''Thavamai Thavamirundhu'' () is a 2005 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
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
written and directed by
Cheran. The film stars
Rajkiran
J. Mohideen Abdul Khadar, known by his stage name Rajkiran, is an Indian actor, producer and director, who has acted in more than 30 Tamil films.
Early life
Rajkiran was born as J. Mohideen Abdul Khadar on 16 March 1959 at Keelakarai into a Mu ...
, himself and
Padmapriya
Padmapriya (born Padmalochani; died 16 November 1997) was an Indian actress who worked in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films.
Her first movie was in Telugu, ''Adapillala Tandri'' (1974). In Kannada, she debuted with ''Bangarada Gudi'' ...
with
Saranya
Sanjna (Sanskrit: संज्ञा, IAST: ''Saṃjñā''), also known as Saranyu ( sa, सरन्यू, IAST: ''Saraṇyū''), is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of Surya, the Sun god. She is mentioned in the ''Rigveda'', and also a ...
,
Senthil Kumar
Senthil Kumar (born 18 October 1978), popularly known as Mirchi Senthil is an Indian film and television actor, television presenter, radio jockey and voice actor. He began his career as a radio jockey with the radio station ''Radio Mirchi'' ...
, and
Meenal
Meenal is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Tamil films. She has appeared in Cheran's ''Thavamai Thavamirundhu'', Vetrimaran's '' Aadukalam'', Thangar Bachan's ''Ammavin Kaipesi'' and Bharathiraja's ''Annakodi
''Annakodi'' is a 2013 ...
portraying supporting roles. The music was composed by the duo
Sabesh–Murali
Sabesh–Murali is an Indian music director duo, who have jointly composed for many Tamil films in Chennai, India. Sabesh and Murali are siblings who began their careers working under their brother, the music director Deva, as assistant composer ...
with cinematography by
M. S. Prabhu and editing by
B. Lenin
B. Lenin born as Bhimsingh Lenin is an Indian film editor, writer and director who works in Tamil language, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi language, Hindi films. The son of Tamil film maker A. Bhimsingh, Lenin entered the film industry as an assistan ...
. The film released on 2 December 2005.
The film won the
National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare
The National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare 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 ...
. At 275 minutes, it is the second
longest Indian film by runtime.
Plot
The movie begins with Muthaiah being admitted into the hospital due to a serious head injury. The incident that led to the injury is kept in suspense for the audience.
The story is narrated by Muthaiah's second son Ramalingam, when he comes to visit his father in the hospital. Overcome by emotions, he recollects, along his trip, bits and pieces of memories from his younger days with his father.
The first part of the story is about how Muthaiah, a father in a lower-middle-class family, struggles to raise his children. Muthaiah runs a printing press and works really hard to make ends meet, but he still has to borrow money from the exploitive local moneylenders to give his sons a good education. There is a scene where the children are eagerly expecting their father to return home with gifts during festive season, and the father encounters a setback in the cash flow in his business, and yet seizes an opportunity to make some money by working throughout the night. This scene encapsulates the sacrifices the father makes for the happiness of his sons.
The story then moves to the teenage years of the children, where they find it hard to resist the temptations of the adolescent stage of life. Ramalingam is a good student and gets admitted to an engineering college, where he gradually falls in love with his classmate Vasanthi. Ramalingam finds freedom when he moves from his home to his college residence. When Ramalingam is madly in love with the girl, there is an opportunity for them to have moments of privacy, and they succumb to temptation. This leads to an accidental pregnancy and raises questions about their future. Meanwhile, Ramalingam's brother Ramanathan was married and just had a child. Ramanathan has a misunderstanding with his father and walks out of his parents' home. The main cause of friction within the family is the lack of privacy for Ramanathan and his wife and a lack of freedom for the young couple to run the day-to-day affairs of their family.
Alas, the father expects his sons to help him repay the loans he had to borrow for their education, and they reconcile with each other. During this chaos, Ramalingam is not able to find an opportunity to confess his mistake to his parents. As time runs out, Ramalingam and Vasanthi elope to
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, unable to reveal the truth about the pregnancy to their respective parents and face a very uncertain future. They decide to get married and search for jobs. Ramalingam is unable to find a well-paying job and takes up a job in a printing press as a stop-gap arrangement. He has to console Vasanthi in a few situations when he himself is facing a lot of trials and tribulations. Ramalingam and Vasanthi are a loving couple in spite of being in a poor financial situation.
Vasanthi eventually gives birth to a daughter, but Ramalingam struggles to pay for medical expenses. He calls his former classmate and borrows money from his friend. The friend informs Ramalingam's father about Ramalingam's situation. Muthaiah comes to meet Ramalingam and gives him some cash for the sake of the new born child. He also recalls how he himself faced a cash crunch when Ramalingam was born. Ramalingam and Vasanthi are touched by Muthaiah's gesture and decide to move back to Ramalingam's village to get the support from his family in raising the child. They find acceptance from their parents and are relieved. Slowly, Ramalingam finds a good job and moves up in his career. The family becomes more comfortable, and they move to Madurai. They become very close-knit. Ramalingam is responsible and cares for his parents.
Ramalingam facilitates a family reunion with his brother's family, and they reconcile with each other. Meanwhile, Ramalingam's mother Saradha passes away after many years of happy and satisfying family life with Ramalingam's family. After Saradha's final rites, Muthaiah decides to stay in the village to relive the days that he spent with his deceased wife. Meanwhile, Ramanathan comes to his father to ask for some financial help by selling their family home in the village, and Muthaiah gets upset. While upset, Muthaiah slips and falls into a well. He is treated in the hospital but unfortunately succumbs to his injuries and passes away.
Cast
Soundtrack
The soundtrack album is composed by the musical duo
Sabesh–Murali
Sabesh–Murali is an Indian music director duo, who have jointly composed for many Tamil films in Chennai, India. Sabesh and Murali are siblings who began their careers working under their brother, the music director Deva, as assistant composer ...
.
Release
Critical reception
''Sify'' wrote "Cheran has kept the flag of uncompromised cinema flying and is one of the handful of directors, whose calling card remain his artistry over the medium. Once again its time to rejoice as his latest Thavamai Thavamirundhu is brilliant and appeals as much to the mind as the heart." ''Behindwoods'' wrote "This is a family story that will be liked by all especially the elders. The dialogues are also sentimental and how parents should be treated for whatever they do is highlighted by Cheran".
Box office
* The film grossed $120 million at the box office.
* Initially, the run time was four hours and thirty-five minutes. Exhibitors forced the director to trim the film to accommodate more shows per day.
Awards and nominations
*
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tamil
The Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil (Kollywood) films.
The award was introduced and first given at the 50th South Filmfare Awards in 2003, with ...
– Saranya Ponvannan - Won
*
Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil
The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil ( Kollywood) films.
The award was introduced and first given at the 50th South Filmfare Awards in 2003, with Jay ...
– Rajkiran - Won
* Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor – Tamil - Senthil Kumar - Nominated
*
Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South
The Filmfare Best Female Debut is presented by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for South Indian films.
Recipients
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut - South
Filmfare Awards ...
– Padmapriya - Won
*
National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare
The National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare 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 ...
– ''Thavamai Thavamirundhu'' - Won
*
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film
The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film is given by the Government of Tamil Nadu as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil (Kollywood) films. It includes prizes for three top places.
Key
List of winners
Reference ...
- Third Prize, 2005 - Won
References
External links
*
A review by Chennai Online
{{National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues
2005 films
Indian drama films
Indian family films
Films directed by Cheran
2000s Tamil-language films
Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award winners
2005 drama films