''Thiruda Thiruda'' () is a 1993 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
-language
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
caper film
The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery.
One of the early defining heist films was ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almo ...
directed by
Mani Ratnam
Gopala Ratnam Subramaniam (born 2 June 1956), known professionally as Mani Ratnam, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema and few Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films. Ratnam has won six ...
written along with
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.**
*
...
. The film stars
Prashanth
Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam ...
,
Anand,
Anu Aggarwal
Anu Aggarwal (born 11 January 1969) is a former Indian model and actress. She is best known for her works in ''Aashiqui'', ''The Cloud Door'' and '' Thiruda Thiruda''.
Early life and background
Anu Aggarwal was born on 11 January 1969 in New De ...
and
Heera Rajagopal
Heera Rajagopal (born 29 December 1971) is a former Indian actress who has appeared in a number of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi language films.
Career
As a military brat, Heera shifted to schools across different states in Indi ...
while
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...
and
Salim Ghouse
Salim Ahmad Ghouse (10 January 1952 – 28 April 2022) was an Indian film, television and theatre actor, theatre director, and martial artist. He has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English films.
Early life
Salim Ghouse was born ...
play supporting roles. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
while the cinematography was handled by
P. C. Sriram
P. C. Sreeram ISC (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the Madras Film Institute. A ...
. In 1994, the film premièred at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
.
It also won the
National Film Award for Best Special Effects
The National Film Award for Best Special Effects is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards ...
.
Plot
Printed Indian currency from the
Reserve Bank of India
The Reserve Bank of India, chiefly known as RBI, is India's central bank and regulatory body responsible for regulation of the Indian banking system. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It is responsible f ...
security press at
Nasik with an estimated value of 1000 crores, is stolen from a train by T. T. Vikram, a gangster and drug dealer living in London. The container is shipped off by Vikram's henchman and is on the move. The access card of the container goes to the possession of pop star Chandralekha, an acquaintance of Vikram.
CBI SP Lakshminarayanan is assigned to track down the stolen currency within the next ten days, on time for the upcoming budget allotment for the fiscal year.
Lakshminarayanan tracks down Chandralekha who tactfully escapes from him and tries to reach Vikram, when she comes across two small time burglars – Kadhir and Azhagu. The duo are on the run from the police after a successful burglary in the countryside. A village belle Rasathi, who tries to escape from her abusive relatives also tags along with the thieving duo. Chandralekha and the trio end up traveling together due to circumstances. When Chandralekha tries to double cross the thieves and escape, they steal her purse containing the access card as revenge. Realizing this, she comes back to them and only then does the duo realize the actual worth of the access card. They all make a plan to pursue the money container somehow, but Vikram tries to chase down and kill all of them to get the card back at any cost.
While on the run from the police and Vikram, they come across the very same truck containing the loot and manage to bring it under their possession. They hide it away from prying eyes with the entirety of the loot still intact inside the container. With Lakshminarayanan and his brigade of CBI officers close at his tail, Vikram stops at nothing to get his loot back, but is outwitted repeatedly by the thieves. Vikram finally manages to find Chandralekha, gets the access card from her and she is left to die in the forest, but is rescued and taken into custody by Lakshminarayanan, who interrogates her and she cooperates with them to find the container.
Meanwhile, Kadhir and Rasathi are mutually attracted to each other but Kadhir sacrifices his love for her after realizing that his best friend Azhagu is also in love with Rasathi. Rasathi, who does not want to continue with this love triangle, opts out and leaves them both, but Vikram captures her. Kadhir and Azhagu, in a bid to save her, point to the location of the currency container and Vikram escapes with the loot on a train, taking Rasathi as a hostage.
Lakshminarayanan finds that the loot is being transported on a train and is in hot pursuit, while Kadhir and Azhagu also get on the train to save Rasathi from Vikram. They save Rasathi together and subdue Vikram, who falls off the train. Azhagu also steals the access card from him. Now that they are finally in possession of the loot, Kadhir and Azhagu playfully argue about who would marry Rasathi and leave the other to manage the loot, each indicating that they are more interested in the money than their love for Rasathi, so she grabs the access card and throws it away and chases them around.
