Thalaivan () is a 1970 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, nati ...

-language

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

, directed by

P. A. Thomas P. A. Thomas (22 March 1922 – 19 January 1995) was an Indian film director, producer, script writer, theater artist and actor in Malayalam movies. He has directed more than 15 movies and produced 11 movies during the 1960s and 1970s. He has ...

. The film stars

M. G. Ramachandran Maruthur Gopalan Ramachandran (17 January 1917 24 December 1987), also popularly known as M.G.R., was an Indian politician, actor, philanthropist, and filmmaker who served as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 until his death in 1987 ...

and

Vanisree Vanisri (born Rathna Kumari) is an Indian actress known for her works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada films. In a film career spanning 40 years, she has received three Filmfare Awards South, the Nandi Awards and the Tamil Nadu Stat ...

, while

M. N. Nambiar Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar (7 March 1919 – 19 November 2008) was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema, known mostly for his villain roles in an eight decade long career. He has also appeared in a few Malayalam films. ...

and S. A. Ashokan portray the antagonists.

Plot

The story begins at the time of the end of the reign of the last kings of India in our days (the 1970s). Sanguili (

) is a man without faith nor law, who extorts, kidnaps, if necessary, which murders and desires for a very long time, the fabulous treasure of the king of neighborhood, ( S. V. Ramadoss). At the time of seizing it, where he fails moreover, he kills the king and puts the blame of this heinous crime on his wife, the queen, then pregnant. All the indications accuse the poor queen, who eventually volatilizes. The only one, Velamma (G. Sakunthala), who could acquit her, is silenced by the threats of Sanguili. Some years passed. Ilango (

MGR M. G. Ramachandran (1917–1987) was the Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. MGR may also refer to: * ManaGeR (MGR), graphical window system * Merry-go-round train, British freight-train design Mgr. is an honorific or abbreviation for: * Manager ...

), a particularly very effective secret agent (grace, among others, in its total control of the yoga and to his knowledge complete of the well done of healing plants, inherited from his father, Moghan Ram (K. Nadarajan (or) K. Nadaraja Iyer), an herbalist of great renown) is sent by his superiors with a mission to stop the actions of Sanguili. A map is in the center of this case, because it indicates the location exact of the famous treasure, so looked for, for years by Sanguili.

Cast

The casting is established according to the original order of the credits of opening of the movie, except those not mentioned.

Production

The film faced numerous production troubles for over 18 months, including financial and call sheet issues.

Soundtrack

The music was composed by

S. M. Subbaiah Naidu Subburayulu Munuswami Subbaiah Naidu (a.k.a. SMS) (15 March 1914 – 26 May 1979) was an Indian composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He was one of the oldest music directors. He worked as an in-house music composer for Central Studios an ...

, while the lyrics were written by Vaali. In his memoir, Vaali wrote that Ramachandran told him, "Unlike for other movies, I had given the most number of call sheets for this movie. More than 18 months had passed: finance problem, call sheet problem, and also a particular lyric you had written when it was recorded on the first day of ‘pooja’ shooting, that turned out to be a bad omen. Vaali, the movie's title is Thalaivan (i.e., leader). You had written a line that Thalaivan hasn't come yet".

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 1477099 1970 films 1970s Tamil-language films