Finally, we’ve gotten around to watching Thalapathi.
Featuring Rajnikanth, Mammooty and Shobana, Thalapathi came out in 1991.
We were surprised to see the story, screenplay, dialog and direction for Thalapathi credited to Mani Ratnam. Just wasn’t aware that Thalapathi was a Mani Ratnam film.
Here’s what we’ve seen so far – two stupid fights, the first with a thug Ramana and the second with Devarajan’s henchmen.
Yes, we’re also past the famous Rajni-Sonu Walia song Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu.
God, Sonu Walia is so cute. Wonder what she’s up to these days. Last we heard, she lives somewhere around here (i.e. in the U.S.). The cutie-pie must be in her late 30s now (actually 45, as pointed out by SI reader chaitu1987). 😉
Oh, we almost forgot. Music is by Ilayaraja.
By the way, Rajnikanth’s attempts at dancing are hilarious. Where did this clown pick up such weird steps?
We’ll update this post after completing the movie.
Update:
Inspired from the great Indian epic Mahabharat, Thalapathi is a mediocre movie with a bunch of stupid fights, poorly choreographed dances and a less-than-compelling story.
In its essence, the Thalapathi story centers around an abandoned child who grows up into a good-hearted poor young man Surya and joins a local thug Devarajan (Mammooty).
What rescues Thalapathi from the usual trash-heap of Tamil movies are the performances of Shobana and Mammooty and the songs particularly Rakamma Kaiya Thatta.
Shobana plays Rajnikanth’s love interest in the film.
Most depressing about Thalapathi is Tamil superstar Rajnikanth’s ho-hum performance.
This fella Rajnikanth can’t deliver a dialog without looking silly, can’t dance to save his life, can’t fight et al.
Despite all of Rajnikanth’s shortcomings in Thalapathi and the movie’s shortcomings, the film did well in its time.
Well, such are the injustices of life. 🙁
Watching Rajnikanth’s Thalapathi added by SearchIndia.com on
View all posts by SearchIndia.com →
i have never watched this movie because of MANIRATHNAM, his films are very slow…..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
This movie is not slow.
We are more than half-way through the movie.
Shobana and Mammooty are good. Rajnikanth is mediocre.
did you watch Iruvar? If you didn’t try to get hold of it.
SearchIndia.com Responds
No.
We have the DVD…will watch it one of these days.
by the way sonu walia is 45 yrs old now (courtesy Wikipedia)
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Thanks. 😉
Unfortunately, Sonu Walia has too small a role in Thalapathi.
That was one of the better movies by Rajnikanth. I always wonder from where such a mediocre actor gets such great support. Of course, if there are morons to support ‘Thala’, it’s no wonder 😉
And by the way, did you watch Manichithrathazhu? Watch it if possible. Shobhana won a National award for her amazing performance and I bet you’ll wonder how badly that bozo Jyothika spoiled the character. I nearly puked seeing Chandramukhi.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: That was one of the better movies by Rajnikanth. I always wonder from where such a mediocre actor gets such great support
Sick.
To think that this fella is a superstar. Other than Mullum Malarum, we find him a sick piece of shit.
2. No, haven’t seen Manichithrathazhu yet.
Shobhana is a fine actress. In the short screen-time she had in Thalapathi, she impressed.
As we said earlier, Mammooty was impressive too.
3. Thalapathi is certainly not Mani Ratnam’s best effort.
4. You write: I bet you’ll wonder how badly that bozo Jyothika spoiled the character
As we’ve said ad naueum, ad infinitum, Surya deserves our eternal gratitude for getting this Jyothika thing off the screen.
SI Said: “We were surprised to see the story, screenplay, dialog and direction for Thalapathi credited to Mani Ratnam. Just wasn’t aware that Thalapathi was a Mani Ratnam film.”
SI, now that is surprising. Many SI readers (including me) have pointed out and almost screamed at the top of our voices here that Thalapathi is a mani ratnam movie, while discussing about other mani’s movies. In many comments.