Lakshminarayanan arrives at the nick of time and takes the access card and the currency container back to the Indian government where it actually belongs and finally restores order.
Cast
*
Prashanth
Prashanth Thiagarajan (born 6 April 1973), known professionally as Prashanth, is an Indian actor and businessman, known for his works predominantly in Tamil cinema. Besides Tamil films, he has also appeared in few Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam ...
as Azhagu
*
Anand as Kadhir
*
Anu Aggarwal
Anu Aggarwal (born 11 January 1969) is a former Indian model and actress. She is best known for her works in ''Aashiqui'', ''The Cloud Door'' and '' Thiruda Thiruda''.
Early life and background
Anu Aggarwal was born on 11 January 1969 in New De ...
as Chandralekha (Voice-over by actress
Vaishnavi)
*
Heera Rajagopal
Heera Rajagopal (born 29 December 1971) is a former Indian actress who has appeared in a number of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi language films.
Career
As a military brat, Heera shifted to schools across different states in Indi ...
as Rasathi (Voice-over by actress
Suhasini Maniratnam
Suhasini Maniratnam (born 15 August 1961) known mononymously as Suhasini, is an Indian actress, director, producer and writer in the Tamil film industry. She has worked as an actress in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. She made her ...
)
*
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...
as Lakshmi Narayanan,
SP CBI
*
Salim Ghouse
Salim Ahmad Ghouse (10 January 1952 – 28 April 2022) was an Indian film, television and theatre actor, theatre director, and martial artist. He has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English films.
Early life
Salim Ghouse was born ...
as T. T. Vikram
*
Malaysia Vasudevan
Vasudevan (15 June 1944 – 20 February 2011), known as Malaysia Vasudevan, was a Malaysian-Indian playback singer and actor in Tamil cinema.
Early life
Malaysia Vasudevan's parents were from Palakkad. Chattu Nair of Ottappalam and Amma ...
as Inspector Santhosham
*
S. S. Chandran as Lorry driver
*
Shanmugasundaram
Shanmugasundaram was an Indian actor who has appeared in Tamil films. He began his career as an actor by starring in '' Ratha Thilagam'' (1963) and '' Karnan'' (1964), and continued his career for seven decades. He is also a dubbing artist. He ...
as Chengalvarayan
*
P. C. Ramakrishna
P. C. Ramakrishna is a veteran theatre actor and voice artist based in Chennai, India. He has acted in several plays, such as '' Anna Weiss'', '' Dance Like A Man'', '' The Good Doctor'' and provided voice-overs to numerous advertisements, docume ...
as
Finance Minister of India
The Minister of Finance (Vitta Mantrī ) (or simply, the Finance Minister, short form FM) is the head of the Ministry of Finance of the Government of India. One of the senior offices of the Union Cabinet, the finance minister is responsible for ...
*
Oru Viral Krishna Rao
Oru Viral Krishna Rao was an Indian actor and comedian who appeared in Tamil-language films. A recipient of the state government's Kalaimamani award, Rao got the nickname ''Oru Viral
''Oru Viral'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language mystery fil ...
as Tollgate employee
*
Thalaivasal Vijay
Thalaivasal Vijay is an Indian actor and dubbing artist. He was born on 4 August 1962 in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India. He has acted predominantly in numerous Tamil and Malayalam films.
Career
Vijay's debut film was '' Thalaivaasal'' (1992) ...
as Vijay, Associate of Lakshmi Narayanan
*
Madhan Bob
S. Krishnamoorthy (born 19 October 1953) professionally known as Madhan Bob, is an Indian actor and comedian, appearing in many Tamil films in supporting roles. Madhan Babu is known for his amusing facial expressions, laughter and protruding ey ...
as K. B. S., Associate of Lakshmi Narayanan
*
Ajay Rathnam
Ajay Rathnam is an Indian actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil films and serials. He is known for his supporting and negative roles and has acted in over 300 movies. Standing at 6 ft 4 in (193 cm), Rathnam is one of the tallest actors in ...
