Thenali
Encyclopedia
Thenali is a 2000 Tamil feature film directed and produced by K. S. Ravikumar
and written by Crazy Mohan
. The film featured Kamal Haasan
playing the title role, and also starred Jayaram
, Devayani and Jyothika
. The film's music was composed by A. R. Rahman
, whilst cinematography was handled by Priyan. The film opened to positive reviews from critics and was a profitable venture at the box office.
) and his assistant (Ramesh Khanna
), who are the doctors treating Thenali, are jealous of a relatively junior doctor Dr. Kailash (Jayaram
) getting all the media attention. They decide to derail Dr. Kailash's success by sending Thenali over to him. Soon after their first appointment, Dr. Kailash heads to his home in Kodaikanal
on a vacation with his wife Jalaja (Devayani
) and his two children. Dr. Kailash tells Thenali to wait until after the vacation before his therapy can begin, but Panchabhootham asks for Thenali to go meet Kailash while on vacation.
The expected happens. Thenali falls in love with Janaki (Jyothika), the younger sister of Dr. Kailash, which was vehemently opposed by the latter. The whole film is about how Dr. Kailash goes mad with the antics of Thenali and even begins to suspect that his wife has an affair with Thenali, as she has a soft corner for the latter. He even tries to kill Thenali by tying him to a tree with a time bomb, which Thenali (not knowing it is a bomb) removes and puts it in the doctor's house, causing it to explode and Dr. Kailash, seeing this, suffers a paralytic attack.
Eventually, Thenali marries Janaki and cures Dr. Kailash through shock treatment by bringing Meena, B. H. Abdul Hameed
and K. S. Ravikumar
and makes Meena act as his Sri Lankan wife.
approached K. S. Ravikumar
to make the film after the success of the director's Padayappa
featuring Rajinikanth and the film took four months to be scripted by K. S. Ravikumar, Kamal Haasan and Crazy Mohan
. The story of the film was partly inspired by the 1991 Hollywood movie What About Bob?
directed by Frank Oz
. Mohanlal
was the initial choice to play Kailash and actress Simran was the original choice for the role of Janaki, but Jayaram
and Jyothika later took the roles. Actress Meena was signed on by the producers to appear in a guest role. The film was launched at the Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai
on March 22, 2000 with Y. Gee. Mahendra
as compere and with Rajinikanth as chief guest.
Kamal Haasan played a Sri Lankan Tamil in the film and to get the accent right, he took lessons from prominent television host, Abdul Hameed
. Scenes were shot predominantly in Ooty, while some song sequences were shot in New Zealand
.
gave a verdict that the film was "a wholesome mix of rip-roaring action, witty dialogues and exotic locales". She mentioned that Kamal Haasan's performance was the film's best performance citing that "the enactment proves a cakewalk for him", whilst also praising Crazy Mohan's dialogue as "an indisputable highpoint" and Vikram Dharma
's stunt concepts. However the critic from Rediff.com
gave the film a negative review claiming "the comedy is on a single track in Thenali" and that "it is more tiresome than humorous".
Thenali went on to become a success at the box office, enjoying 100-day runs across halls in South India. A fifty day success meet was also held with Rajinikanth again attending the function, where Ravikumar revealed that it was the actor who picked the title, Thenali. It went on to win three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
with Thamarai
picking up the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Lyricist
and Krishnamurthy won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Art Director
in the technical award categories. Jayaram
received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role in the film.
The film was dubbed into the Telugu language as Tenali under the production of singer, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
and won good reviews. A Hindi language remake with Shahrukh Khan
in the role played by Jayaram
was discussed, but the project failed to materialize.
, who used Jaffna
slang within the song. The song "Swasame Swasame" from the soundtrack, was re-used in the final scene of the Hollywood film The Accidental Husband
.
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
and written by Crazy Mohan
Crazy Mohan
"Crazy" Mohan is a popular Tamil comedy actor, script writer and playwright.He was a student at the College of Engineering, Guindy, where he graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 1973. He wrote his first drama at College of Engineering, Guindy, when he was in the 4th year in 1972. His guide was...
