Thiruda Thiruda

Thiruda Thiruda
DVD cover
Directed by	Mani Ratnam
Produced by	S. Sriram
Written by	Sujatha Suhasini
Screenplay by	Mani Ratnam
Story by	Mani Ratnam Ram Gopal Varma
Starring	Prashanth Anand Heera Rajgopal Anu Agarwal S. P. Balasubramaniam Salim Ghouse Malaysia Vasudevan Thalaivasal Vijay
Music by	A. R. Rahman
Cinematography	P. C. Sriram
Editing by	Suresh Urs
Studio	Aalayam Productions
Distributed by	Aalayam Productions
Release dates	November 13, 1993
Running time	170 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Thiruda Thiruda is a 1993 Tamil comedy thriller film directed by Mani Ratnam. The soundtrack and background score of the film were composed by A. R. Rahman whilst the cinematography was handled by P. C. Sriram. This high-budget production opened to mixed critical reception, it did not do too well at the box office either but has developed cult status over the following years.^[1]

Plot

Freshly printed bank notes to the value of an incredible 10 billion are stolen in India from a train by the henchmen of super-gangster Vikram (Salim Ghouse) living in London. The code card without which it is unable to open the container with the money comes into the possession of beautiful Chandralekha (Anu Agarwal). Portly CBI Inspector Laxminarayan (S. P. Balasubramaniam) is assigned to track down the stolen currency. On the way to Vikram she comes across the two thieves Kadhir (Anand) and Azhagu (Prashanth) who are on the run from the police - having in tow country-girl Rasathi (Heera Rajagopal) whom they kept from committing suicide and who then ran away from her ruthless uncle. Laxminarayan's assignment will lead him to Ashok Tejani, and then the two burglars, who are on the run from the Police along with the suicidal village belle. His efforts will be frustrated even more after Ashok is killed and his girlfriend Chandralekha, is absconding; and the entry of the international drug dealer himself, simply known as Vikram, who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the loot. After some attempts of cheating each other Chandralekha is making friends with the thieves. When she discovers that Vikram is stopping at nothing - especially not at dead bodies - on his hunt after the loot, she informs the three others about the real value of the code card. In the following pursuit between Vikram, the four heroes and a special police brigade which has to get back the money before a state crisis comes about, there is not only fierce action, but also love comes to its own.

Cast

• Prashanth as Azhagu
• Anand as Kadhir
• Heera Rajagopal as Rasathi
• Anu Agarwal as Chandralekha
• S. P. Balasubramaniam as Laxminarayanan
• Salim Ghouse as T.T. Vikram
• Malaysia Vasudevan
• Thalaivasal Vijay

Production

J. D. Chakravarthy was initially meant to play the role of Kadhir, but was ultimately replaced by Anand. Salim Ghouse, a renowned theatre artist, was roped into play an antagonist in a rare commercial film appearance.^[2] Aishwarya, daughter of actress Lakshmi, was also approached for a role in the film but refused the opportunity. K. V. Anand was amongst P. C. Sriram's assistant cinematographers in the film.^[3]

Soundtrack

Thiruda Thiruda: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman
Released	1993
Recorded	Panchathan Record Inn
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	31:51
Label	Magnasound Bayshore
Producer	A. R. Rahman

The soundtrack features 8 songs composed by A. R. Rahman, with lyrics by Vairamuthu. The album, along with that of Roja is regarded as a masterpiece from the acclaimed musician with many fans considering it among his best work, and helped establish Rahman as one of the top artistes in South India. The film's songs are notable for two reasons - the introduction of relatively unknown vocalists into mainstream Tamil playback singing and the extensive use of experimental sounds, including (Western) orchestral elements and techno instrumental music in familiar Indian cinematic music settings. While vocalist Anupama in the technopop song Chandralekha and the Chinese singer Caroline in Thee Thee sang their first mainstream songs, the late singer Shahul Hameed was roped in to sing Raasathi. Major innovations in Indian music include Acapella (extensive instrumental use of human voices) in Thee Thee and Raasathi and the incorporation of operatic and techno elements in the main theme and in Chandralekha. The song Veerapandi Kottayile became a big hit across South India, inspiring the tune for a popular Malayalam slogan, "Thekku Thekkoru Deshathu".^[4]

References

External links

• Thiruda Thiruda at the Internet Movie Database