''Thirudi'' () is a 2006

Tamil language Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pudu ...

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by K. Shankar. The film stars newcomers Kathir and

Dhanya Mary Varghese Dhanya Mary Varghese is an Indian actress known for her work in the Malayalam cinema and television. She has appeared in over 20 films, the majority of which were in Malayalam. Aside from movies, she has appeared in a number of television show ...

, with Sundar,

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

Rajeev Rājīv (Devanagari: राजीव, Bengali script: রাজীব) is a popular Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan and Nepalese male name, also spelt Rajeev, Rajive, Rajib, Rajeeb, Rajiva and Rajiba. It is said that the lotus flower (''Nelumbo nuc ...

, Ponmaran, Gunasekhar, Kuyili,

Vadivukkarasi Vadivukkarasi is an Indian actress. She made her acting debut in the Tamil film ''Sigappu Rojakkal'' (1978) and has acted in more than 350 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam and 40 television serials in Tamil. Film director A. P. Nag ...

, and Sempuli Jagan playing supporting roles. The film was produced by Mahadevan Ganesh and Usha Venkatramani. It had musical score by Bharani, cinematography by D. Shankar, and editing by S. Satish. The film released on 22 December 2006.

Plot

The film begins with Aravind (Kathir) waiting for someone and then starting to remember his love life. Five years ago, the karateka Aravind, who hailed from

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 ...

, arrived in the village Valliyur to train karate under the guidance of the master Devaram (

). Devaram wanted his students to focus only on training, but Aravind's friend Ravi (Sundar) spent his time romancing with Thamarai's (

) friend Poongavanam (

), and Devaram requested his students to not bring him a bad among the villagers. Ravi then turned against Devaram and started to practice Silambam with Devaram's archenemy Ponmaran (Ponmaran). In the meantime, Aravind and the village belle Thamarai fell in love with each other. Thereafter, Aravind left for Chennai. Before leaving, he promised Thamarai that he will come back to marry her. The local don Mani (Gunasekhar), Thamarai's relative, who was in love with Thamarai, wanted to marry her at any cost. The days passed, and Aravind did not return from Chennai. Thamarai's family then made marriage arrangements for her. Thamarai began to feel worried, and she fell sick both mentally and physically. When Aravind returned to Valliyur, he saw Thamarai in the hospital and challenged Mani to marry Thamarai. Thamarai then told Aravind that she will marry Mani, and she begged him to become a karate champion. During a fight between Aravind and Mani, Thamarai intervened to save Aravind and accidentally killed Mani. Back to the present, Thamarai is released from jail and returns to her village. Ravi and Poongavanam are now a happily married couple. The film ends with the reunion of the lovers.

Cast

*Kathir as Aravind *

as Thamarai (Voice dubbed by Renuka) *Sundar as Ravi *

as Poongavanam *

as Devaram *Ponmaran as Ponmaran *Gunasekhar as Mani * Kuyili as Saroja, Thamarai's mother *

as Thamarai's aunt *Sempuli Jagan as Puli *Venkatesh *Hemanth

Production

S. T. Gunasekaran, a former associate of director Jeeva, made his directorial debut with the romantic film ''Thirudi''. G. V. Films who had gone into the background, after the sudden death of

G. Venkateswaran G. Venkateswaran (died 3 May 2003), popularly known as G.V., was an Indian film producer and chartered accountant. He was the elder brother of director and screenwriter Mani Ratnam and G. Srinivasan. Venkateswaran was the promoter of GV Films, ...

, made his return by producing the film. Newcomers Kathir and Dhanya were chosen to play the lead roles. The film was shot in villages including Valliyur,

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tami ...

and

Nagercoil Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil ("Temple of the Nāgas", or Nagaraja-Temple), is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an ...

. D. Shankar took care of camera works while Bharani scored music for the film. The film director said, "Though the world has become so busy and commercialized these days, there is life, love and warmth still in rural areas. It is the crux of Thirudi".

Soundtrack

The film score and the soundtrack were composed by Bharani. The soundtrack, released in 2006, features 6 tracks with lyrics written by

Na. Muthukumar Nagarajan Muthukumar (12 July 1975 – 14 August 2016) was a Tamil poet, lyricist, and author. Best known for his Tamil language film songs, he received the most Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricist in Tamil and was a two-time recipient of the Nat ...

. A critic stated, "The album has six tracks with a mix of fast rhythms and melodies. Though a few of them remind his earlier tunes, the songs in the album have catchy tunes and simple lyrics".

Reception

A critic said, "Thirudi, is a good entertainer sans violence and vulgarity, with a modern approach and catchy dialogue. Kathir and Tanya make a superb entry with this film. This romantic drama is packed with good humor and a clever screenplay".

References

{{reflist 2006 films 2000s Tamil-language films Indian romance films Films shot in Tirunelveli 2006 directorial debut films 2000s romance films