# Senthoora Poove (செந்தூரப்பூவே)

**Senthoora Poove** (செந்தூரப்பூவே; also rendered Sendhoora Poove, translated as "Saffron Flower") is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by P. R. Devaraj, starring [Vijayakanth](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijayakanth), Ramki, and Nirosha in the lead roles.<sup>[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10128034/)</sup> It was written and produced by Aabavanan under the banner Tamil Ponni Arts and released on 23 September 1988.<sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> The film was a commercial success, running over 200 days in theaters and grossing more than 25 million (2.5 crore), and it won Vijayakanth his first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 23 September 1988 (India), Tamil language, 165 minutes, UA certificate<sup>[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10128034/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Tamil/movie-details/Sendhoora-Poove/movieshow/71107989.cms)</sup> |
| Director and writer | Directed by P. R. Devaraj; story, screenplay, and dialogue by Aabavanan<sup>[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10128034/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> |
| Lead cast | Vijayakanth as Captain Sundara Pandian, Ramki as Ashok, Nirosha as Ponni<sup>[5](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%87)</sup> |
| Music | Manoj–Gyan; eight songs, with lyrics by Vairamuthu, Pulavar Muthulingam, and Aabavanan<sup>[6](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/1653/senthurapoove/songs)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> |
| Box office | Ran over 200 days and grossed over 25 million (2.5 crore); among the highest-grossing Tamil films of 1988<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup> |
| Award | Vijayakanth's first Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor<sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> |
| Other versions | Dubbed into Telugu as *Sendhoora Puvva*; remade in 1992 as *Mallige Hoove*<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup> |

## Spoilers

### Plot

Ponni is a young widowed woman forced to live with her father and her cruel stepmother, Poonnamma, who mistreats her continually. Ashok, a city dweller, moves to her village and the two fall in love, but they must overcome numerous obstacles before they can be united.<sup>[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10128034/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/madurai/sendhoora-poove/ET00111817)</sup> A third major character, Captain Sundara Pandian (Vijayakanth), is introduced after a flashback sequence and is revealed to suffer from an unusual illness; how he protects the couple forms the core of the story.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/35-years-of-senthoora-poove-special-story-evergreen-classic-love-cum-action-movie-141679)</sup> The film combines the romance between Ramki and Nirosha's characters with action sequences typical of Vijayakanth's roles.<sup>[8](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/35-years-of-senthoora-poove-special-story-evergreen-classic-love-cum-action-movie-141679)</sup>

## Production

The film was produced by Aabavanan together with C. Arunpandian, B. Sakthivel, and K. Vijayakumar, with Aabavanan also writing the story, screenplay, and dialogue.<sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> M. M. Rangaswamy served as director of photography and R. T. Annadurai as editor.<sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> Aabavanan, a graduate of the Madras Film Institute's screenplay and direction program, took the film's title from the first word of a popular song associated with the actress Sridevi.<sup>[9](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/527813-tamil-cinema-history.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup>

The supporting cast included Sripriya, Anandaraj, Vagai Chandrasekar, Charle, Senthil, Vijayalalitha, and C. L. Anandan.<sup>[10](https://letterboxd.com/film/senthoora-poove/)</sup>

## Music

The soundtrack was composed by the duo Manoj–Gyan and contains eight songs.<sup>[6](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/1653/senthurapoove/songs)</sup> The title song, "Sendhoora Poove", was sung by [S. P. Balasubrahmanyam](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-p-balasubrahmanyam) and B. S. Sasirekha with lyrics by Pulavar Muthulingam.<sup>[6](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/1653/senthurapoove/songs)</sup> Other songs include "Kiliye Ilangkiliye" ([Malaysia Vasudevan](https://www.edgepedia.org/malaysia-vasudevan) and [S. P. Sailaja](https://www.edgepedia.org/s-p-sailaja), lyrics by Vairamuthu), "Sothanai Theeravillae" (P. Jayachandran), "Chinna Kannan" (S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. S. Chithra), and "Vaadi Pulla" (Malaysia Vasudevan).<sup>[6](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/1653/senthurapoove/songs)</sup> The songs became popular hits, and the title song in particular is remembered as a chartbuster.<sup>[8](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/35-years-of-senthoora-poove-special-story-evergreen-classic-love-cum-action-movie-141679)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[11](https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/kollywood/saindhavi-recreates-s-janakis-senthoora-poove-magic-619322)</sup> The album was released on 19 December 1988 by Vijay Musicals.<sup>[12](https://music.apple.com/us/album/sendhoora-poove-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1015415434)</sup>