. The film featured Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
playing the title role, and also starred Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
, Devayani and Jyothika
Jyothika Saravanan
Jyothika Sadanah-Saravanan is a former Indian film actress who predominantly appeared in Tamil films. She also acted in a few Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi films. She gained critical acclaim for her performances in Kushi, Perazhagan, Chandramukhi and Mozhi, winning one Filmfare and three...
. The film's music was composed by A. R. Rahman
A. R. Rahman
Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...
, whilst cinematography was handled by Priyan. The film opened to positive reviews from critics and was a profitable venture at the box office.
Plot
Thenali (Kamal Hassan) is a man who fears anything and everything due to his earlier life in Sri Lanka. Dr. Panchabhootham (Delhi GaneshDelhi Ganesh
Delhi Ganesh born in Tirunelveli as a veteran Tamil film actor, who mostly acts in supporting roles and is perhaps best known for his role in Kamal Hassan comedies and films like Nayagan and Michael Madana Kama Rajan. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1980 to present...
) and his assistant (Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Khanna
Ramesh Kanna is a Tamil film actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.Ramesh Khanna was born in Coimbatore and third child to the family. Ramesh Khanna arrived in Chennai in the late 1980s to have a career as an actor...
), who are the doctors treating Thenali, are jealous of a relatively junior doctor Dr. Kailash (Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
) getting all the media attention. They decide to derail Dr. Kailash's success by sending Thenali over to him. Soon after their first appointment, Dr. Kailash heads to his home in Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
on a vacation with his wife Jalaja (Devayani
Devayani
Devayani is an Indian film actress. She starred in numerous Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films, along with a few Hindi films and one Bengali film. She received the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for her performances in the films Kadhal Kottai and Surya Vamsam...
) and his two children. Dr. Kailash tells Thenali to wait until after the vacation before his therapy can begin, but Panchabhootham asks for Thenali to go meet Kailash while on vacation.
The expected happens. Thenali falls in love with Janaki (Jyothika), the younger sister of Dr. Kailash, which was vehemently opposed by the latter. The whole film is about how Dr. Kailash goes mad with the antics of Thenali and even begins to suspect that his wife has an affair with Thenali, as she has a soft corner for the latter. He even tries to kill Thenali by tying him to a tree with a time bomb, which Thenali (not knowing it is a bomb) removes and puts it in the doctor's house, causing it to explode and Dr. Kailash, seeing this, suffers a paralytic attack.
Eventually, Thenali marries Janaki and cures Dr. Kailash through shock treatment by bringing Meena, B. H. Abdul Hameed
B. H. Abdul Hameed
B. H. Abdul Hameed is a Sri Lankan Tamil radio broadcaster, master of ceremonies, television host and film actor. He is known for his broadcasting career on Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Hameed has hosted many Tamil cultural events around the world.-Career:He joined a band...
and K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
and makes Meena act as his Sri Lankan wife.
Cast
- Kamal Hassan as Thenali Soman
- JayaramJayaramJayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
as Dr. Kailash - Devayani as Jalaja
- Jyothika as Janaki
- CharleCharleCharle is a South Indian actor who has acted in more than 550 movies. He started his career as a Staff Artist - Actor in Song & Drama Division of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and moved on to perform more than 10000 drama shows in Six years. He was named as Charle and introduced in the...
- Ramesh KhannaRamesh KhannaRamesh Kanna is a Tamil film actor and acts in supporting roles and comedian roles.Ramesh Khanna was born in Coimbatore and third child to the family. Ramesh Khanna arrived in Chennai in the late 1980s to have a career as an actor...
- Madhan BobMadhan BobS. Krishnamoorthy , better known by his screenname Madhan Bob, is a popular comedian and Tamil film actor from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He started his film career as a musician and became an actor instead. Apart from appearing in supporting roles in Tamil films he also appears in the Sun TV...
as Diamond Babu - Delhi GaneshDelhi GaneshDelhi Ganesh born in Tirunelveli as a veteran Tamil film actor, who mostly acts in supporting roles and is perhaps best known for his role in Kamal Hassan comedies and films like Nayagan and Michael Madana Kama Rajan. He has acted in more than 400 films from 1980 to present...
as Panchabootham - Meena as herself
- B. H. Abdul HameedB. H. Abdul HameedB. H. Abdul Hameed is a Sri Lankan Tamil radio broadcaster, master of ceremonies, television host and film actor. He is known for his broadcasting career on Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Hameed has hosted many Tamil cultural events around the world.-Career:He joined a band...