as Ashok Chellaiya
*
Kavithalaya Krishnan
T. Krishnan, popularly known as Kavithalayaa Krishnan, is an Indian actor known for playing supporting roles in Tamil film and television. He is a regular artist in many K. Balachander's films and television serials produced by Kavithalayaa Pro ...
as Constable Kaliyaperumal
* Crazy Venkatesh as Horseman
* Pravin as Pravin
*
Dhamu
Dhamu is a retired Indian actor and comedian who mainly acts in Tamil films. He is known for his role as Otteri Nari in ''Ghilli'' (2004). He was a part of Gaana Galata Group, a popular touring and acting comedy troupe. Since then, he has appe ...
as Doss
* Vaani as Pushpavalli
*
Renuka
Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a Hindu goddess worshipped predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and western state of Maharashtra. She is also known as the mother of Parashur ...
as Seethalakshmi
Production
![Egmore Museum building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Egmore_Museum_building.jpeg)
In late 1992, Mani Ratnam chose to make the
caper film
The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery.
One of the early defining heist films was ''The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "almo ...
''Thiruda Thiruda'' as his first directorial venture under his newly set-up production studio,
Aalayam Productions
Aalayam Productions was an Indian film production and distribution company headed by S. Sriram. The firm had been a leading production studio in the Tamil film industry in the 1990s, with director Mani Ratnam also being a partner.
History
S ...
, alongside his co-producer
Sriram
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...
. When writing the script of the film, Mani Ratnam went on a recce with
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television.**
*
...
and both filmmakers spent a few days each fine-tuning each other's scripts. While Varma worked on parts of ''Thiruda Thiruda'', Mani Ratnam helped script Varma's political thriller film, ''
Gaayam
''Gaayam'' () is a 1993 Indian Telugu-language political thriller film, based on the 1980s Vijayawada Gang Warfare. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and story co-written by himself and Mani Ratnam, it stars Jagapathi Babu, Revathi, Urmila Matondka ...
'' (1993). With the script of ''Thiruda Thiruda'', he wanted to attempt the caper genre for the first time and took
Rajasekhar's ''
Vikram'' (1986) and Varma's ''
Kshana Kshanam
''Kshana Kshanam'' () is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language road thriller and heist film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars Venkatesh, Sridevi, Paresh Rawal, and Rami Reddy. The plot follows Satya (Sridevi), a young woman who is ...
'' (1991) as his initial inspirations. He was also inspired by the ongoing financial scandal involving stockbroker
Harshad Mehta
Harshad Shantilal Mehta (29 July 1954 — 31 December 2001) was an Indian stockbroker and a convicted fraudster. Mehta's involvement in the 1992 Indian securities scam made him infamous as a market manipulator.
Of the 27 criminal charges br ...
, which had made Indian national news during early 1992 and chose to adapt his script accordingly. The American film ''
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' (1969) was another influence on ''Thiruda Thiruda''.
J. D. Chakravarthy was initially meant to play the role of Kadhir before
Anand was selected.
Salim Ghouse
Salim Ahmad Ghouse (10 January 1952 – 28 April 2022) was an Indian film, television and theatre actor, theatre director, and martial artist. He has acted in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and English films.
Early life
Salim Ghouse was born ...
, a renowned theatre artist, was roped into play an antagonist. Before finalising
Anu Aggarwal
Anu Aggarwal (born 11 January 1969) is a former Indian model and actress. She is best known for her works in ''Aashiqui'', ''The Cloud Door'' and '' Thiruda Thiruda''.
