Lee is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language film released on 16 February 2007. The film starred Sibiraj, Prakash Raj and Nila in the lead roles. The film was produced by noted actor and Sibiraj's dad, Sathyaraj and directed by Prabu Solomon. The film was successful at the box office.
Plot
Leelatharan aka Lee hangs out with a bunch of merry youths who do practically any work and play football in other times. It is a strong-willed and thick-tied group. Chellama, a worker in a facility for the mentally-challenged, is also kind of a groupie. Life is all merry and mirth till she espies Lee & co, attempting an assassination of sorts on a minister. The bid fails, but Chellama is shocked and so are we. Why would this bunch want to take a crack at the murky world of politics and cricket? Well, the answer unspools back into a college where Lee and his team are raring to go as footballers and cricketers. They have a committed mentor in Butthiran. Though a coach, he is a friend, philosopher, and guide kind of omnibus figure for the youngsters. Just when the boys are making the right progress, problem erupts in the form of Rangabashyam. He is a scumbag, but also the college principal, and he wants his son to be in this all-conquering team. The coach, with Chappellesque firmness, says no to this and wants to pick his team on merit, but the principal kicks out the team with its coach out of the college itself, so they gravitate towards another college and again start doing well as a team, and when they win a big and prestigious tournament, Rangabashyam throws up a major spanner in the works. He scuttles the rise of Lee and Co., and the stifling is so bad that one member commits suicide, and the team slowly disintegrates. On the other hand, Rangabashyam rises up in the big bad world of politics. He ends up as a minister. The rest of the movie deals with the conflicts between the two.
Veteran actor Satyaraj is producing Lee which stars his son Sibiraj in the lead role. Prabhu Solomon, who had done a racy action in Kokki earlier, is directing the film. Sibiraj plays Leeladharan alias Lee, a professional football player. Nila plays the female lead. Prakash Raj plays the football coach in the movie. Says Sibiraj, "I prepared myself for the role with great difficulty. I ensured that I looked different and changed my mannerism a lot. I grew long hair and beard too." Since Sibiraj plays a footballer, he underwent football coaching at the YMCA every evening. Director Solomon shot a major portion of Lee in the busy roads of Chennai. The movie was shot in the busy roads without the public even being aware of it.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was composed by D. Imman.
Critical reception
Sify wrote "First and foremost the film has nothing to do with football and is another revenge drama. In the end there is a long speech by Lee about how corruption, nepotism have seeped into the game of football in India where cricket rules." Rediff wrote "Lee may revert to the standard masala elements at points, especially with regard to some stunts but it is still different from any other Tamil movie you might have seen off late."
