Connection
Thillana Mohanambal is a film of genre Drama with Sivaji Ganesan
Thillana Mohanambal (1968)
If you like this film, let us know!
Add to a movie listThillana Mohanambal (English: The Dance Queen Mohanambal) is a 1968 Indian Tamil musical-drama film written, directed, distributed and produced by A. P. Nagarajan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and T. S. Balaiah in the lead roles, with A. V. M. Rajan, Nagesh and Manorama in supporting roles. It tells the story of about Shanmugasundaram, a Nadaswaram player who falls in love with Mohanambal, a Bharatanatyam dancer who reciprocates his feelings, but unfortunate circumstances and their egoistic nature prevents them from confessing their love for one another. How they overcome their self-created obstacles and those created by the people around them forms the rest of the story.
The film was adapted from Kothamangalam Subbu's novel of the same name, which was published as a series of weekly chapters in the Tamil magazine Ananda Vikatan in 1956. The film was mostly shot in Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Madurai. Its original soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan, and songs like "Nalandhana", "Maraindhirundhu" and "Pandian Naanirukka" remain popular today among the Tamil diaspora.
Thillana Mohanambal was released on 27 July 1968. The film's release prints were 4,825 m (15,830 ft) long and were contained on 19 reels. Critically acclaimed for subtly portraying the socio-cultural environment and the Thanjavur culture of dance and music prevailing at that time, it was also a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres. The film won two National Film Awards — Best Feature Film in Tamil (President's Silver Medal) and Best Cinematography — and five Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. Thillana Mohanambal has since acquired cult status in Tamil cinema, and inspired several later films with similar themes of music and dance. It was dubbed and released in Telugu as Raja Narthaki on 12 July 1985.
Synopsis
"Sikkal" Shanmugasundaram (Sundaram) (Sivaji Ganesan) is a devoted Nadaswaram player, but is short-tempered and sensitive. He meets Mohanambal (Mohana) (Padmini), a Bharatnatyam dancer, and they fall in love with each other. Sundaram's ego prevents him from developing his relationship with Mohanambal, who asks him to play a Thillana on his Nadaswaram while she dances. Mohanambal's mother Vadivambal (C. K. Saraswathi), an influential and mercenary woman, wants her daughter to marry a wealthy man so that she can settle down in life properly. Blinded by love, she disobeys her mother, creating a rift between them. Unaware of her feelings, Sundaram decides to leave the country along with Karuppayi (Manorama), a folk dancer whom he considers to be his sister. Mohana calls him a coward and challenges him to stay, which he readily accepts. In a temple, Sundaram plays the Thillana and Mohana dances. Sundaram, impressed with Mohana's performance, crowns her the title "Thillana Mohanambal". Suddenly Nagalingam (E. R. Sahadevan), a landlord who wanted to marry Mohana, turns up to stab Sundaram with a poisoned knife out of jealousy. He came to the temple to kill Mohana.Actors
Sivaji Ganesan
(Nadaswara Chakravarthi "Sikkal" Shanmugasundaram)
Padmini Ramachandran
(Mohanambal)
Chittor V. Nagaiah
(Sundaram's Nadaswaram teacher)
S. Balaiah
(Muthurakku)
Aachi Manorama
("Jil Jil" Ramamani)
Comments
Leave comment :
Suggestions of similar film to Thillana Mohanambal
There are 870 films with the same actors, 70857 with the same cinematographic genres (including 993 with exactly the same 3 genres than Thillana Mohanambal), 6491 films with the same themes (including 320 films with the same 2 themes than Thillana Mohanambal), to have finally 70 suggestions of similar films.If you liked Thillana Mohanambal, you will probably like those similar films :
Iru Malargal (1967)
Directed by A. C. Tirulokachandar
Genres Drama, Romance
Actors Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini Ramachandran, K. R. Vijaya, Chittor V. Nagaiah, Nagesh, Aachi Manorama
Rating65%
Sundar (Sivaji Ganesan) and Uma (Padmini) are classmates who fight often. Sundar, however, is very much in love with Uma, and when they perform in a dance drama competition at Madurai, and later move on to Kodaikanal, he expresses this love. Uma asks him to climb up a peak so that she will consider him as a suitor. Sundar suffers from Acrophobia and almost falls while climbing, at which point Uma accepts his love.
Thiruvilayadal (1965)
, 2h35Genres Fantasy
Themes Dance films, Films based on mythology, Films about religion, Political films, Films about royalty
Actors Sivaji Ganesan, R. Muthuraman, Kommareddy Savitri, Nagesh, Aachi Manorama, K.B.Sundarambal
Rating80%
Lord Shiva gives a sacred fruit, brought by the sage Narada, to his elder son Vinayaka as a prize for outsmarting his younger brother Muruga in a competition to win it. Angered by his father's decision, Muruga, dressed as a hermit, goes to Palani, despite Avvaiyar's attempts to convince him to return to Mount Kailash. His mother, goddess Parvati, arrives there and narrates the stories of four of Shiva's divine games to calm Muruga.
Amara Deepam (1956)
, 2h42Directed by Tatineni Prakash Rao
Genres Drama
Actors Sivaji Ganesan, Kommareddy Savitri, Padmini Ramachandran, M. N. Nambiar, Chittor V. Nagaiah, Thangavelu
Rating54%
An educated unemployed person Ashok (Sivaji Ganesan) falls in love with the daughter Aruna (Savitri) of a wealthy Industrialist.
Nenjam Marappathillai (1963)
Directed by C. V. