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'''''Thillana Mohanambal''''' ({{lang-en|''The Dance Queen Mohanambal''}}) is a 1968 Indian [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] [[Musical film|musical]]-[[drama film]] written, directed, distributed and produced by [[A. P. Nagarajan]]. The film stars [[Sivaji Ganesan]], [[Padmini (actress)|Padmini]] and [[T. S. Balaiah]] in the lead roles, with [[A. V. M. Rajan]], [[Nagesh]] and [[Manorama (Tamil actress)|Manorama]] in supporting roles. Its story is about a ''[[Nadaswaram]]''{{efn|The ''Nadaswaram'' is a [[wind instrument]] similar to the [[North India]]n ''[[Shehnai]]'' but much longer, with a [[hardwood]] body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.}} player who falls in love with a ''[[Bharata Natyam|Bharatanatyam]]'' dancer who reciprocates his feelings, but unfortunate circumstances and their egoistic nature prevents them from confessing their love for one another. How they overcome their self-created obstacles and those created by the people around them forms the rest of the story.
'''''Thillana Mohanambal''''' ({{lang-en|''The Dance Queen Mohanambal''}}) is a 1968 Indian [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] [[Musical film|musical]]-[[drama film]] written, directed, distributed and produced by [[A. P. Nagarajan]]. The film stars [[Sivaji Ganesan]], [[Padmini (actress)|Padmini]] and [[T. S. Balaiah]] in the lead roles, with [[A. V. M. Rajan]], [[Nagesh]] and [[Manorama (Tamil actress)|Manorama]] in supporting roles. It tells the story of about Shanmugasundaram, a ''[[Nadaswaram]]''{{efn|The ''Nadaswaram'' is a [[wind instrument]] similar to the [[North India]]n ''[[Shehnai]]'' but much longer, with a [[hardwood]] body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.}} player who falls in love with Mohanambal, a ''[[Bharata Natyam|Bharatanatyam]]'' dancer who reciprocates his feelings, but unfortunate circumstances and their egoistic nature prevents them from confessing their love for one another. How they overcome their self-created obstacles and those created by the people around them forms the rest of the story.


The film was adapted from [[Kothamangalam Subbu]]'s novel of the same name, which was published as a series of weekly chapters in the Tamil magazine ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' in 1956. The film was mostly shot in [[Thanjavur]], [[Thiruvarur]] and [[Madurai]]. Its original soundtrack was composed by [[K. V. Mahadevan]], and songs like "Nalandhana", "Maraindhirundhu" and "Pandian Naanirukka" remain popular today among the [[Tamil diaspora]].
The film was adapted from [[Kothamangalam Subbu]]'s novel of the same name, which was published as a series of weekly chapters in the Tamil magazine ''[[Ananda Vikatan]]'' in 1956. The film was mostly shot in [[Thanjavur]], [[Thiruvarur]] and [[Madurai]]. Its original soundtrack was composed by [[K. V. Mahadevan]], and songs like "Nalandhana", "Maraindhirundhu" and "Pandian Naanirukka" remain popular today among the [[Tamil diaspora]].


''Thillana Mohanambal'' was released on 27 July 1968. The film's release prints were {{Convert|4825|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and were contained on 19 reels. Critically acclaimed for subtly portraying the socio-cultural environment and the [[Thanjavur#Tourism and Culture|Thanjavur]] culture of dance and music prevailing at that time, it won two [[National Film Awards (India)|National Film Awards]] and five [[Tamil Nadu State Film Awards]]. ''Thillana Mohanambal'' has since acquired [[Cult film|cult status]] in Tamil cinema, and inspired several later films with similar themes of music and dance. It was dubbed and released in [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] as ''Raja Narthaki'' on 12 July 1985.
''Thillana Mohanambal'' was released on 27 July 1968. The film's release prints were {{Convert|4825|m|ft|abbr=on}} long and were contained on 19 reels. Critically acclaimed for subtly portraying the socio-cultural environment and the [[Thanjavur#Tourism and Culture|Thanjavur]] culture of dance and music prevailing at that time, it was also a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. The film won two [[National Film Awards (India)|National Film Awards]] {{Mdash}} [[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil|Best Feature Film in Tamil]] (President's Silver Medal) and [[National Film Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] {{Mdash}} and five [[Tamil Nadu State Film Awards]]. ''Thillana Mohanambal'' has since acquired [[Cult film|cult status]] in Tamil cinema, and inspired several later films with similar themes of music and dance. It was dubbed and released in [[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] as ''Raja Narthaki'' on 12 July 1985.


== Plot ==
== Plot ==

Revision as of 05:46, 18 October 2015

Thillana Mohanambal
File:Thillaanaa Mohanambal poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byA. P. Nagarajan
Written byA. P. Nagarajan
Produced byA. P. Nagarajan
Starring
CinematographyK. S. Prasad
Edited byM. N. Rajan
T. R. Natarajan
Music byK. V. Mahadevan
Production
company
Sri Vijayalakshmi Pictures
Distributed bySri Vijayalakshmi Pictures
Release date
  • 27 July 1968 (1968-07-27)
Running time
165-175 minutes[a]
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

Thillana Mohanambal ([The Dance Queen Mohanambal] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)) is a 1968 Indian Tamil musical-drama film written, directed, distributed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah in the lead roles, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting roles. It tells the story of about Shanmugasundaram, a Nadaswaram[b] player who falls in love with Mohanambal, a Bharatanatyam dancer who reciprocates his feelings, but unfortunate circumstances and their egoistic nature prevents them from confessing their love for one another. How they overcome their self-created obstacles and those created by the people around them forms the rest of the story.

The film was adapted from Kothamangalam Subbu's novel of the same name, which was published as a series of weekly chapters in the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan in 1956. The film was mostly shot in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Madurai. Its original soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, and songs like "Nalandhana", "Maraindhirundhu" and "Pandian Naanirukka" remain popular today among the Tamil diaspora.

Thillana Mohanambal was released on 27 July 1968. The film's release prints were 4,825 m (15,830 ft) long and were contained on 19 reels. Critically acclaimed for subtly portraying the socio-cultural environment and the Thanjavur culture of dance and music prevailing at that time, it was also a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. The film won two National Film Awards — Best Feature Film in Tamil (President's Silver Medal) and Best Cinematography — and five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Thillana Mohanambal has since acquired cult status in Tamil cinema, and inspired several later films with similar themes of music and dance. It was dubbed and released in Telugu as Raja Narthaki on 12 July 1985.

Plot

"Sikkal" Shanmugasundaram (Sundaram) (Sivaji Ganesan) is a devoted Nadaswaram player, but is short-tempered and sensitive. He meets Mohanambal (Mohana) (Padmini), a Bharatnatyam dancer, and they fall in love with each other. Sundaram's ego prevents him from developing his relationship with Mohanambal, who asks him to play a Thillana on his Nadaswaram while she dances. Mohanambal's mother Vadivambal (C. K. Saraswathi), an influential and mercenary woman, wants her daughter to marry a wealthy man so that she can settle down in life properly. Blinded by love, she disobeys her mother, creating a rift between them. Unaware of her feelings, Sundaram decides to leave the country along with Karuppayi (Manorama), a folk dancer whom he considers to be his sister. Mohana calls him a coward and challenges him to stay, which he readily accepts. In a temple, Sundaram plays the Thillana and Mohana dances. Sundaram, impressed with Mohana's performance, crowns her the title "Thillana Mohanambal". Suddenly Nagalingam (E. R. Sahadevan), a landlord who wanted to marry Mohana, turns up to stab Sundaram with a poisoned knife out of jealousy. He came to the temple to kill Mohana.

