Thaayin Manikodi
| Thaayin Manikodi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Arjun |
| Written by | Arjun K. C. Thangam |
| Produced by | D. Sudhakar Raju |
| Starring | Arjun Tabu Nivedita Jain |
| Cinematography | K. S. Selvaraj |
| Edited by | P. Sai Suresh |
| Music by | Vidyasagar |
Production company |
Sree Lakshmi Devi Associates |
Release date |
|
Running time |
152 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Thaayin Manikodi (transl. Mothers' jewelled flag) is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Arjun, who also stars in the lead role, alongside Tabu and Nivedita Jain. Featuring music composed by Vidyasagar, the film began production in late 1997 and was released on 29 August 1998.
Plot
Arjun is an honest IPS officer who sets out to save some highly confidential documents from falling into the hands of a terrorist, which would cause upcoming disasters in the country.
Cast
- Arjun as Arjun
- Tabu as Anjali
- Nivedita Jain as Asha
- Vijayakumar
- Goundamani as Shilpa Kumar
- Chandrasekhar
- Vennira Aadai Moorthy
- Charle
- Chinni Jayanth
- Sowcar Janaki
- Annapoorna
- Rallapalli
- Naren Narayanan as Politician
- Baby Shamili as Rosie
- Baby Jennifer
- Rajesh Babu
- Baby Annie
- Alphonsa in a special appearance
Production
The film was first announced in January 1996, with director and lead actor Arjun initially casting Vijayashanti in a leading role. However the actress later left the project after she had creative differences with the film's producer, Sudhakar Raju. The film began production in October 1996 and took over a year to complete. Hindi actress Tabu and model Nivedita Jain were cast in key roles, with the latter subsequently making her debut in Tamil films. The film was named after a popular song from Arjun's previous film, Jaihind (1994), which had a similar patriotic theme.
The film was shot extensively in foreign locations, with scenes filmed in locations in Hong Kong and Switzerland, which the team had to settle for after their visas for Canada were rejected. Further scenes were also shot in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, with art director Thotta Tharani constructing sets for the film. Production was delayed as a result of the FEFSI strike of 1997.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack features 6 songs composed by Vidyasagar.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nooraandukku Oru Murai" | Vairamuthu | Gopal Sharma, Devie Neithiyar | 05:15 |
| 2. | "Adi Raani Sultana" | Vairamuthu | Mano, Devie Neithiyar | 04:18 |
| 3. | "Mister Hollywood" | Vaasan | Gopal Sharma, Swarnalatha | 05:06 |
| 4. | "Sixteena Seventeena" | Vairamuthu | Gopal Sharma, Swarnalatha | 04:38 |
| 5. | "Uncle Uncle" | Vairamuthu | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Baby Sruthi Unnikrishnan, Baby Deepika | 05:06 |
| 6. | "Yahaan Ladki Hai" | Palani Bharathi | Vidyasagar, Sujatha Mohan | 04:26 |
| Total length: | 28:49 | |||
Release and reception
The film was initially scheduled to release in November 1997 coinciding with the Diwali season, but was subsequently put on hold for several months. The film was later released in August 1998, with the title card of the film including a tribute to the film's lead actress Nivedita Jain, who died before the film's release. The film became a commercial success at the box office. Ji of Kalki felt Tabu and Vijayakumar were wasted but praised the action sequences. D. S. Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote that Arjun "has spent much energy to present a plausible tale (story and screenplay are also his) with all the entertainment elements, including some family sentiments. But the fine blend the director tries to achieve does not materialise".
Four years after the original release, the film was later dubbed and released in Telugu during November 2002 as Jaatiya Pattaakam.