Thirumalai Thenkumari
Thirumalai Thenkumari (transl. From Tirupati to Kanyakumari) is a 1970 Tamil-language Indian road film written and directed by A. P. Nagarajan. Inspired by the 1969 film If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, it features an ensemble cast consisting of Sivakumar, Kumari Padmini, Rama Prabha, Shylashri, Manorama, Sirkazhi Govindarajan and Suruli Rajan. The film focuses on a group of passengers who embark on a pilgrimage across South India. It was commercially successful, and won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.
| Thirumalai Thenkumari | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover | |
| Directed by | A. P. Nagarajan |
| Produced by | C. Paramasivan |
| Written by | A. P. Nagarajan[1] |
| Starring | Sivakumar Kumari Padmini Sirkazhi Govindarajan Manorama Suruli Rajan Gandhimathi Rama Prabha Shylashri |
| Music by | Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan |
| Cinematography | W. R. Subba Rao |
| Edited by | T. Vijayarangam |
Production company | Sree Vijayalakshmi Pictures |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Plot
Ten to twelve families from different walks of life, different age groups and different languages unite for a pilgrimage, beginning with Tirupati and going as far as Kanyakumari.
Cast
- Actors
- Sivakumar as Sekhar
- Sirkazhi Govindarajan as Siva Chidambara Bhagvathar[2]
- Suruli Rajan as Mannaru
- K. D. Santhanam as Chokkalingam
- Typist Gopu as Velu
- Gopalakrishnan as Prohit
- Master Prabhakar as Ramani
- A. K. Veerasami
- A. Sasikumar as Mohan
- Chandran Babu as Kumar
- Haranath
- Actresses
- Kumari Padmini as Geetha
- Rama Prabha as Saroja Mohan
- A. Sakunthala as Lalitha
- Manorama as Muniyamma
- Gandhimathi as Ramani' Grand Mother
- Shylashri
- Vasantha
- Nalina
- Usha
- P. Seethalakshmi as Rajeswari
- S. N. Parvathy
Production
Thirumalai Thenkumari was among the earliest road films in Tamil cinema,[3] and took inspiration from the 1969 film If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium. Unlike the original, it was given a "religious twist", with its premise focusing on a group of passengers who embark on a pilgrimage across South India, visiting places like Tirupati and Madurai. The film was actually shot in the places depicted onscreen, as opposed to using sets.[4] Since it was previously believed in the Tamil film industry that writer-director A. P. Nagarajan's films were successful only because of their star cast and "mammoth" scales, rather than his directorial skills, he made this film, which featured mostly newcomers, to silence his critics.[5] Cinematography was handled by W. R. Subba Rao,[4] the art direction by Ganga, and the editing by T. Vijayarangam.[1] The film, which was produced by C. Paramasivan under the banner Sree Vijayalakshmi Pictures, was completed within a month.[6]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film was composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan.[7] He based the song "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" on the Suprabhatam.[8] The song "Madhurai Arasaalum" is set in the carnatic raga known as Ragamalika.[9] "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" and "Madhurai Arasaalum" were written by Ulundurpettai Shanmugam.[10]
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Azhage Thamizhe Nee" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan, Sarala, M. R. Vijaya, Manorama, Dharapuram Sundararajan, L. R. Anjali, A. L. Raghavan | 6:15 |
| 2. | "Guruvayoorappa" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan | 3:34 |
| 3. | "Kaliyaatha Kalviyum" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan | 2:55 |
| 4. | "Madhurai Arasaalum" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan, L. R. Eswari, M. R. Vijaya | 5:49 |
| 5. | "Sinthanaiyil Medaikatti" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan, Sarala | 3:16 |
| 6. | "Thiralmani Kathirgal and Neelakkada" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan, L. R. Eswari | 4:09 |
| 7. | "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" | Sirkazhi Govindarajan | 3:20 |
Release and reception
Thirumalai Thenkumari was released on 15 August 1970.[11] The film was a commercial success,[4] and won in three categories at the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards: Best Music Director (Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan), Best Male Playback Singer (Sirkazhi Govindarajan), and a Special Prize.[12] In 2016, film historian Randor Guy said the film would be remembered for "The music, and fine performances by veteran actors".[4]
References
- Nagarajan, A. P. (1970). Thirumalai Thenkumari (motion picture) (in Tamil). Sree Vijayalakshmi Pictures. Opening credits, from 0:00 to 3:20.
- ""Kalaimamani" Sirkali's Memorable Movies". Sirkali.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- Guy, Randor (29 September 2012). "Madras To Pondicherry 1966". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- Guy, Randor (1 October 2016). "Thirumalai Thenkumari (1970) TAMIL". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- Raghavan, Nikhil (5 September 2012). "Classic gets a new life". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- "பிளாஷ்பேக் : சொல்லி அடித்த ஏ.பி.நாகராஜன்". Dinamalar (in Tamil). 17 January 2017. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- "Thirumalai Thenkumari". JioSaavn. 1970. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- Sundaresan, P. N., ed. (1996). "Innovator". Sruti. p. 25. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018.
- Padmanabhan, S. (29 January 2018). "It is rewind time at Margazhi Mahotsavam". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- "திரையிசை வளர்த்த தமிழ்க் கவிகள் - பாகம்-2". Dinamani (in Tamil). 26 March 2018. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- "திருமலை தென்குமரி". Vellitthirai.com (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- Anandan, ‘Film News’ (2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [Tamil Film History and Its Achievements]. Sivagami Publications. p. 738.