''Thodarum'' () is a 1999 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 ...

directed by Ramesh Khanna, featuring Ajith Kumar, Devayani and Heera in the leading roles. The supporting cast of

Manivannan S. Manivannan Rajagopal (31 July 1953 – 15 June 2013), better known by his mononym Manivannan, was an Indian film director, actor and activist who worked mainly in Tamil cinema and also worked in a few Telugu & Malayalam films. In a car ...

Vadivelu Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the ...

and

Gemini Ganesan Ramasamy Ganesan (17 November 1920 – 22 March 2005), better known by his stage name Gemini Ganesan, was an Indian actor who worked mainly in Tamil cinema. He was referred to as the ''Kaadhal Mannan'' (King of Romance) for his romantic roles ...

also play pivotal roles in the film. The film is the Tamil remake of 1996 Telugu film ''

Maavichiguru ''Maavichiguru'' () is a 1996 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by S. V. Krishna Reddy. The film is produced by P. Usharani under Chandra Kiran Films and presented by Sri Sravanthi Movies. It stars Jagapathi Babu, Aamani, ...

'', and was released on 14 January 1999.

Plot

Seetha is a possessive wife who suspects that all the women are throwing themselves at her husband Jayaram. Things get a little interesting after Meera enters the picture and ends up hugging Jayaram right in front of Seetha's eyes. Seetha is diagnosed with a deadly heart condition and decides to have and Meera tie the knot for the sake of a good life for her young son. She even goes as far as getting a divorce from Jayaram to make him hate her. In the end, Seetha dies, Jayaram and Meera get married, and they name their baby Seetha.

Cast

* Ajith Kumar as Jayaram * Devayani as Seetha * Heera as Meera *

as Seetha's grandfather *

Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Tel ...

as Seetha's grandmother *

as "Peon" Mani *

Vichithra Vichithra is an Indian actress who has predominantly appeared in Tamil films. She has also appeared in a few Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. Career Her breakthrough came in the form of a glamorous role in Selva's ''Thalaivasal'' (1992), ...

as Radha *

Delhi Ganesh Delhi Ganesh is an Indian actor who mostly acts in supporting roles in Tamil cinema and serials. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1976 to present. Before films, he was a member of the Delhi-based theatre troupe, ''Dakshina Bharata Natak ...

as Seetha's uncle * Senthil

Production

Actor Ramesh Khanna made his debut as a director with the film after working as an apprentice to

K. S. Ravikumar K. S. Ravikumar (born 30 May 1958) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, primarily working in Tamil films. Career 1990–1997 Ravikumar worked as co-director on R. B. Choudary's production ''Pudhu Vasantham'' direct ...

. Ravikumar was meant to remake the Telugu film ''

'' (1996) starring Jagapati Babu and Aamani into Tamil for Sridevi Movie Makers, but his busy schedule meant that he recommended Ramesh Khanna to the producers. The remake was initially titled as ''Maa Vilakku'' and was supposed to star

Jayaram Jayaram Subramaniam, (born 10 December 1965) known mononymously as Jayaram, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam,Tamil films, along with a few Telugu films. He is also a chenda percussionist, mimicry artist, and occasional ...

and

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 ...

, but went through cast changes. Jayaram's falling popularity meant that Ajith Kumar was signed to replace him, while the actor requested that a change of lead actress. The film was revived under new title ''Thodarum'' with new cast involving Ajith Kumar, Heera and Devayani.

Release

The film released on 14 January 1999 and received poor reviews upon release, with a critic from Indolink.com citing that the "cinematography and direction provide no room for discussion" and that "Devayani appears painfully artificial". ''

The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

'' also gave the film a critical review citing that "the director tries hard to avoid small puddles of cliches, but unfortunately falls into an ocean instead" but claims that Devayani gives a "wonderfully controlled performance", while Heera and Ajith are just "adequate". ''Deccan Herald'' wrote "Thodarum is a family melodrama, which on its own is not too bad, but .it falls completely flat."

Soundtrack

Soundtrack is composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Lyrics for the songs were written by Pulamaipithan, Gangai Amaran,

Mu. Metha Muhammed Metha (born 5 September 1945) is a Tamil poet and songwriter. He was born in Theni in 1945. He popularised modern poetry (''Pudukavithai'') in the 1970s and has written more than 30 books, including novels, short stories and essays. ...

, Kamakodiyan,

Arivumathi Arivumathi born Mathiazhagan is an Indian poet, lyricist and writer who has worked in the Tamil film industry. His first movie as lyricist was ''Siraichalai.'' Early life Arivumathi was born in Virudhachalam, Tamil Nadu. He changed his na ...

and

Palani Bharathi Palani Bharathi is an Indian writer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema. Early life Palani Bharathi was born in Karaikudi to Sami Palaniappan, a poet, and Kamala. He has a brother and four sisters. Palaniappan was an assistant of orator/w ...

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0274959, Thodarum 1999 films Tamil remakes of Telugu films Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja 1990s Tamil-language films 1999 directorial debut films