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2011 |p=174}}
| country = India
| language = Tamil
| budget = 
| gross = {{estimated}} {{INR}}5 [[crore]]{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2011 |p=176}}
}}
'''''Aasai''''' ({{audio|Ta-ஆசை.ogg|pronunciation}}) ({{Translation|Desire}}) is a 1995 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[romantic thriller]] film, written and directed by [[Vasanth]]. The film stars [[Ajith Kumar]], [[Suvaluxmi]] and [[Prakash Raj]], with [[Rohini (actress)|Rohini]], [[Poornam Viswanathan]], [[Nizhalgal Ravi]], and [[Vadivelu]] in supporting roles. It revolves around an [[Major (rank)|army major]] lusting for his sister-in-law, and attempting to ruin her relationship with her lover.

''Aasai'' was produced by [[Mani Ratnam]] and [[S. Sriram]] via [[Aalayam Productions]]. Set and shot in [[Chennai|Madras]] and [[Delhi]], it was photographed by [[Jeeva (director)|Jeeva]] and edited by [[B. Lenin]] and [[V. T. Vijayan]], while [[Deva (composer)|Deva]] composed the music. The film, released on 9 September 1995, became a commercial success and Ajith's first major breakthrough. It won three [[Tamil Nadu State Film Awards]], including [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Vasanth). The film was remade in [[Hindi]] as ''[[Pyaar Zindagi Hai]]'' (2001).

== Plot ==
Saraswathi "Yamuna", the younger daughter of an Orthodox father, comes to [[Chennai|Madras]] for finishing her studies. [[Major (rank)|Major]] Madhavan, the husband of Yamuna's elder sister Ganga, gets infatuated with Yamuna after seeing her photo in a letter sent by her. Meanwhile, Yamuna meets Jeevanantham "Jeeva" in a bus, who gives his ticket to her as she had not taken her own. Later one day, Jeeva decides to express his love to Yamuna by writing in a letter but disposes it after witnessing a boy, who did the same, being beaten up. The letter is found by Yamuna, who realises his love.

One day when they are walking together, Jeeva tries to remove dirt from Yamuna's eyes, and he kisses her. Yamuna is angry with him. Jeeva senses it and gets wet in the rain and gets a cold. Hearing this, Yamuna meets him. Jeeva expresses that she is the only medicine to him, and he needs her. Yamuna promises she will marry him. On Yamuna's birthday, Jeeva jumps into her house and presents her a puppy. One day, fearing that Yamuna's father might not marry him to Yamuna, he decides to marry her in a register office, but Yamuna refuses and Jeeva leaves.

Meanwhile, Madhavan settles his father-in-law's debts and earns his trust. He also pays for connecting a landline to Yamuna's house and talks to her regularly, but Ganga is unaware of this. One day, Ganga finds it, and starts to realise his true identity. Madhavan then expresses his love affair on Yamuna to his wife. This makes her so upset that she attempts to go and live with her father and Yamuna. Madhavan imprisons her in home, and one day he tells her she can go to her father's house by flight, and tricks her by making her drink a glass of milk laced with sleeping pills, as a result of which she falls unconscious. Madhavan then murders Ganga by suffocating her to death with a polythene cover and tying it around her head by his shoelace, and lies to everyone that she died from heart attack. He then makes Yamuna and her father stay with him in [[Delhi]] to look after his baby, but he has other plans.

Jeeva comes to Delhi. One day he sees Yamuna, who ignores him. Later he sees her carrying the puppy and tells why she needs the puppy when she does not need him. Yamuna leaves the puppy in the middle of the road. Later that night, Yamuna comes to take the puppy in the rain. Jeeva sees this and realises she really loves him. Two months later, Yamuna's father decides to get her married to Jeeva; Madhavan decides to stop the marriage. Yamuna's family meets Jeeva in a restaurant. While Jeeva was talking to Madhavan, he takes advantage of a careless [[Sikhs|Sikh]] and dashes against him, causing Jeeva to lose his balance as well. In the melee, Madhavan steals Jeeva's purse. When Jeeva senses his purse missing, he confronts the Sikh and humiliates himself, exactly as Madhavan anticipated. Later, he suspects Madhavan and wants to frisk him. This angers Yamuna's father as he blindly believes Madhavan.