Sundaram is admitted to hospital but recovers from the incident. Later, he and Mohana meet in a concert programme where they perform, against Mohana's mother's wishes. For his personal gains, "Savadal" Vaithi (Nagesh), a cunning man, befriends the Maharaja of Madhanpur (M. N. Nambiar), who is the programme's chief guest. Vaithi promises to make Mohana the Maharaja's mistress. Vaithi traps Mohana by telling her that the Maharaja has invited Nadhaswaram and Bharatanatyam performers to perform in his palace, and that Sundaram has also decided to attend. Mohana immediately accepts the offer and the two visit Madhanpur. Vaithi treats Sundaram's group badly and Sundaram decides to leave. He sees Mohana visiting the Maharaja's room. The Maharaja asks Mohana to be his mistress. but she rejects his advances and is rescued by the Maharaja's wife, the Maharani. Sundaram decides that Mohana does not love him, despite her repeated denial of the Maharaja's offer. Depressed, Mohana runs away. The Maharaja reveals the truth to Sundaram that Mohana had refused his offer and she only loves Sundaram. Sundaram realises his mistake, and rushes to apologize to Mohana, but sees her trying to hang herself from the ceiling of a room in which she had locked herself. He screams to her to stop and promises he will never doubt her love again. Sundaram breaks down the door and saves Mohana and they happily marry, with the approval of her mother. Vaithi is arrested for his crimes.

Cast

Lead actors
Male supporting actors
Female supporting actors
  • Manorama as Karuppayi / "Jil Jil" Ramamani / Rosa Rani
  • C. K. Saraswathi as Vadivambal, Mohana's mother
  • Shanmugasundari as Veena player in Mohana's troupe
  • M. Saroja as Vethalai Petti, Mohana's mother's maid
  • M. L. Bhanumathi as a nurse

Production

Development

"We were happy but felt very nervous as we had very little film experience [...] Sivaji Ganesan listened to us lying on Kannadasan's lap. After a three-hour performance they showered ‘sabashs' and then director APN confirmed our selection for the film."

 – M. P. N. Ponnusamy on his inclusion in the film along with his brother, M. P. N. Sethuraman.[3]

Thillana Mohanambal is based on the novel of the same name, written by Kothamangalam Subbu under the pseudonym of "Kalaimani". It was published as a series of weekly chapters in the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan. The story portrayed the relationship between Mohanambal (Mohana), a celebrated dancer, and Shanmugasundaram, a Nadaswaram musician. The novel was popular in 1956 when it was publicised.[4][5][6]

S. S. Vasan, who held the rights to the book, initially refused to allow director Nagarajan to make the film because Vasan wanted to make a film adaptation himself. When Nagarajan approached him later, Vasan gave him the rights without any consideration.[7] Nagarajan paid Vasan ₹25,000 (about US$3,300 in 1968),[c] but also went to visit Subbu with an additional ₹10,000 (about US$1,300 in 1968).[c] Subbu declined the money, saying that Vasan had forwarded him the money that Nagarajan had paid earlier.[9]

Nagarajan produced the film under his production company, Sri Vijayalakshmi Pictures. K. S. Prasad was in charge of the film's cinematography, M. N. Rajan and T. R. Natarajan jointly handled the editing, and Ganga was the film's art director.[2] R. Rangasamy was Ganesan's make-up artist.[10]

Casting

Because the protagonist of the film is a dancer, Nagarajan wanted Padmini to play the role. Padmini had retired from films and had settled in the United States with her husband Ramachandran at that time. Nagarajan included her in the film after seeking her husband's permission.[7] Padmini's character, Mohanambal, competed with Ganesan's character, Shanmugasundaram, professionally.[11] Ganesan's character is a Nadaswaram player named Shanmugasundaram, who earned the suffix "Sikkal" due to his place of birth being in Sikkal and also because of his tendency to get into trouble.[2] Ganesan attended Carnatic music concerts, and consulted Carnatic musicians in preparation for his role.[12][13] T. S. Balaiah portrayed Muthurakku, the Thavil player. Tiruvidaimarudur Venkatesan played the instrument Thavil off-screen for Balaiah.[14] Balaiah had additional training for playing the instrument.[12] Madurai T. Srinivasan played the Mridangam off-screen for the song "Maraindhirundhe Paarkum".[15]

“In the film, I only acted as if I was playing the instrument. I did not really play the instrument, but altered my facial expressions to give the impression that I was. I moved my fingers on the surface of the instrument, held my breath intermittently, and created an illusion on the screen with my facial expressions.”