Early life and background
Anu Aggarwal was born on 11 January 1969 in New De ...
for a role, Mani Ratnam considered
Dimple Kapadia
Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her father ...
but opted against signing her as he wanted to select an actress new to Tamil cinema. Actress
Meena
Meena () is a sub-group of Bhils. They speak Meena language. They started adopting the Brahmin worship system. Its name is also transliterated as ''Meenanda'' or ''Mina''. Historians claim that they belong to the Matsya tribe. They got the st ...
were also approached for role in the film but refused the opportunity due to other commitments
K. V. Anand
Karimanal Venkatesan Anand (30 October 1966 30 April 2021) was an Indian cinematographer, film director and photojournalist, worked mainly in the Tamil film industry. After a short period as a journalist, he became a cinematographer in the e ...
was among
P. C. Sriram
P. C. Sreeram ISC (born 26 January 1956) is an Indian cinematographer and film director who works in Indian films. He is also the president of Qube Cinemas, a digital cinema technology company. He is an alumnus of the Madras Film Institute. A ...
's assistant cinematographers in the film.
Release
''Thiruda Thiruda'' was released on 13 November 1993. Malini Mannath wrote for ''
The Indian Express
''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...
'' on 19 November, "''Thiruda Thiruda'' is a technique conscious film that may seem sparkling and wondrous to the technique crazy cine-goer though it never really takes off after the
interval." The film won the
National Film Award for Best Special Effects
The National Film Award for Best Special Effects is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards ...
and
National Film Award for Best Choreography
The National Film Award for Best Choreography is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several awards p ...
for
Sundaram.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features 8 songs composed by
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967) is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter, popular for his works in Indian cinema; predominantly in Tamil and Hindi films, with occasional forays in int ...
, with lyrics by
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he first ...
. The film's songs are notable for two reasons—the introduction of relatively unknown vocalists into mainstream Tamil playback singing and the extensive use of experimental sounds in South Indian cinema. While vocalist
Annupamaa
Annupamaa is an Indian playback singer from Tamil Nadu. She is known especially for the song " Chandralekha" (Konjam Nilavu) from '' Thiruda Thiruda''. She is also trained in Carnatic music and a 6th grade solo pianist from Trinity College Lo ...
in the
technopop song ''Chandralekha'' and the Chinese singer Caroline in ''Thee Thee'' sang their first mainstream songs, the late singer
Shahul Hameed
Shahul Hameed (Tamil: சாகுல் ஹமீது; 1953-1998) was an Indian playback singer who sang predominantly in Tamil cinema under the music direction of the Academy winner A. R. Rahman. His association with the composer dates b ...
was roped in to sing the
A capella
''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...
number ''Raasathi''. The song ''Veerapandi Kottayile'' became a big hit across South India.
The lyrics for Tamil version was penned by Vairamuthu, while Rajashri and P. K. Mishra penned lyrics for Telugu and Hindi versions.
;Tamil version
;Telugu version
;Hindi version
The song "Kannum Kannum" was also sampled in Hindi as "Kunjam Kunjam Pyar Ki Baatein" for the film album ''Deewana Sanam''. This sampled version has
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...
and
S. Janaki
Sistla Janaki (born 23 April 1938) is an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer from Andhra Pradesh. She is referred to respectfully as "Janaki Amma" and Nightingale of South India. She is one of the best-known playback singers in ...
as the singers and
Nikhil-Vinay as the composer.
Legacy
The song "Kannum Kannum" inspired a 2020 film titled ''
Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal
''Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy caper film written and directed by Desingh Periyasamy. The film stars Dulquer Salmaan, Ritu Varma, Rakshan and Niranjani Ahathian portraying in the lead roles, ...
''. A film with the same name had earlier been planned by
Pandiarajan
Pandiarajan is an Indian actor, director who has played leading roles in many humorous Tamil films and currently plays supporting and comedy roles.
Personal life
Pandiarajan was born to Sulochana in Saidapet, Chennai in a lower-middle-class ...
in 2002, but was later shelved.
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
1993 action comedy films
1990s comedy road movies
1990s crime comedy films
1990s heist films
1990s Tamil-language films
1993 films
Central Bureau of Investigation in fiction
Films about organised crime in India
Films directed by Mani Ratnam
Films featuring a Best Choreography National Film Award-winning choreography
Films scored by A. R. Rahman
Films shot in Karnataka
Films that won the Best Special Effects National Film Award
Indian action comedy films
Indian buddy comedy films
Indian comedy road movies
Indian crime comedy films
Indian heist films