Chennai: Sathayaraj's portrayal of the iconic role of Kattappa in the Baahubali franchise earned him heaps of praise. However, little do people know about the slew of other pivotal roles played by the actor over the years. The character of Amavasai played by him in the Tamil-language action film Amaidhi Padai (1994) ran for more than 25 weeks and was declared a blockbuster.
The film is a political satire about an ambitious and unscrupulous man who becomes a major politician using unethical means, but his illegitimate son is posted as a police inspector in his constituency and vows to stop his father's illegal activities.
Post the interval, the movie takes an interesting turn and the audience begins to feel a freshness that can correlate with the storyline. Amavasai is seen to be leading in the election contest when the results are announced.
Slowly and steadily, Amavasai's mannerisms change drastically- from sitting cross-legged while smoking to how he relents and wishes his son happiness in life. A noteworthy fact is that, before this movie, Sathyaraj had been basking in the glory of a hero but he took a calculated risk to experiment with the portrayal of an anti-hero for the first time.