as himself - K. S. RavikumarK. S. RavikumarK. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
as himself
Production
Kamal HaasanKamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan is an Indian film actor, screenwriter and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting...
approached K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar
K. S. Ravikumar is an Indian film director and actor, primarily working in Tamil cinema. He has directed numerous films ranging from comedy and drama to action thrillers. His film Dasavathaaram went on to gross $16 million worldwide in the first four weeks and eventually became one of the...
to make the film after the success of the director's Padayappa
Padayappa
Padayappa is a 1999 Tamil drama film written and directed by K. S. Ravikumar. The film features Rajinikanth, Soundarya and Ramya Krishnan playing lead roles, whilst Sivaji Ganesan, Lakshmi and Nassar play pivotal supporting roles. With soundtrack composed by A. R...
featuring Rajinikanth and the film took four months to be scripted by K. S. Ravikumar, Kamal Haasan and Crazy Mohan
Crazy Mohan
"Crazy" Mohan is a popular Tamil comedy actor, script writer and playwright.He was a student at the College of Engineering, Guindy, where he graduated as a Mechanical Engineer in 1973. He wrote his first drama at College of Engineering, Guindy, when he was in the 4th year in 1972. His guide was...
. The story of the film was partly inspired by the 1991 Hollywood movie What About Bob?
What About Bob?
What About Bob? is a 1991 comedy film directed by Frank Oz, and starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. Murray plays Bob Wiley, a multiphobic psychiatric patient who follows his successful and egotistical psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin on vacation...
directed by Frank Oz
Frank Oz
Frank Oz is a British-born American film director, actor, voice actor and puppeteer who is known for creating and performing the characters Miss Piggy and Fozzie Bear in The Muppet Show, Cookie Monster, Bert and Grover in Sesame Street, and for directing films, including the 1986 Little Shop of...
. Mohanlal
Mohanlal
Mohanlal Vishwanathan Nair , known mononymously as Mohanlal , is a National Award-winning Indian actor, producer, singer and writer who is well known for his versatile and natural acting in Indian cinema & hence widely known as the Universal Star...
was the initial choice to play Kailash and actress Simran was the original choice for the role of Janaki, but Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
and Jyothika later took the roles. Actress Meena was signed on by the producers to appear in a guest role. The film was launched at the Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
on March 22, 2000 with Y. Gee. Mahendra
Y. Gee. Mahendra
Yechan Gunja Mahendran , popularly known as Y. G. Mahendran or Y. Gee. Mahendra, is an Indian dramatist, actor, singer playwright and comedian from the state of Tamil Nadu. He has acted in a number of plays and films. He is the son of Y. G...
as compere and with Rajinikanth as chief guest.
Kamal Haasan played a Sri Lankan Tamil in the film and to get the accent right, he took lessons from prominent television host, Abdul Hameed
B. H. Abdul Hameed
B. H. Abdul Hameed is a Sri Lankan Tamil radio broadcaster, master of ceremonies, television host and film actor. He is known for his broadcasting career on Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia. Hameed has hosted many Tamil cultural events around the world.-Career:He joined a band...
. Scenes were shot predominantly in Ooty, while some song sequences were shot in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Release
The film opened to positive reviews from critics. Malathi Rangarajan of The HinduThe Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
gave a verdict that the film was "a wholesome mix of rip-roaring action, witty dialogues and exotic locales". She mentioned that Kamal Haasan's performance was the film's best performance citing that "the enactment proves a cakewalk for him", whilst also praising Crazy Mohan's dialogue as "an indisputable highpoint" and Vikram Dharma
Vikram Dharma
Vikram Dharma was a stunt director in the Tamil film industry in India. He died of a heart attack in early 2006.-External links:...
's stunt concepts. However the critic from Rediff.com
Rediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
gave the film a negative review claiming "the comedy is on a single track in Thenali" and that "it is more tiresome than humorous".
