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Thappida Thala

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1978 film by K. Balachander

Thappida Thala
Thappu Thalangal
VCD cover in Kannada
Directed byK. Balachander
Written byK. Balachander
Produced byKannada:
B. A. Ramanujacharya Pandit
B M. Venkatesh
Chandulal Jain
Prasanna Kumar
Tamil:
R. Venkataraman
Starring
CinematographyB. S. Lokanath
Edited byN. R. Kittu
Music byVijaya Bhaskar
Production
companies		Lalitha Lakshmi Combines (Kannada)
Premaalaya (Tamil)
Release dates
  • 6 October 1978 (1978-10-06) (Kannada)
  • 30 October 1978 (1978-10-30) (Tamil)
Running time131 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesKannada
Tamil

Thappida Thala (transl. Wrong talas) is a 1978 Indian crime drama film directed by K. Balachander, starring Rajinikanth and Saritha in her film debut. It was simultaneously shot in Kannada and Tamil with the latter version titled as Thappu Thalangal (pronounced [tappu taːɭaŋɡaɭ] transl. Wrong talas). The film was remade in Malayalam as Kazhukan (1979). The film was widely appreciated for the performances of Rajinikanth and Saritha.

Plot

Devu, a local thug whose weapon of choice is a bicycle chain he sports casually around the neck. Devu charges ₹ 30 to slice a finger, ₹ 300 to chop a hand, ₹ 3000 for the leg, and ten times as much to dispose off the whole body. On one of his nightly rounds, Devu is pursued by a cop and seeks refuge at a sex worker house run by a prostitute Sarasu. Despite her vehement protests, he stays put and leaves only at daybreak, but her persistent cough stays with him. At a theatre, Devu watches an advertisement for Glycodin Cough Syrup and proceeds to buy her a bottle. Devu and Sarasu bond over the cough syrup and philosophise late into the night, exchanging notes on their immoral lifestyles.

Devu's assault on a trade union leader delivering medicine to a critically ill worker leads to a mishap. Watching the wailings of the widow of the worker, Devu is traumatised and breaks down at Sarasu's place. In an inspired moment, he suggests they remap their lives and chart a moral course. Sarasu is attracted by the notion of giving up prostitution and leading a normal life as Devu's wife, though she wonders if they'll be able to pull it off. The couple go to great lengths to secure a job for Devu and lead a normal life, but there are too many skeletons in the closet. Devu is no longer feared for his might, and Sarasu's past clientele continue to haunt the joint. Sarasu gets a loan for Devu from his evil brother Soma, who continues to harass her on that pretext. In a particularly traumatic sequence of events, Sarasu is raped by Soma as a helpless Devu watches, pinned down by Soma's henchmen. The couple resolve to repay Soma's loan, and Devu undertakes a botched robbery attempt. Devu is imprisoned and in his absence, Sarasu has an abortion. The couple's plans for normality never attain fruition. The inevitable return to lives of vice is especially tragic and heartbreaking.

Devu's inherent goodness is contrasted with his "evil twin", a stepbrother Soma who thwarts his every attempt at morality and finally succumbs at Devu's hands.

Cast

Soundtrack

All songs were written by Hunsur Krishnamurthy in Kannada and Kannadasan in Tamil, and composed by Vijaya Bhaskar.

Kannada
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Thappida Thalagalu"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
2."Yaathara Vichithra Baalu"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam 
3."Olavinda Nalle"Vani Jairam 
Tamil
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Azhagana Ilamangai"Vani Jairam3:25
2."Ennada Polladha"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam3:31
3."Thappu Thalangal"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam4:44
Total length:11:40

Reception

Although Thappida Thala was a box office success, Thappu Thalangal was not. Reviewing the latter, Ananda Vikatan rated the film 52 out of 100.

References

  1. "10 Retro Rajini films that still work". Behindwoods. 10 August 2016. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  2. ^ "Rajinikanth-starrer Thappu Thalangal Completes 45 Years Of Release". News18. 1 November 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  3. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (2014) . Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography. New Delhi: Penguin Books. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-14-342111-5.
  4. Narayan, Hari (20 July 2016). "Rajini's Big B-eautiful career". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2018.
  5. Khajane, Muralidhara (24 December 2014). "K. Balachander left a mark on Kannada cinema". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  6. "Thapputhalangal Tamil Film EP Vinyl Record by Vijayabhaskar". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  7. "Thappu Thaalangal (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Single". Apple Music. 1 December 1978. Archived from the original on 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  8. "Thappida Thala". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  9. "Deepika impresses Soundarya with her dedication". The Times of India. 18 October 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2024. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  10. "ರಜನಿಕಾಂತ್ ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಭಿನಯಿಸಿದ ಕೊನೆಯ ಸಿನಿಮಾ ಯಾವುದು? ಕನ್ನಡ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳಿಂದ ದೂರ ಉಳಿದಿದ್ದೇಕೆ ರಜನಿ?". kannadanews.today (in Kannada). 11 May 2023. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  11. ராம்ஜி, வி. (1 November 2020). "எஸ்.பி.பி.யின் 'இதுக்குப் போயி அலட்டிக்கலாமா?'; பாலசந்தரின் சரியான தாளங்கள்... 'தப்புத்தாளங்கள்'!". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  12. "75ல் ஆரம்பம்; 78ல் 15 படங்கள் - ரஜினி வளர்ச்சியின் முதல் பாய்ச்சல்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 3 November 2019. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  13. "விகடன் பொக்கிஷம்: ஒரு தீபாவளி... 11 படங்கள்!". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 19 November 2020. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.

External links

K. Balachander
As a
director
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Writer only
See also
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