# Sakka Podu Podu Raja (சக்க பொடு பொடு ராஜா) (2017 film)
*Sakka Podu Podu Raja* (சக்க போடு போடு ராஜா) is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film directed by G. L. Sethuraman, produced by V. T. V. Ganesh under the banner VTV Productions, and starring Santhanam, Vaibhavi Shandilya, Vivek, and Sampath Raj.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) • [2](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/19956/tamil/sakka-podu-podu-raja/) Its music was composed by Silambarasan T. R. (STR), in his first score for a film.[3](https://www.moviebuff.com/sakka-podu-podu-raja)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 22 December 2017 (India and Malaysia); 21 December 2017 (United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates)[3](https://www.moviebuff.com/sakka-podu-podu-raja) |
| Director / producer | G. L. Sethuraman (also story, screenplay, and dialogues); VTV Ganesh of VTV Productions[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) • [4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html) |
| Lead cast | Santhanam as Santa, Vaibhavi Shandilya as Yazhini, Vivek as Delhi, Sampath Raj as the gangster Bhavani[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) • [5](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/sakka-podu-podu-raja/umc.cmc.28qfk7sm8ngremx8irzn35j57) |
| Music | Silambarasan (STR), his debut as a film music composer[3](https://www.moviebuff.com/sakka-podu-podu-raja) |
| Runtime and rating | 2 hours 20 minutes (Behindwoods/BookMyShow) or 2h 9m (Rotten Tomatoes); certified U/A by the censor board[6](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/sakka-podu-podu-raja-review.html) • [1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) • [4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html) |
| Reception | Times of India 2.0/5, Behindwoods 1.75/5, India Today 1.5/5; lukewarm opening at the box office[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/sakka-podu-podu-raja/movie-review/62208921.cms) • [8](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/sakka-podu-podu-raja-movie-review-santhanam-film-has-too-many-comedians-making-too-many-dad-jokes-1114800-2017-12-23) |
| Streaming | Available on Prime Video, with a listed streaming date of February 13, 2018[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The film follows Santa (Santhanam), an easygoing young man who helps the sister of a Chennai gangster named Bhavani (Sampath Raj) elope with her lover, earning Bhavani's enmity. Santa then falls in love with a girl (Vaibhavi Shandilya), who turns out to be Bhavani's younger sister, and the story centers on how he wins her family over and deals with the threats her brother poses.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) • [9](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/ET00063718) Per the [BookMyShow](https://www.edgepedia.org/bookmyshow) synopsis, Santa takes the couple to Bengaluru, meets the girl there, and must also contend with another gangster.[9](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/ET00063718)
## Cast and crew
Santhanam, a comedian turned lead actor, plays Santa; Vaibhavi Shandilya plays his love interest Yazhini; Vivek plays Delhi; and V. T. V. Ganesh appears as J. Neelakandan.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) The supporting cast includes Sanjana Singh (Hamsa), Sethu (Saravana), Sharath Lohitashwa (Kasimedu Das), Swaminathan (Santa's uncle), Robo Shankar, Daniel Annie Pope, Papri Ghosh, Narayan Lucky, and Powerstar Srinivasan.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/sakka-podu-podu-raja/umc.cmc.28qfk7sm8ngremx8irzn35j57) • [4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html) • [8](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/sakka-podu-podu-raja-movie-review-santhanam-film-has-too-many-comedians-making-too-many-dad-jokes-1114800-2017-12-23)
**Behind the camera.** Sethuraman handled story, screenplay, dialogues, and direction; Abinandhan Ramanujam was the cinematographer, Anthony the editor, and Diamond Babu the publicist.[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html) The film was distributed by Trident Arts.[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html) Behindwoods lists [Silambarasan](https://www.edgepedia.org/silambarasan) (STR) for both the music and the background score.[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html)
## Music
The soundtrack, composed by Silambarasan, was released in December 2017 and drew a favorable review from the [Behindwoods](https://www.edgepedia.org/behindwoods) review board, which scored the album 2.75/5 and called it "a laudable first album from STR".[6](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/sakka-podu-podu-raja-review.html) Songs included *Kalakku Machaan* (sung by [Anirudh Ravichander](https://www.edgepedia.org/anirudh-ravichander), lyrics by Rokesh), *Kadhal Devathai* ([Yuvan Shankar Raja](https://www.edgepedia.org/yuvan-shankar-raja), lyrics by Vairamuthu), *Unakkaga* (Leon James, Dr. Burn, and Andrea Jeremiah), *Siru Siru* (Keerthana Vaidyanathan and Vasudev Krishna), and *Vaa Munimma* (Usha Rajendar and T. Rajendar, lyrics by Madhan Karky).[6](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/sakka-podu-podu-raja-review.html) The first single was released on October 5, 2017, and the album's audio launch took place on October 14, 2017.[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html)