Madhavan later gives Jeeva's flight ticket and wants to send him to Madras, but Jeeva fools Madhavan by tearing the ticket and spending the day with Yamuna. Enraged, Madhavan drenches his baby in the rain and calls Yamuna to look for it. Later, Madhavan arranges for some men to pour liquor into Jeeva's mouth and lay him in the middle of the road. Madhavan makes Yamuna and her father believe Jeeva is a drunkard. The father boasts that he has the divine gift to discern good versus bad people upon sight; with that "gift", he declares Jeeva a bad person. Meanwhile, Jeeva complains to [[Lieutenant colonel|Lt. Col]] Hariharan, a friend of Madhavan, who does not believe him. Later when celebrating [[Holi]], Madhavan asks Jeeva the puppy. Jeeva gives it, but Madhavan kills the puppy and frames Jeeva. An argument ensues between them; Madhavan tries to kill Jeeva with a rod, but stops when Yamuna pleads with him.

Hariharan eventually realises the truth about Madhavan and tells him to stop. Instead, Madhavan kills Hariharan, staging it as a car accident. Madhavan plants narcotics in Jeeva's pillows and tips off the police, leading to Jeeva's arrest. While meeting Jeeva in prison, Madhavan boastfully reveals the truth to Jeeva; how he killed Ganga to get Yamuna. Yamuna overhears this and informs her father. Her father wails in agony for his murdered older daughter and his folly and poor judgement. They plan to escape, but Madhavan arrives, knocks out Yamuna's father, and holds Yamuna prisoner in his house. Jeeva escapes from prison and arrives there. A fight ensues between Madhavan and Jeeva in which Jeeva triumphs. Yamuna and Jeeva take the baby to the hospital as it fainted. Yamuna's father locks the doors, opens the gas cylinder, and lights a matchstick, causing an explosion that kills him and Madhavan. Jeeva is exonerated and unites with Yamuna and the baby.

== Cast ==
{{cast listing|
* [[Ajith Kumar]] as Jeevanantham "Jeeva"
* [[Suvaluxmi]] as Saraswathi (Yamuna)
* [[Prakash Raj]] as [[Major (rank)|Major]] Madhavan
* [[Rohini (actress)|Rohini]] as Ganga
* [[Poornam Viswanathan]] as Yamuna's father
* [[Nizhalgal Ravi]] as [[Lieutenant colonel|Lt. Col]] Hariharan
* [[Vadivelu]] as Jeeva's friend
* [[Pooja Batra]] (special appearance in the song "Shock Adikuthu Sona")
* Veeraraghavan as a friend of Yamuna's father
* [[Bayilvan Ranganathan]] as an army officer
* [[Dhamu]] as Jeeva's friend
* [[Mahanadi Shankar]] as a moneylender
* Daljit Singh as the [[sardar]]
* [[Anand Krishnamoorthi|Kutty Anand]] (special appearance in the song "Shock Adikuthu Sona")
* [[S. J. Suryah]] as an auto driver (uncredited)<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 December 2023 |title=When SJ Suryah Had A Brief Role In Ajith-starrer 1995 Film Aasai |url=https://www.news18.com/movies/when-sj-suryah-had-a-brief-role-in-ajith-starrer-1995-film-aasai-8709633.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260106151426/https://www.news18.com/movies/when-sj-suryah-had-a-brief-role-in-ajith-starrer-1995-film-aasai-8709633.html |archive-date=6 January 2026 |access-date=21 July 2025 |work=[[News18]]}}</ref>
}}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
[[Vasanth]] wanted to make a "family thriller" with a powerful villain not usually seen in Tamil films; the story of ''Aasai'' evolved from this.<ref name="Kalki interview" /> ''Poovellam Kettupaar'', ''Deva'' and ''Kanne'' were the working titles during the film's production but Vasanth chose ''Aasai'' as the title because it was about both the protagonist and antagonist.<ref name="to" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=23 October 1994 |title=பானுப்ரியாவின் 'கப்சிப்'! |trans-title=Bhanupriya's silence! |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1994-10-23/page/n7/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230223064217/https://archive.org/details/kalki1994-10-23/page/n7/mode/2up |archive-date=23 February 2023 |access-date=11 February 2023 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |page=6 |language=Ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> In creating the antagonist, Vasanth took inspiration from [[Rajinikanth]]'s character from ''[[Avargal]]'' (1977) and [[Vijayan (actor)|Vijayan]]'s character in ''[[Uthiripookkal]]'' (1979).<ref name="Kalki interview" /> The film was produced by [[Mani Ratnam]] and [[S. Sriram]] via [[Aalayam Productions]]. Cinematography was handled by [[Jeeva (director)|Jeeva]], and editing by [[B. Lenin]] and [[V. T. Vijayan]].{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2011 |p=174}}