 – Sivaji Ganesan, as he was quoted saying in the English edition of Autobiography of an Actor: Sivaji Ganesan, October 1928-July 2001.[16]

A. V. M. Rajan portrayed Shanmugasundaram's brother Thangarathnam.[7] According to playwright Crazy Mohan, sketch artist Gopulu's caricature of the character Vaithi was similar to Nagesh, who portrayed Vaithi in the film.[17][18] Manorama played the wildly expressive, loud-talking but tender-hearted character Karuppayi alias Jil Jil Ramamani. In an interview with Maalai Malar, Manorama stated that she was initially nervous acting in front of Ganesan and Balaiah, but Nagarajan assured her that whenever her character appeared she would be the centre of attention, which gave her the confidence to play her role.[19] Serial and theatre artist M. L. Bhanumathi played the nurse who treats Shanmugasundaram.[20] Other supporting actors included S. Ramarao, M. K. Murthy, Balusundaram, T. N. Sivadhanu, S. R. Dasarathan, Sivasooriyan, Senthamarai, Kallapart Natarajan, Gundu Karuppaiah, Chandranbabu, S. V. Rajagopal, A. M. Maruthappa, Udayachandrika, Ambika, Kalpalatha.[21]

The Nadaswaram played by Ganesan and Rajan was played off-screen by the brothers, M. P. N. Sethuraman and M. P. N. Ponnusamy.[7] Nagarajan had seen the duo performing at a wedding reception in Karaikudi and asked them to come to Chennai.[3] Their rehearsals took place over 15 days in Mahadevan's recording studio in Chennai.[22] Nagarajan then listened to a radio recital by the duo, and was impressed with their rendition of Thyagaraja's Keerthana, "Nagumomu Ganaleni". The Keerthana was later selected as one of the soundtrack instrumentals in the film.[23] After Thillana Mohanambal's release, a Russian delegation met Ganesan in person. They were surprised to hear that he was only acting and not actually playing the Nadaswaram.[24]

Filming

Thillana Mohanambal, shot in Eastman Color, [2] was filmed in Thanjavur,[2] Thiruvarur and Madurai,[25] in the Cauvery delta.[26] Many of the film's aesthetics were borrowed from Indian theatre, of which Nagarajan was an artist.[27] The competition sequence between Ganesan and Padmini took about nine takes to be filmed.[3] The film presented a mise en scène feel, mostly using frontal shots. The actors were lined up to face the camera and deliver their dialogue. Nagarajan, a former employee of the T. K. S. drama company, paid tribute to Shankardas Swamigal—from whom the company had its ancestral roots—by naming a drama company in the film after the company's name.[28] Snippets of the film's behind-the-scenes production were filmed by French film director Louis Malle as a part of his 378-minute, seven-part documentary series, L'Inde fantôme: Reflexions sur un voyage (1969), when he visited Madras.[29][30][31]

The film shows the traditions exhibited by courtesans, Zamindars in coaches drawn by horses, and palaces that resembled 19th century architecture. The contemporary areas of Madurai and Thanjavur, especially their railway junctions, gave the film a sense of ambiguity that was then very common in Tamil cinema.[25] The film recreated the manner in which the Devadasis were portrayed in the early 20th century,[32] and also depicts the social conditions and the upper class milieu in Thanjavur.[33] Real locations were mixed with the fictional town of Madhanpur, which was ruled by a king portrayed by Nambiar.[28] The song "Pandian Naanirukken" was inspired from a stage play named Sadharam.[34]