I, once said, the story-line would seem to be based on the mahabarat karna-dhuryodhana-kundhi-arjun episode, while discussing about Mani’s movies.
Now it is obvious that you just give an overlook to SI readers’ comments not taking us seriously, being into day-dreaming of Navya Nair – Meera Jasmine – Vimala raman trio beseeching you for something 😉 .
On behalf of “SI readers union”, I go on to condemn that act by SI. 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Many SI readers (including me) have pointed out and almost screamed at the top of our voices here that Thalapathi is a mani ratnam movie, while discussing about other mani’s movies
Like Surya in Ghajini, we can’t retain memories longer than 20 minutes.
2. You write: I, once said, the story-line would seem to be based on the mahabarat karna-dhuryodhana-kundhi-arjun episode, while discussing about Mani’s movies.
Really, did you?
All we can recollect is you saying (if you did not, you will one of these days) that your favorite movies were Hitler Umanath and Pilot Premnath. 😉
3. Seriously, yes, you did say that twice (on Aug 6 and July 22 this year).
It just slipped our mind or let’s blame it on our friends Johnny and Walker. 😉
Mammooty is better.
I also heard, the climax was changed according to the stardom and the state. For ex, Climax was in favour of Mammooty in Kerala version.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: the climax was changed
They could have changed the roles in the Malayalam version. With Mammooty playing Surya and Rajni in the character of Devarajan.
And, dance steps were actually good, but when Rajini did them, it became weird 😉
SearchIndia.com Responds:
But for the machche (mole) on his schlong, Rajni would have been consigned to some kuppa-thotti long ago.
I think Rajnikanth has watched too much of Aerobic videos. He performs aerobics instead of dance moves.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Must be all the booze he drank in his youth. Must have melted his brains.
That’s why we tell ourselves daily, drink in moderation, drink in moderation.
I love this song! But what about the movie? I am waiting for your review !
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We won’t do a full review but will update it after our Sunday brunch.
I think, Rajini has watched too much Aerobic videos. His dance moves are nothing but P.T.exercises normally done in the schools.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
True.
Even his dialog delivery is weird.
BTW , did u like Thalapathi or not ?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Not a good movie but not in the awful category.
Rajni’s portrayal of the main character Surya is awful.
Music is decent.
Would we recommend it to others? Most definitely, not.
I liked Arvind Swamy in the movie. He has somewhat my sort of character….
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: I liked Arvind Swamy in the movie. He has somewhat my sort of character….
Arvind Swamy has a certain class in all his movies.
Not sure about you though. 😉
If you go by Wiki, Thalapathi was Arvind Swamy’s first movie.
(This is not related to Thalapathi : This para is for your eyes only: [Deleted] you may send your views privately to me at : *****@yahoo.com)
A Date with a Special Date.
Looking back, on every occasion this century has popped up a special date, where the dd.mm.yy had the same numbers, starting with First January 2001 (01.01.01) to the last one being Eighth August 2008 (08.08.08), I do not recollect having done anything remarkable on those special dates and seem to have let that opportunity pass by, without doing something memorable on that date, which would last a life time.
This time around, come 09.09.09, I have decided that, NO, I am not going to let it just pass by, without creating a lasting impression and make it a date which I will never forget in my life.
Tell me, what are the ways to make a date memorable? A friend said that he buys one household item on each of these special dates as a remembrance, being house hold items, they wouldn’t last a life time. What else, Take someone on a date? Propose to someone? Get Married on that date? Not a bad idea, but in yours truly’s case, having been married for long and with two kids, these option wouldn’t fit the story & screen play well.
To fall in Love again? Why not ? Yes, it seems to be a brilliant idea!. But to fall in love with whom ? is the $$$$ question. After some introspection, apart from my family members & close friends, who else in this world, is more worthy of my Love? Eureka! Guess what, the discovery turned out to be… its none other than My own SELF!
