This is one Rajini movie that continues to fascinate me. What a brave move it was – To cast the angry young man of Tamil Cinema in a laugh riot. How was it even possible? Rajinikanth had to reprise the incredible Amol Palekar. No wonder we still hail K.Balachander as one of the greatest directors South Indian Cinema has ever seen.
The plot – A tale of dual identities. KB pits Rajini against an actor of Thengai Srinivasan‘s calibre and pulls it off with ease. There is not one dull scene as the laughter never stops. My favourite scene Thengai Srinivasan hurries from a party to meet Sowkar Janaki after an encounter with her twin. Is she really a twin? Thengai Srinivasan rushes to confirm. Rajini and his sister are still looking for ways to cover up the absence of the mother. Sowkar Janaki emerges from the washroom as Rajini utters ” Aanalum neenga romba kulikringa ma”. There’s no way this dialogue can be translated in English I guess.
Rajini’s career can be divided into two halves – Before and after Thillu Mullu. Rajini himself has stated that he was extremely scared to do a full fledged comedy and shave off his mustache but Thillu Mulllu gave him the confidence that he needed to excel in comedy scenes.
Almost all his films after Thillu Mullu sees him filling the role of a comedian in the first half before changing tracks post interval. Thambiku Entha Ooru, Annamalai and underrated Veera are a fitting testimony to his comic skills. There’s an almost childlike innocence in his comic acts which endeared him to the masses.
Thillu Mullu is an admirable ensemble with Rajinikanth, Thengai Srinivasan, Sowkar Janaki , Nagesh and Poornam Viswanathan. It is also the movie in which the two legends of Tamil Cinema Rajini and Kamal grace the screen together for one last time. Not to forget the inredible writing by Visu and music by MSV
Watch it if you haven’t. You are missing a classic.
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