| Thalaivaasal | |
|---|---|
| File:Thalaivaasal title card.jpg Title card | |
| Directed by | Selvaa |
| Produced by | Chozha Ponnurangam |
| Written by | Selvaa Murthy Ramesh (dialogues) |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Bala Bharathi |
| Cinematography | R. Roy |
| Edited by | Raju KN |
Production company | Chozha Creations |
Release date |
|
Running time | 140 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Thalaivaasal (transl. The main door) is a 1992 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Selvaa. The film has an ensemble cast consisting of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Anand, Sivaranjani, Bhanu Prakash, Nassar, Napoleon and newcomer Vijay. It was released on 3 September 1992.[1]
Plot[edit | edit source]
 | This article needs an improved plot summary. (March 2026) |
Nachiappan College is considered to be one of the worst colleges of Chennai; everyday violence erupts between two final-year groups. The students are influenced by the local bigwig Beeda Settu (Nassar), who sells ganja to the students and basically rules the college from outside. The first group is led by Sudhakar (Anand) whereas the other one is led by Kalaiarasan (Bhanu Prakash). The college management and the police get tired of that situation. They decide that they need to change the principal. The vice-principal, Chandran, dies to sit in that post but the college management asks the successful Shanmugasundaram (S. P. Balasubrahmanyam) to take the post. His daughter Shobana will study in the same college. The rest of the story is how Shanmugasundaram succeeds in his mission.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam as Shanmugasundaram
- Anand as Sudhakar
- Sivaranjani as Shobana
- Bhanu Prakash as Kalaiarasan (credited as Bharathan)
- Nassar as Beeda Settu
- Napoleon as Chandran
- Vijay as Babu
- S. N. Vasanth as Gupta
- Chitti as ACP Devaraj
- Sabitha Anand as Saradha
- Vaishnavi as Anandhi
- Vichithra as 'Madippu' Hamsa
- C.N.A. Parimal
- Sampath Kumar
- Vincent Roy as Vedachalam
- Jayaprakash
- Radhabhai
- Swaminathan
- Master Anand as Siddharth
- Baby Shobana as Meena
- MRK
Production[edit | edit source]
The success of the television serial Neela Maala facilitated Chozha Creations' re-entry into the film industry, and they gave the television director Selvaa the opportunity to direct Thalaivasal. Except S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and Nassar, most of the cast was new like Bhanu Prakash and Vijay.[2]
Soundtrack[edit | edit source]
The music was composed by Bala Bharathi, with lyrics by Vairamuthu.[3]
| Song | Singer(s) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| "Athi Kaalai Kaatre Nillu" | S. Janaki | 4:35 |
| "Mayajala Ulagam" | Bala Bharathi | 3:42 |
| "Naalaikum Naam" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Mano | 4:04 |
| "Unnai Thottu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:29 |
| "Vaan Nilave" | Ashok | 1:52 |
| "Vaasal Idhu Vaasal" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 3:46 |
| "Vaazhkai Embadhu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:41 |
Reception[edit | edit source]
Malini Mannath of The Indian Express wrote, "Debutant writer-director Chelva has taken up a subject with which he does not seem to be familiar".[4] The film completed a 100-day run at the box-office.[5]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
After the film's success, Vijay added Thalaivaasal as his prefix.[6]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "thalai vasal ( 1992 )". Cinesouth. Archived from the original on 15 August 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ↑ ""When I watched K B's Naan Avanillai, I was totally floored by its 'avant garde' theme"". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ↑ "Thalai Vaasal (1992)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
- ↑ Mannath, Malini (4 September 1992). "Campus rag". The Indian Express. p. 7. Retrieved 8 January 2019 – via Google News Archive.
- ↑ Mannath, Malini (1 January 1993). "Run-of-the-mill fare". The Indian Express. p. 7. Retrieved 9 April 2014 – via Google News Archive.
- ↑ Raman, Mohan V. (8 November 2014). "What's in a name?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Thalaivaasal on IMDb