Thevar Magan

Shivaji and Kamal are two great legends of Indian cinema and if there was a movie that could get them together it had to be a movie as strong as "Thevar magan". Yes it has shades of Godfather but not completely. This story couldn't have asked for better screenplay.Role of Shivaji could be performed only by him. Kamal is often criticized for suppressing other characters in his movies but this is an exception , it has great characterization for everybody in the movie right from Shivaji to vadivelu. PC Sriram is amazing with his camera work and gives us pleasant visuals throughout the movie.The biggest asset of the movie is Illayaraja, his back ground music is heavenly, he brings out the intensity in the scene superbly with his BGM score. The story is already discussed by others but the highlights of the movie are - The Scene were Kamal argues with Shivaji on his decision to leave the village, The Panchayat scene were Nasser shows disrespect to Shivaji and the aftermath, Kamal's entry with the Devar getup(he looks majestic in it), The marriage scene,The Hospital scene were Vadivelu excels as a faithful servant to Kamal,Kamal's acting when he fails to convince Gautami, The climax scene after he kills Nasser. Every dialogue in the movie is carefully and masterly crafted. Bharathan has done a splendid job. Overall it is a movie which highlights the Thevar community in a very realistic way. It will go down as one of the Best movies of Indian cinema.

Wow, wow, wow!!!

Such a wonderful movie i would say. Theme, cast and crew at its best. Sivaji Ganesan vs Kamalhaasan Vs Ilaiyaraja vs Bharathan, who will you vote, i have no idea, this is supposed to called as the Show of LEGENDS. Nasser,Revathi, Vadivelu, Gowthami and every others didn't act but lived.The scene between Sivaji and Kamalhaasan is the best ever seen i have seen in my entire life.Dialogues are razor sharp.Some people claim this movie is inspired from Godfather, maybe but it didn't appear like that to me as this film is more concentrated on the traditional way of Devar(a caste in Tamilnadu).Its more like watching a epic.

U want to know the real meaning of a complete classic movie, go for it.

I bet you will like it.

Over all My rating 10/10.

Asokan, Thevar Magan is no way similar to Godfather... Nayakan is. It was unnecessary to force the comparison because Thevar Magan is a very original story... and brings out the psyche of the Thevar community, their heroism, violence and honor.

Your review otherwise reflected my opinion on the movie. It's one of the few films where every character has been well-conceived. And what a brilliant performance from all!!! Unfortunately, the director of this classic, Bharatan is no more. (He like many of his peers went unsung, largely due to the step-motherly attitude of the POP media (read Hindi dominated media) to regional movie makers. Thevar Magan is a great movie that deserves a hall of fame in the annals of Indian Films.

N Sharma

One of the most successful movies of Kamal Hassan's Rajkamal International production company. A cult classic that got both critical acclaim and huge box office collections. About a dozen movies were released along with it, on Diwali '94 but all these were reduced to box-office disasters(including the Rajinikant starrer 'Pandian'). Such was the impact of Thevar Magan. The thespian Sivaji Ganesan was aptly cast in the role of Kamal's father, the village chief. Nasser, Revathi and Gouthami reveled in their roles and Revathi won the National award for 'Best Supporting actress'.

But more than everything, this is the movie which spawned a deluge of flicks based on the caste-feuds happening in villages, none of which could match the original in terms of grandeur, story or performances. Thevar Magan, upon its release, was literally worshipped by the 'Thevars', a warring caste in Tamil Nadu's rural areas. Some political organizations still argue that the movie itself is the reason for the violence happening in these villages.

The telugu dubbed version 'Kshatriya Putrudu' was an equally big hit. Later the movie was remade in Hindi as 'Virasat', starring Anil Kapoor, Tabu, Amrish Puri and Pooja Batra. The Hindi version too was a success.

Devar magan is my all time favourite movie.It brings the two versatile actors of Tamil Cine industry,even Indian Film Industry together to give a movie which depicts the reality of most villages and Devar's religion.The scene between Kamal and Shivaji remains one of the best ever scene in tamil cinema.May be Urban people may find it different, but the peoples from villages, will find at least one character or one event similar to their place or peoples.Though two Gems acting in same movie there is lot of scope for others to act and they all used it well.(Nasser,Gautami,Revathi and even Vadivelu).KamalHaasan-Ilayaraja music combination once rocks for the nth time.

Don't forget to watch it.