=== Casting ===
The lead role of Jeevanantham was initially offered by Vasanth to actor [[Sivakumar]]'s son Saravanan (later known as [[Suriya]]), to make his debut but he declined, citing a lack of interest in an acting career.<ref name="to" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Pillai |first=Sreedhar |date=24 July 2002 |title=A chip off the old block |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-chip-off-the-old-block/article28376408.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104121035/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/a-chip-off-the-old-block/article28376408.ece |archive-date=4 November 2019 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> [[Ajith Kumar]] was instead cast after Vasanth and co-producer S. Sriram saw him in a ''[[dhoti]]'' advertisement on [[Doordarshan]].<ref name="to" /> Actor [[Suresh (actor, born 1963)|Suresh]] dubbed Ajith's voice.<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=315100913608036353 |user=sureshactor |title=Yes :) |author=Suresh |author-link=Suresh (actor, born 1963) |date=22 March 2013 |access-date=28 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230223052749/https://twitter.com/sureshactor/status/315100913608036353 |archive-date=23 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Suresh |date=28 March 2020 |title=ஆசை படத்தில் அஜித்திற்கு குரல் கொடுத்தது யார் தெரியுமா.? அதுவும் பிரபல நடிகராம் |trans-title=Do you know who dubbed the voice for Ajith in the film ''Aasai''? He too is a famous actor |url=https://www.tamil360newz.com/aasai-movie-ajith-dubbing-famous-actor-37856-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20260106152140/https://www.tamil360newz.com/aasai-movie-ajith-dubbing-famous-actor-37856-2/ |archive-date=6 January 2026 |access-date=6 January 2026 |website=Tamil360newz |language=ta}}</ref> For the antagonist [[Major (rank)|Major]] Madhavan, Vasanth considered [[Manoj K. Jayan]] as one of the actors but he felt the role needed someone else, he chose [[Prakash Raj]] after he was recommended by his mentor [[K. Balachander]].<ref name="Kalki interview" /><ref name="to" /> Vasanth cast [[Suvaluxmi]] as Saraswathi / Yamuna after seeing her performance in the [[Bengali language|Bengali]] film ''[[The Broken Journey|Uttoran]]'' and he wanted "someone who had an innocent face and could make the audience believe the gullibility of the character". Vasanth based Yamuna's father, played by [[Poornam Viswanathan]], on his own father who had a tendency to trust the wrong people.<ref name="to" /> [[Film News Anandan]] filmed scenes which did not make the final cut.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Srinivas Chari |first=T.K. |date=16-30 June 2011 |title=The film photographer |url=http://vijeejournalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/latest-issue.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605114658/http://vijeejournalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/latest-issue.pdf |archive-date=5 June 2019 |access-date=23 February 2023 |work=[[Madras Musings]] |pages=8}}</ref>

=== Filming ===
Vasanth chose the Delhi backdrop because Prakash Raj's character had to be "far away from the heroine's place" and the team shot in the early mornings during their Delhi schedule as the director was "obsessive about onlookers not being part of the frame".<ref name="to" /> The film's military parade scene was filmed at the Madras branch of the [[Officers Training Academy]] after giving an assurance that the character of Madhavan had a "blemishless professional record".<ref name="to" />