Music

Untitled

The film's soundtrack and score were composed by K. V. Mahadevan, while the lyrics were written by Kannadasan.[35] Ganesan did not have a playback singer for any of the songs in the film.[7] The instrumental pieces "English Notes" and "Nadaswaram Bit" were originally composed by Muthiah Bhagavathar.[36] After performing them at Ganesan's 42nd birthday celebrations, Ponnusamy and Seetharaman were asked to play them in the film.[3] "Maraindhirundhu" was based on Shanmukhapriya raga.[37] "Nalandhana" was based on Nilamani raga, which closely resembles Shivaranjani raga.[38] The first line of "Nalandhana" was later used in the film Silambattam (2008).[39] Under Mahadevan's supervision, Pugazhendi set the Sangatis[d] for the film's soundtrack and score.[22] The soundtrack was released by the record label Saregama.[35]

The soundtrack received positive reviews from critics. Singer Charulatha Mani wrote for the The Hindu on "Nalandhana" that, " ... one can feel the proximity in musicality. The Thavil beats, Nadaswara refrains and the honeyed voice all blend into an inviting melody composed by K.V. Mahadevan."[38] For "Maraindhirundhu" she said, "The nadaswaram and thavil back-ups for this song and the jathi-s give it its typical classical flavour. 'Thooyane mayavaa mayane velava ennai aalum Shanmuga vaa' – these lines represent the ideal confluence of raga, bhava and lyric, a perfect foil to each other."[37] G. Dhananjayan said in his book The Best of Tamil Cinema that the songs contributed to the film's success,[41] and the songs "Maraindhirundhu", "Nalandhana" and "Thilladongri Dappankuthu (Pandian Naanirukka)" remain popular till date.[7] Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen in their Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, referred to "Nalandhana" as "[a] major song hit".[28] According to film critic Randor Guy, "Nalandhana" became "one of the memorable song sequences with Sivaji Ganesan and AVM Rajan, playing the Nagaswaram [Nadaswaram] on screen".[42]

Tracklisting

No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Band Music"Instrumental04:48
2."Maraindhirundhu"P. Susheela05:11
3."Pandian Naanirukka"L. R. Eswari, S. C. Krishnan03:18
4."Thillana (Nadaswaram)"Instrumental03:45
5."Nagumomu Ganaleni (Nadaswaram)"Instrumental05:21
6."Nalandhana"P. Susheela05:11
7."Nadaswaram Bit"M. P. N. Ponnusamy, M. P. N. Sethuraman01:25
8."English Notes (Vaithi Dance Sequence)"Instrumental00:59
Total length:29:58

Release and reception

Thillana Mohanambal was released on 27 July 1968.[2] It was released with English subtitles in overseas countries.[13] The film's release prints were 4,825 m (15,830 ft) long and were contained on 19 reels.[2][43] The Telugu dubbed version Raja Narthaki was released on 12 July 1985.[44] The film was shown for six weeks at theatres in Pondicherry,[13] and ran for 100 days in Ganesan's family-owned Shanthi theatre in Chennai. It also completed 100-day runs in theatres in Kovai, Madurai and Trichy,[13] and was eventually shown for 25 weeks.[41]

Thillana Mohanambal was screened in Chennai on 21 April 2010 at the South Indian Film Chamber Theatre for the Dignity Film Festival.[45][46] In November 2011, it was shown at the International Tamil Film Festival held in Uglich, Russia, alongside Chandramukhi (2005), Sivaji (2007), Angadi Theru (2010), Boss Engira Bhaskaran (2010), Thenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010) and Ko (2011).[47]

Critical response

Sundaram and Mohana along with their troupe members in a train.
The train sequence from the film was praised by critics for its humour.

