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Thanneer Thanneer
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Wikipedia article
'Thaneer Thaneer' is a 1981 Indian Tamil language drama film, directed by K. Balachander starring Saritha, Shunmugham, V. K. Veeraswami and Radha Ravi. The film, based on the play in 1980 by the same name by Komal Swaminathan was filmed by B. S. Loknath and featured music by M. S. Viswanathan. It was released during the Diwali day in 1981. In the titles, Komal Swaminathan was credited for the original story, while screenplay was by K. Balachander. It is said that Komal Swaminathan was fully satisfied with the movie version of his powerful play.
'Thanneer Thanneer' deals with issues such as water scarcity and political corruption. Inhabitants of a drought-ridden village in Tamil Nadu, Athipati, try a cooperative method to bring water to their village, but their attempts are thwarted by unscrupulous politicians who try to use the water problem for their political gains. The film has been highly critically acclaimed and considered a "classic", and fetched several accolades including two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards South. IBN Live included the film in its list of 100 greatest Indian films of all time. Balachander has revealed that there is no existing copy of the negative of the film anymore.
Plot
'Thaneer Thaneer' is a great film is a political drama and a universal human story based in a dry rural hamlet near Kovilpatti, in the Tamil Nadu state of India. This is a film about administration negligence of suffering villagers, excessive bureaucratic regulation (Red tape), greed, power and powerlessness. When a remote village, Athipatti in Madurai district faces severe water shortages, the inhabitants adopt all possible means to bring their problem to the attention of the authorities. But the process soon reveals the apathetic attitude of politicians, bureaucrats and the press alike. A convict Vellaiswamy (Guhan) wanted for the murder of a local landlord turns the villagers' plight to his advantage and begins a co-operative scheme to transport water in a cart from a spring ten miles away with help of Vathiyar (R. K. Raman). The local politicians try to make people of village to vote for them in election. But all people of the village boycott the elections. The local politician beats the convict and breaks the vehicle used for transporting water. The villagers decide to build canal by themselves. But Alagiri (Radha Ravi), husband of Sevanthi (Saritha) comes to the village and finds the convict hidden in the village. The convict promises to Alagiri that he will surrender after the canal is finished. But fate intervenes in the form of a Public Works Department Officer, who stops villagers from finishing the canal work. The villagers are shot by police. The convict dies due to thirst for water. A villager joins the naxalites. Vathiyar (Vaathiyar Raman) is arrested for aiding the convict. The villagers leave the town. But Sevanthi (Saritha) watches the sky every evening in hope of rain. These incidents are narrated by a Press reporter who had come to the village. The final scene mocks bureaucracy by showing pictures of government sponsored meetings for water resource improvement. It shows all the political parties' flags in the farmland. It shows that bureaucracy and politics fail the common man's aspirations.
Cast
* Saritha as Sevanthi
* Vaathiyar Raman as Vathiyar
* Shunmugham
* A. K. Veeraswami
* Radha Ravi as Alagiri
* Guhan as Vellaisamy
Soundtrack
Soundtrack was composed by M. S. Viswanathan and songs were written by Kannadasan and Vairamuthu.
Reception
The film fared well at many international festivals where it was screened. Audiences were moved by the film's realistic depiction of life in rural India, far removed from the exotic dream world of much popular cinema. P. S. Vaidyanathan of 'India Today' in his review praised the film citing "With his masterly touch, Balachander makes every scene throb with life life as it is lived in the raw in India's poverty-stricken villages. Therein lies his and the writer's triumph. And that's what elevates the film far above the general run-of-the-mill movies and the director's own acclaimed previous efforts and converts it into a bold, thought-provoking classic." 'Kalki' wrote, "Balachander at his best!". Saritha supposedly lost the National Award for Best Actress to Rekha (for 'Umrao Jaan') that year by a narrow margin.
Awards
* National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
* National Film Award for Best Screenplay - Mani Deva
* Filmfare Award for Best Film Tamil
* Filmfare Award for Best Director Tamil - Mani Deva
* Cinema Express Award for Best Film Tamil
References
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