Yes! I will start loving myself more from this forthcoming special date. What best way can there be, other than to pledge, not to neglect my body and give myself a healthy living.
Therefore, I solemnly hereby declare that w.e.f: 09.09.09
1.I will QUIT SMOKING: Sorry Rothmans & Gold Flake Kings!, after you lined my lungs for over two decades, with tar and the dreaded nicotine, its time to kiss you good bye!
2.I will Learn to Breathe: You would be wondering, hasn’t this guy been breathing non-stop all his life from the second he was born? Yes, that is unconscious breathing, now I will learn a new way to breathe, as they teach in the Art of Living, to give those lungs a cleansing service and a healing touch.
Before I could continue any further, the ‘kutty saithan’ (little devil) in me, hastily interrupted to add that, Johny Walker, Chivas Regal & Bacardi Rum in the cabinet, should remain there for some more time, until another special date comes.
One more thing I propose to do is, to go for a ride with my family on the first day, in Dubai Metro, which starts its operations on 09.09.09.
My Athma (consciousness) said that letting SI know of my pledge, would be the right thing to do, even though we don’t know each other personally and I haven’t seen him/her/it.
I will try to post an update on this, on another special date – that is on 12.12.12, if SI holds on to the baton till then, without passing it on to someone.
To all ye smucks! (Pardon me guys, reading SI regularly, can sometimes be injurious to your language) Do all ye have any such plans for 09.09.09, to change something in your life? Think it over, if you have some unfulfilled thing / dream, a good time to do it.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: This time around, come 09.09.09, I have decided that, NO, I am not going to let it just pass by, without creating a lasting impression and make it a date which I will never forget in my life
Hmmm. Maybe, we should say goodbye to Bacchus and Caffeine in the interest of the SI blog’s longevity.
2. You write: I will QUIT SMOKING: Sorry Rothmans & Gold Flake Kings!, after you lined my lungs for over two decades, with tar and the dreaded nicotine,
Are you our reflection?
Back in India, we started smoking with Gold Flake Kings and then shifted to Rothmans. After moving to the U.S., we changed to Marlboro 100s (the long ones). We stopped about 12 years ago barring the occasional cigar.
3. You write: To fall in Love again? Why not ? Yes, it seems to be a brilliant idea!. But to fall in love with whom
Aren’t there a lot of charming belles in Dubai or are do they all adhere to the Hijab?
4. You write: My Athma (consciousness) said that letting SI know of my pledge, would be the right thing to do, even though we don’t know each other personally and I haven’t seen him/her/it.
Thanks.
But SI doesn’t exist…just Maya.
Did u watch Kamal’s “Alavanthan” or even “Kuruthipunal”.?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No to both.
“SI:back in India, we started smoking with Gold Flake Kings and then shifted to Rothmans”
Eureka,Eureka!!! SI is a MAN. We could smell the smoke and reveal the truth. He’s a Smokey Robinson!!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Ah, if only you knew the numbers of the distaff sex who smoke and drink in India within the safe haven of the office or home.
Indian women are not the sati savitris (if they ever were) you imagine ’em to be.
Offtopic: Have you tried Dole Pineapple/Orange 100% juice with Scotch.
Nice drink for a Sunday afternoon. 1:46PM ET.
BTW, is liquor easily available in the Gulf or is it Verboten stuff?
in the climax, Rajini dies (instead of Mammooty), in the malayalam version. [As of what I heard. Probably our mallukuttan can confirm this.]
But that is the suitable one 😉
Btw, are there those movies – Hitler Umanath, Pilot Premnath, Gorilla Gopinath, et al?
On what_if : Nice decision. Also nicely written. A better read when compared to what our SI writes these days. 😉
Btw, SI, what are you going to do on 9-9-9? [Does not it look like the inverse of Satan 6-6-6?]. To do something which can be remembered a life’s time. (With a memory that lasts only 20 minutes, you cannot remember anything life long 😉 ). To see all the 49 movies by Vijay so that you remember your life long that you do not watch his movies again?