The film received critical acclaim in India and abroad for its song and dance sequences, humour and portrayal of the prevailing socio-cultural milieu at that time.[2] The performances of the actors were praised.[41] The Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan carried an 11-page review of Thillana Mohanambal with a discussion among several prominent people, which included IAS officers, professors and actors who unanimously appreciated the film and the people associated with it.[41] The review's conclusion was, "The director should be given a prize for making such a film".[13] Dhananjayan, in his book The Best of Tamil Cinema, said, "Dance and music were beautifully used as an integral part of the story and not as add-ons." He cited Padmini's Bharatanatyam dances as one of the film's major highlights.[2]

In its original review, The Hindu said, "Thillana Mohanambal encumasses [sic] all the traditional wealth of the culture of Tamilnad".[13] Subha J. Rao and K. Jeshi, in their article "Laughter lines", praised the train scene and the performances of Balaiah and Manorama.[48] The Hindu in its Cinema Plus feature called the film "a perfect combination of music, dance and humour," while also stating that the film can be enjoyed even today.[49] Randor Guy praised Balaiah's acting in the film, saying, "In one song, the famous Tyagaraja kriti in Abheri, ‘Nagumomu Kanaleni’, Balaiah played the thavil in excellent sync with the background song that was recorded earlier in the studio, revealing how adept he really was with the instrument".[50]

The magazine Screen called the film "a brilliantly made entertainer".[13] Dina Thanthi wrote "Not one would not have been mesmerized by the "Thillana" dance sequence".[13] Ramaa of Behindwoods said that Nagesh as Vaithi brought a "new dimension to the comic villain." and appreciated his unique body language and ethnicity in character before concluding his review by saying "Watch it [the film] whenever you can!"[51] IndiaGlitz attributed most of the success of the film to the "ace" actors Sivaji Ganesan and Padmini in the lead and its "solid story."[52]

The British newspaper Daily Mail said Thillana Mohanambal is "a feast to the eyes and ears".[13] Subhashini Pathmanathan of Daily News Sri Lanka praised the film's dance and music sequences.[53] D. B. S Jeyaraj of Daily FT called Sivaji's " ... duel over artistic superiority with Padmini, particularly during the 'Nalanthaana?' song sequence" is a scene that "remains etched in [his] memory".[54]

In 2011, film historian Sundararaj Theodore Baskaran criticised Thillana Mohanambal for its historical inaccuracies, saying that in the film, a Tamil king was seen wearing a Marathi costume, "The film-makers completely neglect the aspects of dress, jewels and weapons that are depicted in our sculptures. They do not even do basic research."[55]

Accolades

Thillana Mohanambal won two National Film Awards and five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards.[41]

Award Ceremony Category Nominee(s) Outcome
National Film Awards 16th National Film Awards[56][41] Best Feature Film in Tamil - President's Silver Medal A. P. Nagarajan Won
Best Cinematography K. S. Prasad Won
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State film Awards - 1968[41] Best Film
(second prize) 		A. P. Nagarajan Won
Best Story Writer Kothamangalam Subbu Won
Best Actress Padmini Won
Best Character Artiste (Male) T. S. Balaiah Won
Best Character Artiste (Female) Manorama Won

Legacy

Thillana Mohanambal became a cult film for bringing the traditional arts of South India into prominence and achieving more popularity than the novel.[41] It became a landmark film for Sivaji Ganesan.[57] Padmini's titular role become so iconic that the film was identified as her pièce de résistance.[58][59] She considered Thillana Mohanambal to be the best film of her career.[60] The film is notable for catapulting Manorama to stardom.[57][61] A dialogue, "enakku anga oru beeda kadai kaarana theriyum (I know a paan shop owner there)", which was spoken by Balaiah, became popular.[62] According to the 2010 book Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai by R. Kannan, C. N. Annadurai sister's granddaughter, Kanmani, would enquire about his well-being during his last days by singing the song, "Nalamdhana".[63]

