The location has been graced by the likes of Vijay, Dhanush, and even Mohanlal.
There have been several instances when the beautiful backdrop added to the success of the film. One such location is Samanar Hills located in Keelakuyilkudi village.
Samanar Hills, situated in Keelakuyilkudi village, Tamil Nadu, is a favoured location for filmmakers seeking picturesque settings for their movies. This scenic locale has graced the screens in three Tamil films, enhancing their visual appeal and contributing to their success.
Jigarthanda
In 2014, Karthik Subbaraj wrote and directed a black comedy crime film featuring Siddharth, Bobby Simha, and Lakshmi Menon. Santhosh Narayanan provided the music, while Gavemic U Ary handled the cinematography. A notable scene in the film was shot by a pond, where Siddharth presented a lotus flower to Lakshmi Menon.
Jagame Thandhiram
Karthik Subbaraj’s directorial Jagame Thandiram featured prominent actors including Dhanush, James Cosmo, Joju George, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Kalaiyarasan. With music composed by Santhosh Narayanan, the cinematography of the film is handled by Shreyaas Krishna. Produced jointly by S Sashikanth and Chakravarthy Ramachandra, the film revolves around a nomadic gangster. In the movie Jagame Thandiram, a temple dance scene was witnessed and next to this temple, there’s a mountain reminiscent of Jain architecture. It resembles Dhanush, and people are seated nearby interacting with each other.
Jilla
Jilla featured Mohanlal, Vijay, and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead roles. Directed by RT Neason, the film was released in 2014. The film was produced by RB Choudary. D. Imman has given the music for the film while R Ganesh handled the cinematography.
Next to the temple’s pond, there are two large banyan trees. Under one of these banyan trees, an iconic scene from Vijay’s movie Jilla was filmed.
Samanar Hills is situated in the village of Keelakuyilkudi, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) from Madurai in Tamil Nadu. This hill has earned the status of a protected monument under the oversight of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Samanar Malai is adorned with numerous inscriptions in Tamil-Brahmi script, stone beds, and sculptures, all of which serve as historical evidence of the significant presence of Jainism in the ancient Tamil region.
