''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' () 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, nativ ...
-language
road film
A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...
written and directed by
A. P. Nagarajan. Inspired by the 1969 film ''
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
''If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' is a 1969 American DeLuxe Color romantic comedy film made by Wolper Pictures and released by United Artists. It was directed by Mel Stuart, was filmed on location throughout Europe, and features many came ...
'', it features an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
consisting of
Sivakumar
Palaniswamy, better known by his stage name Sivakumar (born 27 October 1941), is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television. He made his actin ...
,
Kumari Padmini
Kumari Padmini (Tamil: குமாரி பத்மினி), born as Padmini (died 1980), was an actress who was active in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam industry during the 1960s and 70s.
Bio
Kumari Padmini acted mainly in Tamil films. She ...
,
Rama Prabha
Rama Prabha is an Indian actress who performs in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. She has acted in more than 1,400 films and is credited as a character artist who shared screen space with superstars across all generation of South Indian Cinema ...
,
Shylashri
Shylashri is an Indian actress who acted in Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam cinema. She was awarded the Rajyotsava Award in 2019 for her contributions to Kannada Cinema.
Shylashri is known to be one of 3 daughters of a classical musician, Veena G ...
,
Manorama,
Sirkazhi Govindarajan
Sirkazhi Govindarajan (19 January 1933 – 24 March 1988) was an Indian Tamil Carnatic vocalist and a leading playback singer of Indian cinema.
Early life
Govindarajan, was born on 19 January 1933 at Sirkazhi (a small town in present day May ...
and
Suruli Rajan
Suruli Rajan was a Tamil film comedian/character artiste. He was a recipient of Tamil Nadu State Government's Best Comedian Award for the year 1981–82.
Biography
Suruli Rajan was born in 1938 in Periyakulam, near Theni. His father ''Ponnai ...
. The film focuses on a group of passengers who embark on a pilgrimage across South India. It was commercially successful, and won three
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
.
Plot
Ten to twelve families from different walks of life, different age groups and different languages unite for a pilgrimage, beginning with
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
and going as far as
Kanyakumari
Kanniyakumari (; , referring to Devi Kanya Kumari), also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland Ind ...
.
Cast
;Actors
*
Sivakumar
Palaniswamy, better known by his stage name Sivakumar (born 27 October 1941), is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has portrayed a wide range of leading and supporting roles onscreen in Tamil cinema and television. He made his actin ...
as Sekhar
*
Sirkazhi Govindarajan
Sirkazhi Govindarajan (19 January 1933 – 24 March 1988) was an Indian Tamil Carnatic vocalist and a leading playback singer of Indian cinema.
Early life
Govindarajan, was born on 19 January 1933 at Sirkazhi (a small town in present day May ...
as Siva Chidambara Bhagvathar
*
Suruli Rajan
Suruli Rajan was a Tamil film comedian/character artiste. He was a recipient of Tamil Nadu State Government's Best Comedian Award for the year 1981–82.
Biography
Suruli Rajan was born in 1938 in Periyakulam, near Theni. His father ''Ponnai ...
as Mannaru
*
K. D. Santhanam as Chokkalingam
*
Typist Gopu
Gopalarathnam, known by his stage name Typist Gopu, was an Indian actor known for comedy and supporting roles. He acted in over 600 stage plays and 400 films.
Career
A native of Manakkal, Lalgudi in Trichy district, Gopalarathnam was active ...
as Velu
*
Gopalakrishnan as Prohit
*
Master Prabhakar
Master Prabhakar, (born Prabhakar vaishyan) is an Indian actor, who primarily worked in Tamil cinema, and few Telugu films and acted in about 60 programmes for Doordarshan, between 1977 and 1987 and as a technician he has worked for few Bolly ...
as Ramani
*
A. K. Veerasami
A. K. Veerasamy was an Indian actor who acted in over 500 films in the Tamil language, in supporting and minor roles. One verse that he spoke of in the Mudhal Mariyadhai film, "''Enakku Oru Unmai Therinchavunum"'' dialogue is still far from ...
*
A. Sasikumar as Mohan
* Chandran Babu as Kumar
*
Haranath
;Actresses
*
Kumari Padmini
Kumari Padmini (Tamil: குமாரி பத்மினி), born as Padmini (died 1980), was an actress who was active in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam industry during the 1960s and 70s.
Bio
Kumari Padmini acted mainly in Tamil films. She ...
as Geetha
*
Rama Prabha
Rama Prabha is an Indian actress who performs in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. She has acted in more than 1,400 films and is credited as a character artist who shared screen space with superstars across all generation of South Indian Cinema ...
as Saroja Mohan
*
A. Sakunthala
Arunachalam. Sakunthala (C. I. D. Sakunthala) is an Indian actress. She has filled roles as a Heroine, Item number Dancer, and Villainess in over 600 Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The first movie in which she performed as an act ...
as Lalitha
*
Manorama as Muniyamma
*
Gandhimathi
Ganthimathi (30 August 1940 – 9 September 2011) was a Tamil stage and film actress. She acted in over 500 films.