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: Btw, are there those movies – Hitler Umanath, Pilot Premnath, Gorilla Gopinath, et al?
Hitler Umanath and Pilot Premnath certainly exist because we still bear evidence of the scars many decades after watching those two.
As for Gorilla Gopinath, we’ve to check IMDB for movies featuring Ajith and Nayantara, or Vijay and Trisha or Surya and Jyothika or Vishal and Vishal. 😉
2. You write: But that is the suitable one
True but Indians don’t like anything bad happening to the hero, particularly a sick actor like Rajnikanth.
3. You write: A better read when compared to what our SI writes these days
Thank you for reminding us once again that when you do good to these Indian curs, all you can expect in return is a nasty kick.
4. You write: Btw, SI, what are you going to do on 9-9-9?
We’ll try to finish the first draft of the short story that’s been germinating in our mind for quite a while.
*******
Bodhayam eradhu, potadhum poralae, ada Rama sarakku nalla-irruku (we’re getting high but not high enough, modified lines from the song of an old Tamil movie Manitharil Ethanai Nirangala????)
The only movie I can remember with Rajini dying as a hero, is Aarilirundhu Arupdhuvarai [From Six to Sixty]. In any other movies, if he ever dies, it would be a double role assignment, or he would resurrect after interval to kill the villain [along with us.]
Nasty Kick? Oh, SI, that was a naughty kick.. A way to provoke you to write more and more. [But you are not going to move, anyways]
Short story? – “Kandhasamy Kapathu” 😉 Waiting for it 🙂
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: The only movie I can remember with Rajini dying as a hero, is Aarilirundhu Arupdhuvarai
Nice film. Seen it.
Kanmaniye Kathal Enbathu – Fatafat had a nice back, nice front, nice everything
this movie came out in 1991.. deepavali release.. together with guna.. since guna has a f**ked up story, the only alternative was to watch Thalapathy which became a hit in malaysia.. if i am not mistaken, this movie beat chinna thambi too in 1991.. the coliseum theater in Kuala Lumpur made of a lot of money showing Thalapathy (so much money that later they did a full renovation of the theater)..
by the way, i love the songs esp. rakkama ..
another song, putham puthu poo .. was in the soundtrack but missing in the movie..
mamooty later got more offer to act in Tamil movies.. the 1st was azhagan i think..
as for rajni, the follow up movie was mannan.. comedy but a bit stupid..
don’t know what happened to shobana after this movie..
as for maniratnam and arvind samy, they came out with Roja the following year.. what a movie!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write above: the coliseum theater in Kuala Lumpur made of a lot of money showing Thalapathy (so much money that later they did a full renovation of the theater)
Funny.
2. You write: don’t know what happened to shobana after this movie..
According to this Wiki profile, she’s running a Bharatanatyam dance school in Chennai called Kalarpana
@SI: Aren’t there a lot of charming belles in Dubai or are do they all adhere to the Hijab?
Of course there are a lot of charming belles in Dubai, my dear! in all hues & shades, this city is a truly cosmopolitan one and a melting pot of all cultures. Hijab is adorned by all Nationals, Iranians, Pakistanis and many others from Arab/ Islamic countries. There doesn’t exist a compulsory Hijab dress code for all (say, as in Saudi) , Asians, Africans, Europeans & Americans are free to embellish themselves in their own attire, but people do respect the local traditions & customs and dress modestly, without exposing much of their skin.
@SI to shuaib68 : BTW, is liquor easily available in the Gulf or is it Verboten stuff?
In Dubai, as you land at the airport, you can buy four bottles of liquor at The Dubai Duty Free Shop. Non-Muslim Residents can buy from exclusive retail outlets, if only they have a Liquor permit. Those who do not have Liquor Permit can still booze from 9 p.m. well past midnight until 3.am. at any of the Pubs, Discos and Night Clubs (peppered around the city) listening to DJs spinning their favorite music. Hindi, Tamil, English, Tagalog, Russian, German, depending upon which part of the world you are from, you can find a bar / club playing your music.
