Thavamai Thavamirundhu

Thavamai Thavamirundhu (transl. Before and after the Penance) is a 2005 Tamil language drama film written and directed by Cheran. The film stars himself and Padmapriya in lead roles with Rajkiran, Saranya, Senthil Kumar, and Meenal portraying supporting roles. The music was composed by the duo Sabesh-Murali with cinematography by M. S. Prabhu and editing by B. Lenin. The film released on 2 December 2005.

Thavamai Thavamirundu
Directed byCheran
Produced byP. Shanmugam
Written byCheran
Starring
Music bySabesh-Murali
CinematographyM. S. Prabhu
Edited byB. Lenin
Production
company
Cirussti
Release date
2 December 2005
Running time
Original Cut:
275 minutes
Theatrical Cut:
204 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

The film won the National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare. At 275 minutes, it is the second longest Indian film by runtime.[1]

The film is a penetrating and artistic depiction of familial bond, underscored by a set of life value messages. It explores the father-son relationship, and particularly charts the travails an Indian father goes through in raising his sons. The film received positive reviews from critics praising the film's plot, performances, and cinematography but criticized the film's lengthy running time. The movie briefly touches upon other relationships, such as the relationship of married couples and of two brothers. The main story, however, revolves around the important role a father plays in today's society. It sensitively portrays the struggles of a father whose main priority in life is the well-being of his children, and who is determined to see his children grow up to become decent, successful people.

It also conveys how love and affection can immensely help a family tide over all the highs and lows of life. This movie is really special in the sense that there are many Indian films that touch upon maternity and the central role of a mother in the well-being of a family, but this is one of the few films that focuses on the important role played by the father in a family.

It is a very touching portrayal of the parental roles — the father by Rajkiran and the mother by Saranya. Director Cheran has excelled in his role as a confused youth unable to resist the temptations of an adolescent life and later as the head of the family who takes care of his parents, wife, and children. The modern viewer can appreciate the life lessons witnessed in Cheran's Thavamai Thavamirundhu.

Plot

The movie begins with Muthaiah (Rajkiran) being admitted into the hospital due to a serious head injury. The incident that led to the injury is kept in suspense for the audience.

The story is narrated by Muthaiah's second son Ramalingam (Cheran), when he comes to visit his father in the hospital. Overcome by emotions, he recollects, along his trip, bits and pieces of memories from his younger days with his father.

The first part of the story is about how Muthaiah, a father in a lower-middle-class family, struggles to raise his children. Muthaiah runs a printing press and works really hard to make ends meet, but he still has to borrow money from the exploitive local moneylenders to give his sons a good education. There is a scene where the children are eagerly expecting their father to return home with gifts during festive season, and the father encounters a setback in the cash flow in his business, and yet seizes an opportunity to make some money by working throughout the night. This scene encapsulates the sacrifices the father makes for the happiness of his sons.

The story then moves to the teenage years of the children, where they find it hard to resist the temptations of the adolescent stage of life. Ramalingam is a good student and gets admitted to an engineering college, where he gradually falls in love with his classmate Vasanthi (Padmapriya). Ramalingam finds freedom when he moves from his home to his college residence. When Ramalingam is madly in love with the girl, there is an opportunity for them to have moments of privacy, and they succumb to temptation. This leads to an accidental pregnancy and raises questions about their future. Meanwhile, Ramalingam's brother Ramanathan (Senthil Kumar) was married and just had a child. Ramanathan has a misunderstanding with his father and walks out of his parent's home. The main cause of friction within the family is the lack of privacy for Ramanathan and his wife (Meenal) and a lack of freedom for the young couple to run the day-to-day affairs of their family.

Alas, the father expects his sons to help him repay the loans he had to borrow for their education, and they reconcile with each other. During this chaos, Ramalingam is not able find an opportunity to confess his mistake to his parents. As time runs out, Ramalingam and Vasanthi elope to Chennai, unable to reveal the truth about the pregnancy to their respective parents and face a very uncertain future. They decide to get married and search for jobs. Ramalingam is unable to find a well-paying job and takes up a job in a printing press as a stop-gap arrangement. He has to console Vasanthi in a few situations when he himself is facing a lot of trials and tubulations. Ramalingam and Vasanthi are a loving couple in spite of being in a poor financial situation.

Vasanthi eventually gives birth to a daughter, but Ramalingam struggles to pay for medical expenses. He calls his former classmate and borrows money from his friend. The friend informs Ramalingam's father about Ramalingam's situation. Muthaiah comes to meet Ramalingam and gives him some cash for the sake of the new born child. He also recalls how he himself faced a cash crunch when Ramalingam was born. Ramalingam and Vasanthi are touched by Muthaiah's gesture and decide to move back to Ramalingam's village to get the support from his family in raising the child. They find acceptance from their parents and are relieved. Slowly, Ramalingam finds a good job and moves up in his career. The family becomes more comfortable, and they move to Madurai. They become very close-knit. Ramalingam is responsible and cares for his parents.

Ramalingam facilitates a family reunion with his brother's family, and they reconcile with each other. Meanwhile, Ramalingam's mother Saradha (Saranya) passes away after many years of happy and satisfying family life with Ramalingam's family. After Saradha's final rites, Muthaiah decides to stay in the village to relive the days that he spent with his deceased wife. Meanwhile, Ramanathan comes to his father to ask for some financial help by selling their family home in the village, and Muthaiah gets upset. While upset, Muthaiah slips and falls into a well. He is treated in the hospital but unfortunately succumbs to his injuries and passes away.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album is composed by the musical duo Sabesh-Murali.[2]

Track list[3]
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Ore Oru Oorukkulle"SnehanSabesh, Jayakumar5.55
2."Unnai Saranadaindhen"ThenmozhiPrasanna, Kalyani3.52
3."Oru Muraidhan"Pa. VijayUnni Menon6.07
4."Yenna Paarkkirai"CheranYugendran, Suchitra3.58
5."Aakkatti"SA. PerumalJayamurthi4.31
6."Theme" Sarath, Madhu Balakrishnan, Sudha Ragunadhan4.28
7."Aavaaram Poove"ThenmozhiMadhu Balakrishnan2.24
Total length:29.55

Release

Critical reception

Sify wrote "Cheran has kept the flag of uncompromised cinema flying and is one of the handful of directors, whose calling card remain his artistry over the medium. Once again its time to rejoice as his latest Thavamai Thavamirundhu is brilliant and appeals as much to the mind as the heart."[4] Behindwoods wrote "This is a family story that will be liked by all especially the elders. The dialogues are also sentimental and how parents should be treated for whatever they do is highlighted by Cheran".[5]

Box office
  • The film grossed $120 million at the box office.[6]
  • Initially, the run time was four hours and thirty-five minutes. Exhibitors forced the director to trim the film to accommodate more shows per day.[7]

Awards and nominations
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References
  1. "Cinema Records". Hindustan Times. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  2. https://www.saavn.com/album/thavamai-thavamirundhu/udzwWA-RxSQ_
  3. "Thavamai Thavamirundu". raaga.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  4. http://www.sify.com/movies/thavamai-thavamirundhu-review-tamil-pclvObfhagcjb.html
  5. http://www.behindwoods.com/features/Reviews/reviews1/thavamaithavamirunthu/tamil-movie-review-thavamaithavamirunthu.html
  6. http://www.sify.com/movies/boxoffice.php?id=plupluegfdhgb
  7. "Cheran trims `TT`". Sify. 8 December 2005. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
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