Thenali went on to become a success at the box office, enjoying 100-day runs across halls in South India. A fifty day success meet was also held with Rajinikanth again attending the function, where Ravikumar revealed that it was the actor who picked the title, Thenali. It went on to win three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards are the most notable film awards given for Tamil films in India. They are given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The awards are decided by a committee headed by...
with Thamarai
Thamarai
Thamarai is a Tamil poet, lyricist, writer and former journalist. She is best known for writing lyrics for Tamil films only in Tamil language, often even in very purest Tamil...
picking up the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Lyricist
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Lyricist
The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Lyricist is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....
and Krishnamurthy won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Art Director
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Art Director
The Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Art Director is given by the state government as part of its annual Tamil Nadu State Film Awards for Tamil films.-The list:Here is a list of the award winners and the films for which they won....
in the technical award categories. Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for his role in the film.
The film was dubbed into the Telugu language as Tenali under the production of singer, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam is a multilingual Indian playback singer, actor, music director, voice actor and a film producer. He is referred to as S. P. B. or Balu by the media. He has won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer six times closely following K. J. Yesudas...
and won good reviews. A Hindi language remake with Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
in the role played by Jayaram
Jayaram
Jayaram is an Indian film actor who mainly acts in Malayalam and Tamil films. He is also a chenda percussionist and mimic artist. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for his contribution towards the arts.-Early life:...
was discussed, but the project failed to materialize.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack of the film was composed by A.R.Rahman, with lyrics written predominantly by newcomers. The album also featured the song "Injerungo", which became the first noted song of lyricist ThamaraiThamarai
Thamarai is a Tamil poet, lyricist, writer and former journalist. She is best known for writing lyrics for Tamil films only in Tamil language, often even in very purest Tamil...
, who used Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
slang within the song. The song "Swasame Swasame" from the soundtrack, was re-used in the final scene of the Hollywood film The Accidental Husband
The Accidental Husband
The Accidental Husband is a 2008 American/Irish romantic comedy film directed by Griffin Dunne and starring Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth, Isabella Rossellini, and Sam Shepard. The film is written by Mimi Hare, Clare Naylor and Bonnie Sikowitz, and is produced by Jennifer Todd,...
.
| Track # | Song | Singer(s) | Lyrics |
| 1 | "Athini Sithini" | Hariharan Hariharan (singer) Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity... , Chitra Sivaraman, Kamal Hassan |
Arivumathi |
| 2 | "Swasame Swasame" | S.P.Balasubrahmanyam , Sadhana Sargam Sadhana Sargam Sadhana Sargam is an acclaimed Indian playback singer. She is a recipient of the prestigious National Film Award and Filmfare Awards.Sargam has sung in many Indian languages for films, television serials and music albums. She is well known for her 90s Hindi songs and recent South Indian songs. She... |
Pa. Vijay |
| 3 | "Injerungo Injerungo" | Kamal Hassan , K. S. Chithra K. S. Chithra K. S. Chithra often credited as Chithra , is an Indian playback singer who has made her mark in the Indian music playback industry. Popularly known as Chinna Kuyil of South India, she has lent her voice to Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Oriya, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Badaga and Punjabi films... |
Thamarai Thamarai Thamarai is a Tamil poet, lyricist, writer and former journalist. She is best known for writing lyrics for Tamil films only in Tamil language, often even in very purest Tamil... |
| 4 | "Porkalam Ange" | Srinivas Srinivas (singer) Srinivas 'Srini' is an award winning playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is also a music composer.-Early life:... , Gopika Poornima |
Piraisoodan |
| 5 | "Alangatti Mazhai" | Kamal Hassan, Srinivas Srinivas (singer) Srinivas 'Srini' is an award winning playback singer who has sung over 2000 songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is also a music composer.-Early life:... , Sujatha Sujatha Mohan Sujatha Mohan , usually credited as Sujatha, is an award-winning Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam and Tamil movies. She has also sung for Telugu, Kannada and Hindi movies. She is widely popular for her evergreen melodies and her sweet voice is considered to be her... , Baby Silono Rath & Baby Saranya Srinivas |
Kalaikumar |
| 6 | "Thenali" | Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian music composer and singer. He is a part of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio team that composes for Indian films and a playback singer.-Early life:... , Clinton Cerejo Clinton Cerejo Clinton Cerejo is known for his contributions in the music department for Indian films. His range of work includes playback singing, vocal arrangements, musical arrangements, background scores, music programming, production... |
Ilayakamban |