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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Agni Sakshi 1982 poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[K. Balachander]]
| writer = K. Balachander
| producer = Rajam Balachander
| starring = [[Sivakumar]]<br />[[Saritha]]
| cinematography = [[B. S. Lokanath]]
| editing = N. R. Kittu
| music = [[M. S. Viswanathan]]
| studio = [[Kavithalayaa Productions]]
| released = {{film date|1982|11|14|df=y}}
| runtime = 153 minutes
| country = India
| language = Tamil
}}

'''''Agni Sakshi''''' ({{translation|With Fire as Witness}}) is a 1982 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[psychological drama]] film directed by [[K. Balachander]], starring [[Sivakumar]] and [[Saritha]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=28 November 1982 |title=அக்னி சாட்சி |url=https://archive.org/download/kalki1982-11-28/kalki1982-11-28.pdf |access-date=16 April 2024 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |pages=1–2 |language=ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> It revolves around a woman with [[schizophrenia]] who has difficulty differentiating fiction from reality.

''Agni Sakshi'' was released on 14 November 1982, and failed commercially. However, Saritha won the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress]].

== Plot ==
Kannamma is an innocent and brilliant woman with classical music and Tamil literacy knowledge as she loves Bharathiyar poems. She has obsessional psychosis, which makes her aggressive whenever she encounters any abuse to women and children. Aravindan runs a dance school and one of the students Anandhi is in love with him - which he doesn't reciprocate.

In one of the Aravindan's show, Kannamma is impressed with his ideology and performance and she expresses her fangirl moment to Aravindan. She frequently shares her poems with Aravindan through letters. Eventually they fall in love and Aravindan expresses his interest to Kannamma's parents. They hide her abnormal behavior from Aravindan and happily accept the proposal. On the other hand, Aravindan's parents are from wealthy family initially and hesitate to accept Kannamma but accept her later after Aravindan's persuasion.

Aravindan's rude mother Sivakami and Kannamma frequently get into fights because of her abnormal behavior. Aravindan is frustrated by both his mother's and Kannamma's behavior. Kannamma gets extremely violent in one such occasion and threatens to kill Sivakami. Aravindan takes Kannamma to a psychiatrist, who says she will get better if people treat her affectionately. Aravindan also inquires her parents about her and learns about her mental history. Left with no choice, Aravindan agrees to divorce her, but drops that plan after he learns that she is pregnant. Upset at this, his parents decide to move to a different home.

Kannamma's thinks she will deliver a girl child, and she hints wanting to kill her fetus to avoid her daughter being abused by the society. Per the psychiatrist's suggestion, Aravindan takes Kannamma on a vacation. They meet Kannamma's childhood friend Thilagam during the trip, who reveals some hints about Kannamma's troubled past.

Thilagam explains Kannama was exposed to Thilagam's drunken father's abusive behavior towards his wife. When Thilagam's mother was pregnant with second child, her father accused her that the child was fathered by someone else. After the delivery of the baby, Thilagam father beats his wife and kills the new born baby by throwing towards the running train, which was witnessed by Kannama and Thilagam. Kannama was mentally affected very badly after this incident.

Aravindan informs the psychiatrist about Kannamma's past, and he suggests convincing Kannama that the baby who was killed by her friend's dad is reentering the world as Kannama's child. She seems to accept this theory and continues with the pregnancy. She meets her ailing mother in law during a hospital visit, who blames Kannamma for her separating her from her own son. Kannamma is extremely disturbed hearing this.

Ultimately, Kannamma dies during childbirth and doctors are unable to diagnose any medical reason for her death. They say it appears as if she did not want to bother Aravindan anymore. Aravindan grieves Kannamma's loss with tries to live for his child.

== Cast ==
*[[Sivakumar]] as Aravindhan<ref name="hindutamil">{{Cite web |date=5 July 2021 |title=திரைப்படச்சோலை 46: அக்னி சாட்சி |url=https://www.hindutamil.in/news/blogs/689632-thiraippada-solai.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210705034312/https://www.hindutamil.in/news/blogs/689632-thiraippada-solai.html |archive-date=5 July 2021 |access-date=12 July 2021 |website=[[Hindu Tamil Thisai]] |language=ta}}</ref>
*[[Saritha]] as Kannamma<ref name="Ramachandran">{{Cite book |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |title=Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography |title-link=Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-01-4342-111-5 |pages=122 |author-link=Naman Ramachandran |orig-date=2012}}</ref>
*[[Swapna (actress)|Swapna]] as Anandhi
*[[Poornam Viswanathan]] as Aravindan's father<ref name="vikatan">{{Cite web |last=கண்ணன் |first=சுரேஷ் |date=7 August 2020 |title=பெண்கள் அவசியம் காண வேண்டும்; ஆண்கள் மிக அவசியமாகக் காண வேண்டும்.. 'அக்னி சாட்சி' செய்த மேஜிக் என்ன? |url=https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/nostalgia-series-revisiting-k-balachander-and-saritha-movie-agni-sakshi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210623042041/https://cinema.vikatan.com/tamil-cinema/nostalgia-series-revisiting-k-balachander-and-saritha-movie-agni-sakshi |archive-date=23 June 2021 |access-date=23 June 2021 |website=[[Ananda Vikatan]] |language=ta}}</ref>
*[[Charuhasan]] as the psychologist<ref name="vikatan" />
*[[K. S. Jayalakshmi]]<ref name="vikatan" />
* Sivakami as Aravindhan's mother