I can read your mind SI, your next question is gonna be Do they have striptease too? NO is the answer. At most at some joints, you may get to see dancers on stage in filmi costumes (without revealing) dancing to Bollywood / Kollywood numbers.
@SI : Are you our reflection?
May not exactly be a mirror image, but we may find many similarities. We can find that out. Next time you plan to travel to India, Fly Emirates, take a stop over at Dubai and be my guest! It’s a genuine invitation, no joking!.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Quite liberal, we must say.
Thank you for the invite.
What_if has explained it in plain language.
UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi) has everything but in low profile. People can enjoy anything with certain things prohibited out in the open like liquor. Nudity/Porno is dealt severely if caught by any chance. There were one two isolated incidents reported in media, other than that the country is absolutely peaceful and enjoyable.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
You write: UAE (Dubai/Abu Dhabi) has everything but in low profile.
What a contrast.
If a single word characterizes the U.S., it’s Big.
As in Big country, Big tits, Big money, Big ego, Big Mac, Big weapons, Big McMansions, Big oil, Big cars et al.
Here too the Arabs have big ideas, like the biggest mosque after Makkah & Madina in Saudi Arabia – Sheik Zayed Mosque, Abu Dhabi. Then we have the biggest Hotels like the Atlantis in Dubai and Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi, the tallest building in Dubai “Burj Al Arab” and they had many more projects pending for the more tallest ones than the rest of the lots prevailing. But, they had to bungle it due the prevailing economic downturn.
I missed the other most important one, the man made islands – Palm Jumeira & other assorted man made island in the sea surrounding Dubai.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Once the oil supply dwindles to a trickle in about 50 years, guess it’s back to the stone ages for many of these Gulf nations considering they have little other economic activity.
As the oil supply drops, the U.S. interference in the region will also diminish, which means the Saudi and other royal families (propped up by the U.S.) in the region are screwed in a few decades.
SI: Once the oil supply dwindles to a trickle in about 50 years, guess it’s back to the stone ages for many of these Gulf nations considering they have little other economic activity.
Yes, they have very little other economic activity other than the sucking of the mother earth and the playing around with concretes with exhuberent price tags.
The real estate is sold at stupid prices. Just for a flat hanging in the air and some unpredictable rules and regulation changing at every blow of a desert wind. It’s stupendous to invest in them. Now, there’s little movement in real estate sales. People are loosing jobs like hell. Prices are falling and still in Abu Dhabi the Real Estate mafias still in control of the prices and maintaining it at a very high range.
SearchIndia.com Responds:
The real estate market has completely collapsed here. Unlikely to recover for at least 3-5 years.
can you give the review of tamil movie “indian”
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Parkalam (we’ll see).
We saw the movie about three years back.
Even i would like u to review “Indian” SI .. It was one of the tolerable movies by Kamal !!!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
We watched Indian a couple of years back.
After we finish with our current list, we’ll revisit Indian and review it too.
Now coming to Thalapathi
I watched this movie back in the 90s.. 1998 i guess.. I’m not sure though.. and needless to say.. I LOVED it..!!!
IR’s music cast a spell on me.. The music was so beautiful. The songs have timeless appeal 🙂
SearchIndia.com Responds:
Nice songs. Just listened to snippets of the songs again.
BTW SI , have u watched Nerukku Ner? It has Surya and Vijay in the lead. I’ve heard its a decent movie but i ve not yet seen it.
Can u review it?
Oh and just listen to this song 4m the movie.. wonderful.. just wonderful..!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J9Nt_io0bQ
SearchIndia.com Responds:
No, haven’t watched it.
YouTube is down for maintenance. So couldn’t see your video in the link above.
We’ll watch it when YouTube comes up and update this comment.
Netflix has Neerukku Ner. We’ll watch it one of these days.