== Soundtrack ==
The music was composed by [[Deva (composer)|Deva]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Aasai (1995) |url=https://mio.to/album/Aasai+%281995%29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911143655/http://mio.to/album/Aasai+(1995) |archive-date=11 September 2018 |access-date=19 January 2022 |website=Music India Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Aasai |url=https://avdigital.in/products/aasai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530055107/https://avdigital.in/products/aasai |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=30 May 2023 |website=AVDigital}}</ref> He was chosen to compose the music because the director and composer had previously collaborated on Doordarshan shows. To get the right music, Deva and Vasanth had pre-recording sessions to finalise the orchestration and sound of the songs. [[U. Srinivas]] played the [[mandolin]] portions in the song "Pulveli Pulveli".<ref name="to" /> The song "Meenamma" is based on "[[Mama (Genesis song)|Mama]]" by the British band [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]], and "Thiloththama" is inspired by the Israeli singer [[Ofra Haza]]'s version of "[[Galbi (song)|Galbi]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last=S |first=Karthik |author-link=Karthik Srinivasan |title=Deva [Tamil] |url=https://www.itwofs.com/tamil-deva.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130025010/http://itwofs.com/tamil-deva.html |archive-date=30 January 2022 |access-date=20 August 2024 |website=[[ItwoFS]]}}</ref>

{{Track listing
| headline = Track listing
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| total_length = 35:10
| title1 = Konja Naal Poru Thalaivaa
| lyrics1 = [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]
| extra1 = [[Hariharan (singer)|Hariharan]]
| length1 = 5:10
| title2 = Meenamma
| lyrics2 = Vaali
| extra2 = [[P. Unnikrishnan]], [[Anuradha Sriram]]
| length2 = 5:32
| title3 = Shock Adikuthu Sona
| lyrics3 = Vaali
| extra3 = [[Suresh Peters]], [[G. V. Prakash Kumar]]
| length3 = 5:42
| title4 = Pulveli Pulveli
| lyrics4 = [[Vairamuthu]]
| extra4 = [[K. S. Chithra]], P. Unnikrishnan
| length4 = 6:26
| title5 = Pulveli Pulveli
| note5 = male
| lyrics5 = Vairamuthu
| extra5 = P. Unnikrishnan
| length5 = 6:36
| title6 = Thiloththama
| lyrics6 = Vairamuthu
| extra6 = [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]], [[Swarnalatha]]
| length6 = 5:44
}}

