WIND BACK TIME!! REVISIT ‘’THALAPATHI’’

Being a big fan of Rajni I couldn't resist watching 4 movies of his…all in this weekend. SIVAJI: THE BOSS one more time….along with Thalapathi, Padayappa and Chandramukhi…..only this time on a large screen, with a fellow Rajni fan..good enough to add to the frenzy!!
Thalapathi (The Lieutenant) was released in 1991…and I saw it one more time today..I couldn’t help but revisit this film and the Rajni magic apart from Mani’s brilliance

Thalapathi is a Mani Rathnam film, loosely inspired by the Mahabharata; the Karna-Arjuna-Duryodhana connection. The film stars apart from Rajni, Mammootty, Arvind Swamy and Shobhana. So here is a quick view of plot:

Rajni plays Surya; orphaned as a baby by his then teenager mom (Sripriya) and brought up by the poor in the slums. He grows up on other side of law and initially is pitted against the rival local gang led by Devarajan (Mammootty). Circumstances drive Devarajan to save Surya from being jailed for murder. This indebtedness drives Surya to be faithful to Devarajan and he turns a trustworthy lieutenant (THALAPATHI). The plot thickens here as Sripriya moves into the same city with her husband and IAS son, Arjun (Arvind Swamy). Despite giving Surya up as a baby, she is living constantly in his memory and wondering where and how he is. Arjun starts to tighten the screws on the local mafia and clashes with Deva and Surya; completely ignorant of his elder brother in Surya. Sripriya’s husband played by Jaishankar reveals the truth about his parentage to Surya (much to his denial) and Sripriya does the same to Arjun. This happens just before the clash between the police and the gangs is to occur; a move to wipe off Surya and Deva.

Here is when connect to the Mahabharata plot of Arjuna-Karna-Duryodhana shows up strongly; Surya refuses to move away from Deva and renews his commitment to Deva’s friendship. In the meantime, the aging mafia lord, Karivardhan (Amrish Puri) seeks revenge on Deva and Surya. As the relationships are revealed and the loved ones are out to save one another, Karivardhan kills Deva; Surya seeks revenge by killing him. The story ends with the complete family reunited; Sripriya deciding to stay with Surya as her IAS son, Arjun leaves to another town for an assignment.

This plot of friendship and rivalry is beautifully interspersed with love between Rajni and Shobana which doesn’t materialize into their marriage due to both his orphan and anti-social status; Shobana ends up marrying Arjun whilst Surya accepts to marry Bhanupriya on Deva’s request; Surya had killed her husband in an gang encounter.

I surely need to write a long piece on Rajni – about his acting in the film to be precise. No style, no big fights, no jazzy hairstyle, no fancy costumes, no makeup. Just raw Rajni magnetism and ruggedness to see for all his true fans. The actor inside Rajni I have always believed has immense potential and has never been fully exploited. After seeing Thalapathy I was convinced that Mani has done justice to this great actor. Rajni has over the years, fallen into the trap of his onscreen persona as SUPER STAR and expectations from his fans that his style and stunts have often been the only visible aspect of his acting. Through the film, he displays a range of emotions – the angry man fighting injustice, the orphaned son seeking motherly love, the one in denial of his mother’s identity and fight with his younger brother, the unflinching friendship and loyalty to Deva, the caring do-gooder to the slum dwellers; to name a few.

The highlights of this movie in no particular order are as below:
· A no-frills/no-style/no-makeup Rajni with loads of sheer magnetism and presence; and acting that shows his true mettle; needing someone like Mani to unravel
· Close-ups and brilliant yet subtle lighting that captures the emotional intensity of the plot
· Terrific songs by Ilaiyaraja – every song a masterpiece; melancholic, full of melody and connect with the plot
· Background score precisely and brilliantly captures exactly the mood in the movie at every stage
· A strong cast of actors apart from the 2 pillars – Jaishankar, Sripriya, Bhanupriya, Geetha
· Crisp dialogues that are integral to any Mani film and a fast paced narration that keeps you riveted throughout
· Amazing use of silence to capture the roller coaster of emotions, situations and characters in this film
· Mammootty’s presence as Deva and his understated acting

I can write endlessly about this film; blame it on my craze for Rajni if you wanna......but trust me the film is a must-must watch. Next to come – revisit to another masterpiece from Mani – IRUVAR…