Early life
Kanthimathi was born in Manamadurai in the then Ramanathapuram district of India. She started acting in dramas and ...
as Ramani's Grandmother
*
Shylashri
Shylashri is an Indian actress who acted in Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam cinema. She was awarded the Rajyotsava Award in 2019 for her contributions to Kannada Cinema.
Shylashri is known to be one of 3 daughters of a classical musician, Veena G ...
* Vasantha
* Nalina
*
Usharani
Usharani (29 May 1958 – 20 June 2020) was an Indian actress who acted mainly in Malayalam films.
Personal life
Usharani married Malayalam movie director N. Sankaran Nair in 1977.
Filmography
Tamil
* Thirumalai Thenkumari (1970)
* Kala ...
* P. Seethalakshmi as Rajeswari
*
S. N. Parvathy
S. N. Parvathy is an Indian actress who appears in supporting roles in Tamil films and serials. She often plays roles of a mother in films. She has worked in popular movies like ''Anubavi Raja Anubavi'', ''Pasi'', '' Palaivana Solai'', ''Agaya ...
*
Nirmalamma
Nirmalamma (18 July 1920 – 19 February 2009) was an Indian actress in the Telugu cinema. She has acted in more than 800 films. She was well known for her grandmother roles in several films.She won two Nandi Awards.
Early life
She was born in ...
Production
''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' was among the earliest
road films
A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienat ...
in
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood' ...
, and took inspiration from the 1969 film ''
If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
''If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' is a 1969 American DeLuxe Color romantic comedy film made by Wolper Pictures and released by United Artists. It was directed by Mel Stuart, was filmed on location throughout Europe, and features many came ...
''. Unlike the original, it was given a "religious twist", with its premise focusing on a group of passengers who embark on a pilgrimage across South India, visiting places like
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Tirupati district. The city is home to the important Hindu shrine of Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and other historic temples and is refe ...
and
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
. The film was actually shot in the places depicted onscreen, as opposed to using sets.
Since it was previously believed in the
Tamil film industry
Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...
that writer-director
A. P. Nagarajan's films were successful only because of their star cast and "mammoth" scales, rather than his directorial skills, he made this film, which featured mostly newcomers, to silence his critics. Cinematography was handled by W. R. Subba Rao,
the art direction by Ganga, and the editing by T. Vijayarangam.
The film, which was produced by C. Paramasivan under the banner Sree Vijayalakshmi Pictures, was completed within a month.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film was composed by
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (2 March 1935 – 8 September 2008) was an Indian classical music violinist and music composer.
Early life
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was born on 2 March 1935 and was trained by his father, Ramaswamy Sastry. He was the brother ...
. He based the song "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" on the
Suprabhatam. The song "Madhurai Arasaalum" is set in the
carnatic raga
Carnatic raga refers to ''ragas'' used in Carnatic music. A Carnatic raga has several components - primordial sound (''nāda''), tonal system (''swara''), pitch (''śruti''), scale, ornaments ('' gamaka'') and important tones.
Origins and histo ...
known as
Ragamalika
Ragamalika, literally a garland of ragas, is a popular form of composition in Carnatic music where different segments of the composition are set to different ragas. It is also known as ''Raga Kadambakam,'' and forms parallel to the composition form ...
. "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" and "Madhurai Arasaalum" were written by Ulundurpettai Shanmugam.
Release and reception
''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' was released on 15 August 1970. The film was a commercial success,
and won in three categories at the
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The aw ...
:
Best Music Director (Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan),
Best Male Playback Singer (Sirkazhi Govindarajan), and a
Special Prize.
In 2016, film historian
Randor Guy
Madabhushi Rangadorai (born 8 November 1937), better known by his pen name Randor Guy, is an Indian lawyer, columnist and film and legal historian associated with the English language newspaper ''The Hindu''. He is also the official editor of the ...
said the film would be remembered for "The music, and fine performances by veteran actors".
References
External links
*
{{A. P. Nagarajan
1970 films
1970s road movies
1970s Tamil-language films
Films about Hinduism
Films about vacationing
Films directed by A. P. Nagarajan
Films set in Bangalore
Films shot in Andhra Pradesh
Films shot in Kerala
Films shot in Madurai
Films shot in Mysore
Films with screenplays by A. P. Nagarajan
Hindu devotional films
Indian comedy road movies
Films scored by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan