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{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name          = '''Pistha'''
| image          = Thoranai poster.jpg
| image          = Thoranai-Poster-02.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster of Tamil version
| image_size    = 235px
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director      = Sabha Ayyappan
| director      = Sabha Ayyappan
| producer      = [[Vikram Krishna]]
| producer      = [[Vikram Krishna]]
| writer        = Sabha Ayyappan
| writer        = Sabha Ayyappan<br />Shashank Vennelakanti (Telugu dialogues)
| starring      = [[Vishal (actor)|Vishal]]<br />[[Shriya Saran]]<br />[[Prakash Raj]]
| starring      = [[Vishal (actor)|Vishal]]<br />[[Shriya Saran]]<br />[[Prakash Raj]]
| music          = [[Mani Sharma]]
| music          = [[Mani Sharma]]
| cinematography = [[Priyan (cinematographer)|Priyan]]
| cinematography = [[Priyan]]
| editing        = [[V. T. Vijayan]]
| editing        = [[V. T. Vijayan]]
| studio        = [[Vikram Krishna|G K Film Corporation]]
| studio        = [[Vikram Krishna|G K Film Corporation]]
| distributor    =  
| distributor    =  
| released      = {{Film date|df=y|2009|5|29|[[India]]}}
| released      = {{Film date|df=y|2009|5|29}}
| runtime        = 148 minutes
| runtime        = 148 minutes
| country        = India
| country        = India
| language      = Tamil <br /> Telugu
| language      = Tamil<br />Telugu
| budget        =  
| budget        =  
| gross          =  
| gross          =  
}}
}}
'''''Thoranai''''' (English: ''Posture'') is a 2009 Indian [[Tamil cinema|Tamil-language]] [[action film|action]] [[comedy film]] written and directed by Sabha Ayyappan, who previously worked as an associate director for ''[[Malaikottai]]'', and produced by [[Vikram Krishna]] under the banner [[Vikram Krishna|G K Film Corporation]]. The film stars [[Vishal (actor)|Vishal]] and [[Shriya Saran]] in the lead roles and [[Prakash Raj]], [[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]], and [[Santhanam (actor)|Santhanam]] in another pivotal roles. Shot simultaneously in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]] languages, the film released in Telugu as '''''Pistha''''' (English: Person with attitude) with  [[Ali (actor)|Ali]] replacing Santhanam as Vishal's friend as well as a different supporting cast.
'''''Thoranai''''' ({{translation|''Posture''}}) or '''''Pistha''''' ({{translation|''Person with attitude''}}) is a 2009 Indian [[masala film]] directed by Sabha Ayyappan and produced by [[Vikram Krishna]] under the banner [[Vikram Krishna|G K Film Corporation]]. It stars [[Vishal (actor)|Vishal]] and [[Shriya Saran]] in the lead roles, while [[Prakash Raj]], [[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore]] and [[Santhanam (actor)|Santhanam]] appear in other pivotal roles. The film was simultaneously shot in [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Telugu language|Telugu]] languages with different supporting cast in the Telugu version. ''Thoranai'' and ''Pistha'' were released on 29 May 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2008/Dec/12/vishals-pista-on-floors-10138.html|title=Vishal's Pista on floors|location=Hyderabad|date=12 December 2008|work=[[The New Indian Express]]|access-date=28 April 2025}}</ref>


==Synopsis==
==Plot==
Guru (Ganesan / Rambabu) ([[Kishore (actor, born 1974)|Kishore Kumar]]) and Tamizharasu / Suryaprakash  ([[Prakash Raj]]) are dreaded gangsters in Chennai/Vizag. They are against pitted each other and fight to establish their supremacy in city. They indulge in gang war painting Chennai / Vizag red. Enters Murugan / Murali Krishna ([[Vishal (actor)|Vishal Reddy]]). A native of Madurai / Ramachandrapuram, he comes to [[Chennai]] / [[Vizag]] with a mission. He leaves his village promising his mother ([[Geetha (actress)|Geetha]]) that he would return only with his brother, who had run away from the house about two decades ago.
Murugan is a native of [[Madurai]] who arrives at [[Chennai]] to find his long-lost brother Ganesan, who had run away from home about two decades ago. Murugan gets stuck in a rivalry between gangsters Guru and Tamizharasu, where he learns that Guru is actually Ganesan. Murugan decides to protect Guru/Ganesan from Tamizharasu and a cat-and-mouse game ensues. Guru/Ganesan finally decide to reform himself where he reunites with Murugan and his mother, while Tamizharasu is killed in a police encounter.
 
Murugan / Murali Krishna gets the help of his friend Vellaichamy / Chittibabu ([[Santhanam (actor)|Santhanam]] / [[Ali (actor)|Ali Basha]]). He comes across the gangsters and a sequence of events results in him incurring both their wrath. In a bloody duel with Guru, he comes to know that he is his brother, whom he has been searching for long. Now he is entrusted with the task of protecting him from Tamizharasu / Suryaprakash. How he accomplishes his task forms the crux.


==Cast==
==Cast==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:50%;"
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
! Actor (Tamil) !! Actor (Telugu) !! Role (Tamil) !! Role (Telugu)
! Actor (Tamil) !! Actor (Telugu) !! Role (Tamil) !! Role (Telugu)
|-  
|-  
Line 38: Line 34:
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Shriya Saran]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Shriya Saran]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Prakash Raj]] || style="text-align:center;"|Tamizharasan || style="text-align:center;"|Suryaprakash
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Prakash Raj]] || style="text-align:center;"|Thamizharasu || style="text-align:center;"|Suryaprakash
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Santhanam (actor)|Santhanam]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Ali (actor)|Ali]]  || style="text-align:center;"|Vellaichamy || style="text-align:center;"| Chittibabu
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Santhanam (actor)|Santhanam]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Ali (actor)|Ali]]  || style="text-align:center;"|Vellaichamy || style="text-align:center;"| Chittibabu
Line 56: Line 52:
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Paravai Muniyamma]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Telangana Shakuntala]]  ||  colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Pachamma Patti
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Paravai Muniyamma]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Telangana Shakuntala]]  ||  colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Pachamma Patti
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Livingston (actor)|Livingston]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Surya (Telugu actor)|Surya]]  || style="text-align:center;"|Murugan's father || style="text-align:center;"|Krishna's father
| style="text-align:center;"| [[J. Livingston|Livingston]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Surya (Telugu actor)|Surya]]  || style="text-align:center;"|Murugan's father || style="text-align:center;"|Krishna's father
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Pandiarajan]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Krishna Bhagavaan]]  || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Walter Vetrivel
|style="text-align:center;"| [[Pandiarajan]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Krishna Bhagavaan]]  || style="text-align:center;"|Walter Vetrivel|| style="text-align:center;"|Walter Rangaraju
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Lal (actor)|Lal]] || style="text-align:center;"|Chennai Police Commissioner || style="text-align:center;"| Vizag Police Commissioner
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Lal (actor)|Lal]] || style="text-align:center;"|Chennai Police Commissioner || style="text-align:center;"| Vizag Police Commissioner
Line 80: Line 76:
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Sampath Ram]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Guru's henchman
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Sampath Ram]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Guru's henchman
|-
|-
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Aryan (actor)|Aryan]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Tamizharasan's henchman
|colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Aryan (Tamil actor)|Aryan]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Tamizharasan/Suryaprakash's henchman
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Periya Karuppu Thevar]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Rallapalli (actor)|Rallapalli]]  || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Panchayat Man
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Periya Karuppu Thevar]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Rallapalli (actor)|Rallapalli]]  || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Panchayat Man
Line 88: Line 84:
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Senthi Kumari]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu's friend
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Senthi Kumari]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu's friend
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Manobala]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Gautam Raju]] || style="text-align:center;"|Officer Ganesan || style="text-align:center;"| Officer Ganesh
| style="text-align:center;"| [[Manobala]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Birth and Death administration officer
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Boys Rajan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Police officer
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Boys Rajan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Police officer
|-
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| Dhadi Balaji || style="text-align:center;"|[[Chitram Seenu]]  || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Bystander who pretends to be blind
| style="text-align:center;"| Dhadi Balaji || style="text-align:center;"|[[Chitram Srinu]]  || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Bystander who pretends to be blind
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Kullamani]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Cyclist who laughs at Indu
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Kullamani]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Cyclist who laughs at Indu
|-
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Pinky Saran|Meenakshi]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Item number]]
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Karate Raja]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Rowdy
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Kadhal Saravanan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Waiter
|-
| style="text-align:center;"|[[Scissor Manohar]] || style="text-align:center;"|[[Duvvasi Mohan]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Man who asks for lift
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Raviraj || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|style="text-align: center;"|''Unknown'' || style="text-align:center;"|[[Annapoorna (actress)|Annapoornamma]]  || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Krishna's grandmother
|-
|style="text-align: center;"|''Unknown'' || style="text-align:center;"|[[Gautam Raju]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Traffic police officer
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| [[Pinky Saran|Meenakshi]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|[[Item number]] in "Vedi Vedi" and "Pidi Pidi"
|-
|-
|}
|}
'''Telugu version'''
{{div col}}
* [[Annapoorna (actress)|Annapoornamma]] as Krishna's grandmother
* [[Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam]] as the Birth and Death administration officer
* [[Srinivasa Reddy]] as Walter Vetrivel's assistant
* [[Duvvasi Mohan]]
{{div col end}}


== Production ==
== Production ==
=== Casting ===
Among the forty scripts that he heard, Vishal okayed Sabha Ayyappan as the director. Ayyappan had previously worked as an assistant director to [[Boopathy Pandian]] for ''[[Malaikottai]]'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/movie-details/news-interviews/in-conversation-with-vishal/articleshow/4359168.cms|title=In conversation with Vishal|work=[[The Times of India]]|date=5 April 2009|first=KR|last=Manigandan|access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref>
[[Trisha (actress)|Trisha]] was cast as the lead actress, but opted out of the film and was subsequently replaced with [[Shriya Saran|Shriya]]. [[Reema Sen]] was cast to play the role of a second actresses and [[Neetu Chandra]] was considered to play the third heroine.<ref name="IB">{{Cite web|url=http://www.idlebrain.com/news/2000march20/chitchat-vishal-pista.html|title=Vishal about Pista chitchat - Telugu film actor|date=28 May 2009}}</ref> Reema Sen and Neetu Chandra were not part of the final cast.


==Music==
==Music==
{{Infobox album
The music was composed by [[Mani Sharma]]. In a music review, [[Karthik Srinivasan|Karthik]] of ''[[Milliblog]]'' wrote, "''Thoranai'' has what a Vishal starrer deserves – massy and straight forward songs that aim at your feet with Manisharma scoring better than his other recent Tamil soundtracks".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://milliblog.com/2009/04/20/music-review-thoranai-tamil-manisharma|title=Music review: Thoranai (Tamil – Manisharma)|work=[[Milliblog]]|author=Karthik|author-link=Karthik Srinivasan|access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref>
| name        = Thoranai / Pistha: The Official Motion Picture Soundtrack
 
| type        = soundtrack
;Tamil version<ref>{{cite web |date=15 Nov 2019 |title=Thoranai (2009) |url=https://mio.to/album/Thoranai+%282009%29 |access-date=15 Nov 2019 |work=Music India Online |archive-date=15 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115151605/https://mio.to/album/Thoranai%2B(2009) |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| artist      =
| cover        =
| released    = {{Start date|df=yes|2009|4|19}}
| recorded    =
| venue        =
| studio      =
| genre        = Film soundtrack
| length      =
| label        = [[Sony Music India|Sony Music]]<br>[[Think Music India|Think Music]]
| producer    =
}}
;Tamil version<ref>{{cite web|url=https://mio.to/album/Thoranai+%282009%29|title=Thoranai (2009) - Mani Sharma|work=Music India Online|date=15 Nov 2019|access-date=15 Nov 2019}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="background:#cccccf; text-align:center;"
! Song !! Singers !! Lyrics!! Length
! No. !! Song !! Singers !! Length (m:ss) !! Lyrics
|-
|-
| 1|| "Vedi Vedi Saravedi" || Naveen, [[Ranjith (singer)|Ranjith]] || 4:26  || [[Viveka (lyricist)|Viveka]]  
| "Vedi Vedi Saravedi" || Naveen, [[Ranjith (singer)|Ranjith]] || [[Viveka (lyricist)|Viveka]] || 4:26 
|-
|-
| 2|| "Vaa Chellam" || [[Udit Narayan]] || 5:07 || [[P. Vijay|Pa. Vijay]]
| "Vaa Chellam" || [[Udit Narayan]] || [[Pa. Vijay]]|| 5:07
|-
|-
| 3|| "Pattucha" || [[Vijay Yesudas]], Janani || 3:58 || [[Kabilan (lyricist)|Kabilan]]
| "Pattucha" || [[Vijay Yesudas]], Janani Madhan || [[Kabilan (lyricist)|Kabilan]]|| 3:58
|-
|-
| 4|| "Peliccan Paravaigal" || [[Ranjith (singer)|Ranjith]], [[Rita Thyagarajan|Rita]], Rahul, Jai || 4:07 || [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]
| "Peliccan Paravaigal" || [[Ranjith (singer)|Ranjith]], [[Rita Thyagarajan|Rita]], Rahul, Jai || [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]|| 4:07
|-
|-
| 5|| "Manjasela Mandakini" || [[Tippu (singer)|Tippu]], [[Saindhavi]] || 4:20 || [[P. Vijay|Pa. Vijay]]
| "Manjasela Mandakini" || [[Tippu (singer)|Tippu]], [[Saindhavi]] || rowspan="2" |[[Pa. Vijay]]|| 4:20
|-
|6|| "Vaa Chellam" (Version 2) || Ranjith || 5:07 || [[P. Vijay|Pa. Vijay]]
|-
|-
| "Vaa Chellam" (Version 2) || Ranjith || 5:07
|}


;Telugu version<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.raaga.com/telugu/movie/pista-songs-A0001475|title=Pista songs|work=Raaga|date=15 Nov 2019|access-date=15 Nov 2019}}</ref>
;Telugu version<ref>{{cite web |date=15 Nov 2019 |title=Pista (2009) |url=https://www.raaga.com/telugu/movie/pista-songs-A0001475 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115151607/https://www.raaga.com/telugu/movie/pista-songs-A0001475 |archive-date=15 November 2019 |access-date=15 Nov 2019 |work=[[Raaga.com]]}}</ref>
*"Pidi Pidi" - Ranjith, Naveen
*"Pidi Pidi" - Ranjith, Naveen
*"Naa Maharani" - Udit Narayan
*"Naa Maharani" - Udit Narayan
*"Pattuko Pattuko" - Narayanan, Janani
*"Pattuko Pattuko" - Narayanan, Janani Madhan
*"Oka Pelican" - Rahul, Suchithra
*"Oka Pelican" - Rahul, Suchithra
*"Naa Maharani" - Ranjith
*"Naa Maharani" - Ranjith
*"Mandakini" - Tippu, Saindhavi
*"Mandakini" - Tippu, Saindhavi


==Reception==
== Critical reception ==
===Critical response===
''[[Sify]]'' wrote "Arbitrarily packing in elements of every genre without actually bothering to stop and see if the mix does work, ''Thoranai'' is like an overcooked stew."<ref>{{cite web |date=29 May 2009 |title=Thoranai |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/thoranai-review-tamil-pclxeIjbjgghf.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004191553/http://www.sify.com/movies/thoranai-review-tamil-pclxeIjbjgghf.html |archive-date=4 October 2017 |access-date=5 February 2025 |work=[[Sify]]}}</ref> Pavithra Srinivasan of ''[[Rediff.com|Rediff]]'' wrote "Thoranai's only merit is that it's marginally better than ''[[Satyam (2008 film)|Sathyam]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Pavithra |date=29 May 2009 |title=Thoranai: Not good, but not bad either |url=http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/29/thoranai-review.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101002610/http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/29/thoranai-review.htm |archive-date=1 January 2017 |access-date=15 Nov 2019 |work=[[Rediff.com]]}}</ref> ''[[The Times of India]]'' gave 2/5 stars and wrote "It is a formidable star cast that you see in ''Thoranai''. However, what is missing is a convincing story".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Thoranai Movie Review |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/thoranai/movie-review/4597080.cms |website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=26 January 2020 |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007161034/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/thoranai/movie-review/4597080.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> Reviewing the Telugu version, BVS Prakash of ''The Times of India'' gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Inspite of a dud like ''[[Salute (2008 Telugu film)|Salute]]'', Tamil star Vishal hasn't realised the significance of a solid plot even for a star-centric film."<ref>{{Cite web |author=Prakash |first=BVS |date=30 May 2009 |title=Pistha Movie Review |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/pistha/movie-review/4597638.cms |accessdate=15 November 2019 |work=[[The Times of India]] |archive-date=10 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810121214/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/Pistha/movie-review/4597638.cms |url-status=live }}</ref><!--https://www.idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-pista.html-->
 
