Thalapathi

Thalapathi
Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	G. Venkateswaran
Written by	Mani Ratnam
Starring	Rajnikanth Mammooty Arvind Swamy Srividya Shobana Chandrakumar Amrish Puri Bhanupriya Nagesh Chaaru Haasan
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography	Santosh Sivan
Distributed by	G. V. Films
Release date(s)	5 November 1991
Running time	137 mins
Language	Tamil

Thalapathi (Tamil: தளபதி; Hindi: दलपती; English: The Commander) (a.k.a Dhalapathi and Dalapathi) is a 1991 Indian action, drama film directed by Mani Ratnam. This feature film has Rajnikanth and Mammooty in the lead roles while Arvind Swamy, Srividya, Shobana Chandrakumar, Amrish Puri, Bhanupriya, Nagesh, Chaaru Haasan play supporting roles. The theme of the film is based on the friendship between Karna and Duryodhana of the Hindu-epic, Mahabharata. The film's score and soundtrack were composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Cinematography of the film was handled by Santosh Sivan.

Plot

Surya (Rajinikanth), the abandoned child of a fourteen year old unwed mother Kalyani (Srividya), is brought up by a generous lady living in slums. He grows up to become fearless kind-hearted slum king who fights the injustice that takes place in town. These qualities lead him to cross swords with the local don Devarajan (Mammooty). Devarajan's friend is fatally beaten up by Surya, and Deva threatens Surya that he will find himself in a dangerous situation if Deva's friend was laid to rest. Soon as his friend passes away, Surya then gets placed in prison. However, when Deva discovers Ramana's offense, he realises his fault and decides to get Surya released from jail. Surya is surprised to see Deva send his own man to get him out from the jail, and there he tells Surya, Nyayamnu onnu irrukku (there is such a thing called justice). And from that moment, the story turns a thriling turning point with Deva and Surya joining hands. Surya pledges that he has nothing else but his life to give his friend. From then on Deva calls Surya his "Thalapathi" (commander). Both of them virtually rule the town not only with their muscle but also with their sense of justice. But in the eyes of the Government, they are considered as anti-social elements. Arjun (Arvind Swamy), posted as the new District Collector, plans to arrest both Deva and Surya, so that he could put an end to their brutal activities. But his opportunities all goes in vain. In the ensuing struggle between the Collector and Deva/Surya, Surya learns that Arjun's mother, is his mother too. Surya promises his mother that he will not harm Arjun but refuses to leave Deva, whose friendship is more valuable to him than his relationship with his brother. Deva is stunned to learn that Collector and Surya are brothers and admires Surya for not parting with him in spite of discovering his identity. During the process of surrendering to the Collector, assuring him completely stopping their activities, Deva is shot. Surya, in a fit of rage, kills the person who was the cause for Deva's death and surrenders to the Police after performing the final rites of his close associate. The Collector goes to another place on a new posting accompanied by his wife. The mother then changes her mind to stay with her elder son, Surya.

Cast

• Rajinikanth as Surya
• Mammooty as Devarajan
• Arvind Swamy as Arjun
• Shobana Chandrakumar as Subhalakshmi
• Srividya as Kalyani
• Amrish Puri as Kalivardhan
• Bhanupriya as Padma
• Nagesh as Panthulu
• Chaaru Haasan as Sreenivasan
• Geetha as Selvi

Soundtrack

Thalapathi: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The music score that accompanies the film was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The soundtrack features 7 songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Track listing:

1. “Yamunai Aatrile” (1:22) – Mithaali
2. “Rakkama Kaiya Thattu” (7:10) – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Swarnalatha,
3. “Sundari Kannal” (7:14) – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki
4. “Kaattukuyilu” (5:32) – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Yesudas
5. “Putham Puthu Poo” (5:00) – Yesudas, S. Janaki
6. “Chinna Thayaval” (3:23) – S. Janaki
7. “Margazhithan” (2:39) – Chorus

Ilaiyaraaja's composition "Rakkama Kaiya Thattu" from the score was amongst the songs listed in a BBC World Top Ten music poll.^[1]

References

External links

• Thalapathi at the Internet Movie Database