The film drew attention in part because the producer, [VTV Ganesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/vtv-ganesh), brought in STR to compose the score; the project marked STR's debut as a music director.[10](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/how-is-santhanams-sakka-podu-podu-raja-faring-1116330-2017-12-26)
## Reception
Critics rated the film poorly. The Times of India gave it 2.0/5, writing that it was "a comedy movie with hardly any comedy" and faulting the lack of a proper story despite decent background music.[7](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/sakka-podu-podu-raja/movie-review/62208921.cms) Behindwoods gave 1.75/5, judging the comedies old-fashioned and the screenplay weighed down by "too many commercial and masala compromises", while crediting Abinandhan's visuals and Anthony's cuts as the film's stronger technical elements.[6](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/sakka-podu-podu-raja-review.html) India Today's review scored it 1.5/5, criticizing predictable writing and the treatment of women, but singling out Vaibhavi Shandilya's expressiveness.[8](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/sakka-podu-podu-raja-movie-review-santhanam-film-has-too-many-comedians-making-too-many-dad-jokes-1114800-2017-12-23) Nowrunning aggregated four critic reviews at 2.3/5, including IndiaGlitz's verdict that the film "provides passable entertainment from time to time" for Santhanam fans.[11](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/19956/tamil/sakka-podu-podu-raja/reviews/) On BookMyShow the film holds a 6.6/10 user score from more than 360 votes, and Cinegraph lists an IMDb rating of 4.3.[9](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/ET00063718) • [12](https://cinegraph.org/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja-2017)
**Box office.** The film released on December 22, 2017, alongside the [Sivakarthikeyan](https://www.edgepedia.org/sivakarthikeyan) film *Velaikkaran*, and received a lukewarm response in its first two days.[10](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/how-is-santhanams-sakka-podu-podu-raja-faring-1116330-2017-12-26) A source close to the team told India Today that word of mouth helped the film do well in Trichy, Salem, and surrounding areas, with collections steady in B and C centers and a popular comic track between VTV Ganesh and Vivekh.[10](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/how-is-santhanams-sakka-podu-podu-raja-faring-1116330-2017-12-26) The film was an attempt by Santhanam, then still establishing himself as a lead actor after a comedy career, to present himself as a mass hero.[8](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/sakka-podu-podu-raja-movie-review-santhanam-film-has-too-many-comedians-making-too-many-dad-jokes-1114800-2017-12-23) • [10](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/how-is-santhanams-sakka-podu-podu-raja-faring-1116330-2017-12-26)
## Distribution and availability
Rotten Tomatoes lists Prime Video as the streaming home of the film, with a streaming release date of February 13, 2018; runtime is listed there as 2h 9m, while several Indian sources, including Behindwoods, BookMyShow, and The Times of India, list 2 hours 20 minutes.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja) • [9](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/ET00063718) The film carried different regional certifications, including U/A (India), 12A (Ireland), and P13 (Malaysia).[3](https://www.moviebuff.com/sakka-podu-podu-raja)
## References
1. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/sakka_podu_podu_raja)
2. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja Tamil Movie, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/19956/tamil/sakka-podu-podu-raja/)
3. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja (2017), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/sakka-podu-podu-raja)
4. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja movie wiki, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/index.html)
5. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/sakka-podu-podu-raja/umc.cmc.28qfk7sm8ngremx8irzn35j57)
6. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/sakka-podu-podu-raja-review.html)
7. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja Movie Review {2/5}, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/sakka-podu-podu-raja/movie-review/62208921.cms)
8. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja movie review, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/sakka-podu-podu-raja-movie-review-santhanam-film-has-too-many-comedians-making-too-many-dad-jokes-1114800-2017-12-23)
9. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja (2017), BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja/ET00063718)
10. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja box-office report, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/how-is-santhanams-sakka-podu-podu-raja-faring-1116330-2017-12-26)
11. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja Reviews, Nowrunning](https://www.nowrunning.com/movie/19956/tamil/sakka-podu-podu-raja/reviews/)
12. [Sakka Podu Podu Raja, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/sakka-podu-podu-raja-2017)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2010s › Tamil comedy films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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