;
;Guest appearances
*[[Rajinikanth]] as himself<ref name="Ramachandran" />
*[[Kamal Haasan]] as himself
*[[Latha Rajinikanth]] as herself<ref name="Ramachandran" />
*[[Seema (actress)|Seema]] as herself

== Production ==
The script of ''Agni Sakshi'' was originally planned with [[Kamal Haasan]] but later changed into female oriented, with Sivakumar and Saritha cast.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Shiva Kumar |first=S. |date=8 August 1982 |title=Saritha takes revenge? |pages=28 |work=[[Mid-Day]] |url=https://twitter.com/sshivu/status/1279380885935017984 |url-status=live |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704115027/https://twitter.com/sshivu/status/1279380885935017984 |archive-date=4 July 2020}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The music was composed by [[M. S. Viswanathan]], with lyrics by [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Agni Satchi (1982) |url=http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/album/T0003146.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131008153405/http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/album/T0003146.html |archive-date=8 October 2013 |access-date=8 October 2013 |website=[[Raaga.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Agnisaatshi Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by M S Viswanathan |url=https://mossymart.com/product/agnisaatshi-tamil-film-lp-vinyl-recod-by-m-s-viswanathan/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712054619/https://mossymart.com/product/agnisaatshi-tamil-film-lp-vinyl-recod-by-m-s-viswanathan/ |archive-date=12 July 2021 |access-date=12 July 2021 |website=Mossymart}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Song !! Singers
|-
| "Aam Bharathi Thamizhukku" || [[Saritha]]
|-
| "Aarambam Adhikarathin" || [[M. S. Viswanathan]], [[Vani Jairam]], [[L. R. Eswari]]
|-
| "Adiye Kannamma" || [[P. Susheela]]
|-
| "Kana Kaanum" || [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]], Saritha
|-
| "Unnai Enakku" || S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
|-
| "Vanakkam Mudhal" || S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela
|}

== Release and reception ==
''Agni Sakshi'' was released on 14 November 1982,<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 November 1982 |title=அக்னி சாட்சி |url=https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP372-6-23-7-28 |access-date=30 May 2024 |work=Anna |pages=7 |language=ta |via=[[Endangered Archives Programme]]}}</ref> on [[Diwali]] day alongside other releases such as ''[[Darling, Darling, Darling]]'', ''[[Valibamey Vaa Vaa]]'', ''[[Kanmani Poonga]]'', ''[[Paritchaikku Neramaachu]]'' and ''[[Adhisayappiravigal]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=சலன் |date=31 October 1982 |title=தலைப்பிலே சில தகவல்கள்! |url=https://archive.org/details/kalki1982-10-31/page/n33/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230416162043/https://archive.org/details/kalki1982-10-31/page/n33/mode/2up |archive-date=16 April 2023 |access-date=16 April 2023 |magazine=[[Kalki (magazine)|Kalki]] |pages=33–34 |language=Ta |via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref> Balumani of ''Anna'' praised the acting of Sivakumar and Saritha and dialogues. He felt it was saddening that Balachander who speaks about independent women choose to portray his lead protagonist as hysterical patient and also noted whether this film will be received by common audience is a huge question but it will be received by class audience.<ref>{{cite news |last=பாலுமணி |date=16 November 1982 |title=அக்னி சாட்சி |url=https://images.eap.bl.uk/EAP372/EAP372_6_23_7_30/4.jp2/full/1000,1321/0/default.jpg |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250608151947/https://images.eap.bl.uk/EAP372/EAP372_6_23_7_30/4.jp2/full/1000,1321/0/default.jpg |archive-date=8 June 2025 |access-date=8 June 2025 |newspaper=Anna |pages=4 |language=ta |via=[[Endangered Archives Programme]]}}</ref> The film failed commercially.<ref name="hindutamil" /> However, Saritha won the [[Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress]].<ref name="vikatan" />
== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb title}}

{{K. Balachander}}
{{Kavithalaya Productions}}
{{TamilNaduStateFilmAwardBestFilm}}

[[Category:1982 Indian films]]
[[Category:1980s psychological drama films]]
[[Category:1982 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:1982 films]]
[[Category:Fiction about schizophrenia]]
[[Category:Films directed by K. Balachander]]
[[Category:Films scored by M. S. Viswanathan]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by K. Balachander]]
[[Category:Indian psychological drama films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]

Agni Sakshi 1982 film - Revision history

XMXHosea83962264 at 05:06, 3 March 2026