## Reception and legacy

The film completed a run of more than 200 days at the box office and grossed over 25 million (2.5 crore), placing it among the highest-grossing Tamil films released in 1988.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup> Vijayakanth received the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for the film, the first such award of his career.<sup>[2](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)</sup> The climax action sequence, performed with considerable risk, and the film's extensive use of train sequences were singled out in retrospective coverage as its highlights.<sup>[8](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/35-years-of-senthoora-poove-special-story-evergreen-classic-love-cum-action-movie-141679)</sup>

The film made Ramki, who had debuted with *Chinna Poove Mellapesu*, widely popular, and his hairstyle became a favorite among young men of the period.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup> For Nirosha, daughter of the actor [M. R. Radha](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-r-radha) and sister of the actress Radhika, the film brought acceptance among audiences.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup> Ramki and Nirosha, paired romantically in the film, later married in real life.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup>

Following the Tamil original's success, the film was dubbed into Telugu as *Sendhoora Puvva* and remade in 1992 as *Mallige Hoove*.<sup>[3](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)</sup> The title was reused decades later for an unrelated Tamil soap opera broadcast on [Star Vijay](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-vijay) from 2022, about the family of a businessman named Duraisingam.<sup>[13](https://nettv4u.com/about/tamil/tv-serials/senthoora-poove)</sup>

## References

1. [Senthoora Poove (1988), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10128034/)
2. [Sendhoora Poove (1988), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/sendhoora-poove)
3. [Senthoorapoove: 'விஜயகாந்திற்கு முதல் விருது...' 34 ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன் வெளியான 'செந்தூரப்பூவே', ABP Live Tamil (23 September 2022)](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/senthoorapoove-movie-was-released-34-years-ago-on-this-day-75024)
4. [Sendhoora Poove, eTimes / The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/Tamil/movie-details/Sendhoora-Poove/movieshow/71107989.cms)
5. [செந்தூரப்பூவே, தமிழர்விக்கி](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%A8%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%A4%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%82%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%87)
6. [Senthurapoove – Music Tracks, Moviecrow](https://www.moviecrow.com/movie/1653/senthurapoove/songs)
7. [Sendhoora Poove, BookMyShow](https://in.bookmyshow.com/movies/madurai/sendhoora-poove/ET00111817)
8. [35 years of Senthoora Poove, ABP Live Tamil (23 September 2023)](https://tamil.abplive.com/entertainment/35-years-of-senthoora-poove-special-story-evergreen-classic-love-cum-action-movie-141679)
9. [தரமணி 11: சிறப்பு விருந்தினர் மூட்டிய நெருப்பு!, Hindu Tamil Thisai (29 November 2019)](https://www.hindutamil.in/news/supplements/hindu-talkies/527813-tamil-cinema-history.html)
10. [Senthoora Poove (1988), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/senthoora-poove/)
11. [Saindhavi Recreates S Janaki's Senthoora Poove Magic, The Hans India](https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/kollywood/saindhavi-recreates-s-janakis-senthoora-poove-magic-619322)
12. [Sendhoora Poove (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/sendhoora-poove-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/1015415434)
13. [Tamil TV Serial Senthoora Poove, Nettv4u](https://nettv4u.com/about/tamil/tv-serials/senthoora-poove)

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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 before 2000 › Released 1952 to 1991*

*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*

License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license