;Tamil version
Behindwoods wrote:"Thoranai does entertain, but a tighter script and better execution could have yielded far better results".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-reviews/reviews-2/thoranai.html|title=Thorani Movie Review|work=Behindwoods|date=29 May 2009|access-date=15 Nov 2019}}</ref> Sify wrote:"The problems with Thoranai are sundry. First and foremost, it’s got a dead script. Nothing, simply nothing happens in the first half of the film".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sify.com/movies/thoranai-review-tamil-14890954.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903210520/http://www.sify.com/movies/thoranai-review-tamil-14890954.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 September 2014|title=Review: Thoranai (2009)|work=Sify|date=29 May 2009|access-date=15 Nov 2019}}</ref> Rediff wrote:"Thoranai's only merit is that it's marginally better than ''[[Satyam (2008 film)|Sathyam]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/29/thoranai-review.htm|work=Rediff|title=Thoranai: Not good, but not bad either|date=29 May 2009|access-date=15 Nov 2019}}</ref> The ''Times of India'' gave the film two stars and wrote that "It is a formidable star cast that you see in 'Thoranai'. However, what is missing is a convincing story".<ref>https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/thoranai/movie-review/4597080.cms</ref>
 
;Telugu version
The ''Times of India'' gave the film one and a half stars out of five stating that "Inspite of a dud like ''[[Salute (2008 Telugu film)|Salute]]'', Tamil star Vishal hasn't realised the significance of a solid plot even for a star-centric film."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/pistha/movie-review/4597638.cms|title=Pistha Movie Review {1.5/5}: Critic Review of Pistha by Times of India|author=BVS Prakash|date=30 May 2009|accessdate=15 November 2019|work=Times of India}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links ==
== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|tt2690596}}
* {{IMDb title}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Thoranai}}
[[Category:2009 Indian films]]
[[Category:2000s masala films]]
[[Category:2009 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:2008 multilingual films]]
[[Category:2009 action films]]
[[Category:2009 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:2009 films]]
[[Category:2009 films]]
[[Category:Indian films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mani Sharma]]
[[Category:Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:2000s Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:Masala films]]
[[Category:Indian action films]]
[[Category:Indian action films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Mani Sharma]]
[[Category:Indian multilingual films]]
[[Category:Indian multilingual films]]
[[Category:Films featuring an item number]]
[[Category:Tamil-language action films]]
[[Category:2009 action films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]
[[Category:2000s multilingual films]]
[[Category:2009 directorial debut films]]

Latest revision as of 09:51, 3 March 2026


Thoranai
Theatrical release poster of Tamil version
Directed bySabha Ayyappan
Produced byVikram Krishna
Written bySabha Ayyappan
Shashank Vennelakanti (Telugu dialogues)
StarringVishal
Shriya Saran
Prakash Raj
Music byMani Sharma
CinematographyPriyan
Edited byV. T. Vijayan
Production
company
Release date
  • 29 May 2009 (2009-05-29)
Running time
148 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil
Telugu

Thoranai (transl. Posture) or Pistha (transl. Person with attitude) is a 2009 Indian masala film directed by Sabha Ayyappan and produced by Vikram Krishna under the banner G K Film Corporation. It stars Vishal and Shriya Saran in the lead roles, while Prakash Raj, Kishore and Santhanam appear in other pivotal roles. The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu languages with different supporting cast in the Telugu version. Thoranai and Pistha were released on 29 May 2009.[1]

Plot[edit | edit source]

Murugan is a native of Madurai who arrives at Chennai to find his long-lost brother Ganesan, who had run away from home about two decades ago. Murugan gets stuck in a rivalry between gangsters Guru and Tamizharasu, where he learns that Guru is actually Ganesan. Murugan decides to protect Guru/Ganesan from Tamizharasu and a cat-and-mouse game ensues. Guru/Ganesan finally decide to reform himself where he reunites with Murugan and his mother, while Tamizharasu is killed in a police encounter.