The film became a trendsetter and inspired several later films with similar themes of music and dance – including Karagattakaran (1989), Sangamam (1999),[41] and Kaaviya Thalaivan (2014).[64] In July 2007, S. R. Ashok Kumar of The Hindu asked eight Tamil film directors to list their all-time favourite Tamil films; four of them – C. V. Sridhar, K. Balachander, J. Mahendran and K. Bhagyaraj – named Thillana Mohanambal.[65] In May 2014, C. V. Raghavan, writing for The Hindu, listed Thillana Mohanambal among his top five films.[66] Actress Kavitha Nair, who made her debut with Mudhal Idam (2011), changed her screen name to Mohana because she liked the character.[67] Actor Jayaprakash referred to the film as "beautifully made", considering it to be a period film.[68] Tamil comedy actor and writer Crazy Mohan stated that the film made his top ten list, and that there was "excellence in all aspects — screenplay, dialogue, comedy, casting, music and direction. A winning combination, indeed. This gives Thillana Mohanambal its timeless appeal".[17] Scriptwriter-Director Viji of Velli Thirai (2008) fame noted how the film showcased the culture of Thanjavur and that the acting performances and film formed a "complete package".[69] In September 2014, Vijay Sethupathi, in an interview with Sudhir Srinivasan of The Hindu, listed Thillana Mohanambal among his favourite films alongside Ratha Kanneer (1954), Puthiya Paravai (1964) and Rajapart Rangadurai (1973).[70]

The prints of the film in 16 mm format were acquired by the American Cultural Association for their archives to represent quintessential old-world Thanjavur culture, and by universities in the USA for the study of Bharatanatyam and Nadaswaram arts in particular.[7][50][71] Thillana Mohanambal is included with other Sivaji Ganesan-starrers in 8th Ulaga Adhisayam Sivaji, a compilation DVD featuring Ganesan's "iconic performances in the form of scenes, songs and stunts" which was released in May 2012.[72] Although film distributor Shanthi Chokkalingam stated in February 2012 that Thillana Mohanambal's remaining prints were "totally damaged",[73] Pradeep Sebastian of Deccan Herald stated in April 2015 that he "recently" saw the film through a restored print.[74]

In popular culture

Thillana Mohanambal has been parodied and referenced many times. In a comedy scene from Karagattakaran, Senthil dances with Kovai Sarala and an onlooker compares them to Sivaji and Padmini's characters from the film, resulting in Goundamani becoming irked by the comment.[75] In the film Villu Pattukaran (1992), Goundamani asks Senthil to play "Nalandhana" on his thavil, resulting in a comical argument between the two.[76] In Muthu (1995), Muthuvel (Rajinikanth), in a conversation with Malayasimman (Sarath Babu), says that Ambalarathar's (Radha Ravi) daughter, Padmini (Subhashri) looks like actress Padmini's character, Mohana, in the film.[77]

When Vadivelu's character Kuzhandaivelu is injured in Middle Class Madhavan (2001), Revathi Sankaran, who plays his in-law in the film, sings "Nalandhana" while enquiring about his health.[78] In Perazhagan (2004), when hunchback Chinna (Suriya) talks about improving his looks, Kuzhandaisamy (Vivek) jokes that if Chinna was given a party horn to play with, he would look like 'Sikkal' Shanmugasundaram.[79] Scenes from Thillana Mohanambal were parodied in Thamizh Padam (2010). The film's poster depicts lead actor Shiva as Ganesan's character, Shanmugasundaram and M. S. Bhaskar as Balaiah's character, Muthurakku.[80][81]

See also

Bharatanatyam in popular culture

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Amazon.com gives the runtime of 175 minutes,[1] whereas the 2011 book The Best of Tamil Cinema by G. Dhananjayan gives the runtime as 165 minutes.[2]
  2. ^ The Nadaswaram is a wind instrument similar to the North Indian Shehnai but much longer, with a hardwood body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.
  3. ^ a b The exchange rate in 1968 was 7.57 Indian rupees (₹) per 1 US dollar (US$).[8]
  4. ^ Sangatis are pre-composed variations in a composition and rendered in a disciplined manner (as opposed to variations born from free improvisation).[40]

References

  1. ^ "Thillana Mohanambal". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Dhananjayan 2011, p. 240.
  3. ^ a b c d Kavitha, S. S. (26 May 2011). "On a musical journey". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  4. ^ CVG (3 October 2000). "Romance of dance and melody". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  5. ^ Narayanan, Sharadha (24 October 2010). "One hundred years of superstardom". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  6. ^ Subramanian 2008, p. 152.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Dhananjayan 2011, p. 241.
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Bibliography

External links

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