''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' () is a 1970 Indian

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

-language film written and directed by A. P. Nagarajan. Inspired by the 1969 film ''

If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium ''If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' is a 1969 American romantic comedy film made by Wolper Pictures and released by United Artists and made in DeLuxe Color. Directed by Mel Stuart, the movie was filmed on location throughout Europe, an ...

'', it features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

consisting of

Sivakumar Palaniswamy Gounder (born 27 October 1941), better known by his stage name Sivakumar, is an Indian visual artist and former actor who has appeared in Tamil cinema and television. He made his acting debut in '' Kaakum Karangal'' (1965) and has ...

, Kumari Padmini, Rama Prabha, Shylashri, Manorama, Sirkazhi Govindarajan and Suruli Rajan. The film focuses on a group of passengers who embark on a pilgrimage across South India. It was released on 15 August 1970, emerged a commercial success, and won three

Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...

Plot

Ten to twelve families from different walks of life, different age groups and different languages unite for a

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

, beginning with

Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...

and going as far as

Kanyakumari Kanyakumari (Tamil; / kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the ...

. At each place, they stop at a pilgrimage site to fulfill their prayers. At each spot, a family is faced with a challenge that falls upon them due to their forgetfulness or irresponsibility and a reminder of such is provided.

Cast

;Actors ;Actresses

Production

''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' was among the earliest road films in

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Ch ...

, and took inspiration from the 1969 film ''

''. Unlike the original, it was given a "religious twist", with its premise focusing on a group of passengers who embark on a pilgrimage across South India, visiting places like

and

Madurai Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...

. The film was actually shot in the places depicted onscreen, as opposed to using sets. Since it was previously believed in the

Tamil film industry Tamil cinema is the segment of cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the nam ...

that writer-director A. P. Nagarajan's films were successful only because of their star casts and "mammoth" scales, rather than his directorial skills, he made this film, which featured mostly newcomers, to silence his critics. Cinematography was handled by W. R. Subba Rao, the art direction by Ganga, and the editing by T. Vijayarangam. The film, which was produced by C. Paramasivan under the banner Sree Vijayalakshmi Pictures, was completed within a month.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. He based the song "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" on the Suprabhatam. The song "Madhurai Arasaalum" is a ragamalika, i.e. set in multiple Carnatic ragas. "Thirupathi Malaivaazhum" and "Madhurai Arasaalum" were written by Ulundurpettai Shanmugam.

Release and reception

''Thirumalai Thenkumari'' was released on 15 August 1970. The film was a commercial success, and won in three categories at the

: Best Music Director (Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan), Best Male Playback Singer (Sirkazhi Govindarajan), and a Special Prize.

References

External links

* {{Improve categories, date=April 2024 1970 films 1970s Indian films 1970s comedy road movies 1970s Tamil-language films Films about Hinduism Films about vacationing Films directed by A. P. Nagarajan Films scored by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan Films set in Bengaluru Films shot in Andhra Pradesh Films shot in Thiruvananthapuram Films shot in Madurai Films shot in Mysore Films shot in Tiruttani Films shot in Kanyakumari Films with screenplays by A. P. Nagarajan Hindu devotional films Indian comedy road movies Tamil-language Indian films