Cast[edit | edit source]

Actor (Tamil) Actor (Telugu) Role (Tamil) Role (Telugu)
Vishal C. Murugan (CM) C. Muralikrishna "Krishna" (CM)
Shriya Saran Indu
Prakash Raj Thamizharasu Suryaprakash
Santhanam Ali Vellaichamy Chittibabu
Kishore Ganesan (Guru) Rambabu (Guru)
Sriman Ganesan Rambabu
Aarthi Indu's friend
Geetha Murugan's mother Muralikrishna's mother
Sayaji Shinde Minister Sivanaandi
M. S. Bhaskar Tanikella Bharani Tamizharasan's assistant Suryaprakash's assistant
Paravai Muniyamma Telangana Shakuntala Pachamma Patti
Livingston Surya Murugan's father Krishna's father
Pandiarajan Krishna Bhagavaan Walter Vetrivel Walter Rangaraju
Lal Chennai Police Commissioner Vizag Police Commissioner
Suruli Manohar Srinivasa Reddy Constable
Mayilsamy M. S. Narayana Watchman
T. P. Gajendran Kondavalasa Apartment Secretary
Suman Shetty Murugan's friend Krishna's friend
Nellai Siva Resident
Shanmugarajan Corrupt inspector
Muthukaalai Kallu Chidambaram Bike customer
Besant Ravi Guru's henchman
Sampath Ram Guru's henchman
Aryan Tamizharasan/Suryaprakash's henchman
Periya Karuppu Thevar Rallapalli Panchayat Man
Swaminathan Cashier
Senthi Kumari Indu's friend
Manobala Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam Birth and Death administration officer
Boys Rajan Police officer
Dhadi Balaji Chitram Srinu Bystander who pretends to be blind
Kullamani Cyclist who laughs at Indu
Karate Raja Rowdy
Kadhal Saravanan Waiter
Scissor Manohar Duvvasi Mohan Man who asks for lift
Raviraj
Unknown Annapoornamma Krishna's grandmother
Unknown Gautam Raju Traffic police officer
Meenakshi Item number in "Vedi Vedi" and "Pidi Pidi"

Production[edit | edit source]

Among the forty scripts that he heard, Vishal okayed Sabha Ayyappan as the director. Ayyappan had previously worked as an assistant director to Boopathy Pandian for Malaikottai (2007).[2]

Music[edit | edit source]

The music was composed by Mani Sharma. In a music review, Karthik of Milliblog wrote, "Thoranai has what a Vishal starrer deserves – massy and straight forward songs that aim at your feet with Manisharma scoring better than his other recent Tamil soundtracks".[3]

Tamil version[4]
Song Singers Lyrics Length
"Vedi Vedi Saravedi" Naveen, Ranjith Viveka 4:26
"Vaa Chellam" Udit Narayan Pa. Vijay 5:07
"Pattucha" Vijay Yesudas, Janani Madhan Kabilan 3:58
"Peliccan Paravaigal" Ranjith, Rita, Rahul, Jai Vaali 4:07
"Manjasela Mandakini" Tippu, Saindhavi Pa. Vijay 4:20
"Vaa Chellam" (Version 2) Ranjith 5:07
Telugu version[5]
  • "Pidi Pidi" - Ranjith, Naveen
  • "Naa Maharani" - Udit Narayan
  • "Pattuko Pattuko" - Narayanan, Janani Madhan
  • "Oka Pelican" - Rahul, Suchithra
  • "Naa Maharani" - Ranjith
  • "Mandakini" - Tippu, Saindhavi

Critical reception[edit | edit source]

Sify wrote "Arbitrarily packing in elements of every genre without actually bothering to stop and see if the mix does work, Thoranai is like an overcooked stew."[6] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff wrote "Thoranai's only merit is that it's marginally better than Sathyam.[7] The Times of India gave 2/5 stars and wrote "It is a formidable star cast that you see in Thoranai. However, what is missing is a convincing story".[8] Reviewing the Telugu version, BVS Prakash of The Times of India gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Inspite of a dud like Salute, Tamil star Vishal hasn't realised the significance of a solid plot even for a star-centric film."[9]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Vishal's Pista on floors". The New Indian Express. Hyderabad. 12 December 2008. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  2. ↑ Manigandan, KR (5 April 2009). "In conversation with Vishal". The Times of India. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  3. ↑ Karthik. "Music review: Thoranai (Tamil – Manisharma)". Milliblog. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  4. ↑ "Thoranai (2009)". Music India Online. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "Pista (2009)". Raaga.com. 15 November 2019. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "Thoranai". Sify. 29 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2025.
  7. ↑ Srinivasan, Pavithra (29 May 2009). "Thoranai: Not good, but not bad either". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Thoranai Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 October 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  9. ↑ Prakash, BVS (30 May 2009). "Pistha Movie Review". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2019.

External links[edit | edit source]

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