Thalapathi

Thalapathi (1991) : Brief Review -

The Most Emotionally blended Family Friendly Crime Drama of 90s. One of the most popular genre in Hollywood Crime Drama didn't get much exploration in Indian Cinema till 80s. Then several crime dramas in masala genre gave hope but ultimately weakened the support of family audience. In early 90s Mani Ratnam brought Thalapathi set in crime world but differently i mean it's affectionate. It's all for people not for just for personal benefits of gangsters so it was meant to create more attraction to the family audience. At the end it becomes a Family drama yet not done with it's crime World to fulfill the hunger of watching a perfect Blockbuster. This was first and may be last time in Indian Cinema that a crime film became an emotional family drama and is likely to remain the one of it's own kind. Rajnikant and Mammootty's brotherhood mania is terrific. Both of them were really acting and not just entertaining and then another great actor Arvind Swamy was joined in a supporting role. Even the female side is filled with rich quality performances of Shobhana, Srividya and Bhanupriya. Overall, the acting department of Thalapathi is far better than any other crime drama i have seen till date. Mani Ratnam is a genius, he knows how to connect a negative film with audience positively and so he makes those negative characters more positive than born positive characters in the film. Many people consider this film as reference to Mahabharata characters which is not totally acceptable. The film is very well set in it's own crime Universe then I don't think there is any need to link it with an epic. Thalapathi should remain the only crime film having emotional intelligence and Blockbuster Family Drama elements for some time more.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest

For this movie, 10 out of 10 is probably too low. That's how good this movie is. Among Tamil cinema's timeless classics, it came in the late 80's and now its 2010 but still I watch it with the same enthusiasm and clap/whistle at some of the dialogues from this film. Maniratnam had a hard time directing Rajnikanth and Mammootty but if he can give a product like this through such hardships, I pray he goes through such hardships again (Sorry Mani Sir!). Ilayaraja is the life and soul of this film. Rajni's best ever performance along with Mammooty. There were the few Nayagan inspirations (Doing good for 4 people cannot be wrong, the inspector beating the hero and then the inspector getting killed by the same hero, etc). Who else can take the Karna-Duryodhana friendship from the Mahabharatha and weave such a magical story in accordance to today's times? Mani is magic!

The opening scene in black and white, prove Maniratnam as a director who emphasize color as emotions in movie.When it combines with Ilayaraja's Chinna Thaiyaval tune will made anyone's heart melt.Superstar's entry scene is really exciting.No doubt Maniratnam can make fight sequence as real as possible.Superstar had brought up his acting talents for a new level in this movie.Although gangsterism is should be the main theme, friendship tend to overtake it.But in some ways it might be a plus point too.For Arvindsamy, he do his best for a first movie.With Mani anyone will do best for the first movie it self.Action,Drama,Real Tamil Cinema defines Talapathi. I'm not sure how many times i watch this movie.But i want to watch it again and again.Best combination of Tamil cinema:Manirathnam, Ilayaraaja and Superstar.I wonder if this team would meet up again.If does, it will be another milestone in Tamil Cinema.Although I had watched Talapathi years ago, i choose today to write here because i had a dream today; I dream of watching Talapathi show on first day of its release(which i missed).The feeling was REALLY amazing.Although this dream will never come true,I like the dream.

Gangs are unrepentantly personal in matters of business when cash is handled by others to keep business in the know of exigencies embedded in his thesis deeming enemy the enemy as long as the women around have an eye for details keeping mothers in abeyance as a choice of business over cash or enemies in abeyance to keep cash over business. Either way, you lose one or the other to keep at the game of war in the name of love until the mother wants him dead for enemies out of line in search of the mother avering thereby and therein that women kept the money for mothers till enemies of substance battle it out over which one to be held guilty of cash and which one to be held guilty for business when militaries take it all to keep doors and windows redundant in witnessing wars of enemies.

This film is about 15 years old. i watched it quite a few times and it never fails to impress me. As said earlier it is a modern version of the Mahabharata, with Rajni as Karna.

Its starts with a 14 year old mother forced to abandon her son and the son grows up in the city slums far away..he befriends a underworld don and swears loyalty to death for him Meanwhile the mother gets married and has a son who becomes a top government official. Nobody knows of her earlier son except for her husband. Thing come to head as her younger son is posted to where the elder(who the mother doesn't know is her son) is dominating.

Watch the movie to see what happens. The mother-son scenes are amazingly touching