== Release and reception ==
''Aasai'' was released on 9 September 1995.{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2011 |p=174}} ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'', in a review dated 1 October 1995, rated the film 41 out of 100, with particular praise for Prakash Raj's performance and Deva's music.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=1 October 1995 |title=ஆசை |url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/kollywood/aasai-vikatan-review-1995 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20230223050257/https://cinema.vikatan.com/kollywood/aasai-vikatan-review-1995 |archive-date=23 February 2023 |access-date=23 February 2023 |magazine=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |language=ta}}</ref> R. P. R. of ''[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]]'' wrote without any [[Amman]] dance, mother, father sentiment, action, lengthy dialogue, here comes a film after a long time that that sticks in the mind forever; the plot had an opportunity to turn vulgar, but the cursed things were deftly avoided as the director is completely focused on the finesse of carving out the characters.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=ஆர். பி. ஆர். |date=1 October 1995 |title=ஆசை |url=https://ibb.co/XpxvXZW |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530054710/https://ibb.co/XpxvXZW |archive-date=30 May 2023 |access-date=30 May 2023 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |page=1 |language=Ta}}</ref> D. S. Ramanujam of ''[[The Hindu]]'' wrote, "The movie has the mould of a foreign film and the situations the director has webbed, prolong the suspense and tension in the right dosage to the end."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramanujam |first=D. S. |date=22 September 1995 |title=Aasai |url=http://www.webpage.com/hindu/950923/03/2226a.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961222074850/http://www.webpage.com/hindu/950923/03/2226a.html |archive-date=22 December 1996 |access-date=7 July 2023 |work=[[The Hindu]] |pages=26}}</ref> The film became a major success and Ajith's first major breakthrough.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 July 1999 |title='Thanks to my relationship, I've stopped trusting people' |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/jul/06ajit.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510080114/http://www.rediff.com/movies/1999/jul/06ajit.htm |archive-date=10 May 2011 |access-date=17 December 2011 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamath |first=Sudhish |author-link=Sudhish Kamath |date=1 December 2001 |title=Realistic film-making |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/realistic-film-making/article27989214.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211012094757/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/realistic-film-making/article27989214.ece |archive-date=12 October 2021 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rajitha |date=4 April 1997 |title=The Star Next Door |url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/apr/04ajit.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074534/http://www.rediff.com/movies/apr/04ajit.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=17 December 2011 |website=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> It went on to win in three categories at the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Awards]]: [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Director|Best Director]] (Vasanth), [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Music Director|Best Music Director]] (Deva) and [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer|Best Male Playback Singer]] (Hariharan).{{Sfn |Dhananjayan |2011 |p=176}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=TAMIL CINEMA. I997-- YEAR HIGHLIGHTS |url=http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/highlights/1997/1997high.htm#awards |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105224113/http://www.dinakaran.com/cinema/english/highlights/1997/1997high.htm#awards |archive-date=5 January 2009 |access-date=11 August 2009 |website=[[Dinakaran]]}}</ref> The film was later remade in [[Hindi]] as ''[[Pyaar Zindagi Hai]]'' (2001).<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 April 2021 |title=Aasai to Viswasam: Five box-office blockbusters box office hits of Thala Ajith |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment-news/tamil/article/aasai-to-viswasam-five-blockbuster-box-office-hits-of-thala-ajith/739542 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602060040/https://www.timesnownews.com/entertainment-news/tamil/article/aasai-to-viswasam-five-blockbuster-box-office-hits-of-thala-ajith/739542 |archive-date=2 June 2021 |access-date=2 June 2021 |website=[[Times Now]]}}</ref>

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="Kalki interview">{{Cite magazine |date=1 October 1995 |title=ஆசை {{!}} நிறைவேறியது எப்படி? |trans-title=Aasai {{!}} How was it fulfilled? |url=https://archive.org/download/kalki1995-10-01/kalki1995-10-01.pdf |access-date=3 July 2024 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |pages=49–50 |language=ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>
<ref name="to">{{Cite news |date=8 September 2020 |title=#25YearsOfAasai: For Aasai, I wanted another Arvind Swami, and I found Ajith: Vasanth |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/25yearsofaasai-for-aasai-i-wanted-another-arvind-swami-and-i-found-ajith-vasanth/articleshow/77986763.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908082558/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movies/news/25yearsofaasai-for-aasai-i-wanted-another-arvind-swami-and-i-found-ajith-vasanth/articleshow/77986763.cms |archive-date=8 September 2020 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=[[The Times of India]]}}</ref>
</references>

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |last=Dhananjayan |first=G. |author-link=G. Dhananjayan |title=The Best of Tamil Cinema, 1931 to 2010: 1977–2010 |publisher=Galatta Media |year=2011 |oclc=733724281}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
{{Vasanth}}
{{Madras Talkies}}

[[Category:1990s romantic thriller films]]
[[Category:1995 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:1995 films]]
[[Category:1995 Indian films]]
[[Category:Films about animal cruelty]]
[[Category:Films about murder–suicide]]
[[Category:Films about prison escapes]]
[[Category:Films about uxoricide]]
[[Category:Films directed by Vasanth]]
[[Category:Films produced by Mani Ratnam]]
[[Category:Films scored by Deva (composer)]]
[[Category:Films set in Chennai]]
[[Category:Films set in Delhi]]
[[Category:Films shot in Chennai]]
[[Category:Films shot in Delhi]]
[[Category:Indian romantic thriller films]]
[[Category:Tamil films remade in other languages]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language romantic thriller films]]

Aasai - Revision history

MerryHarris567 at 17:53, 23 March 2026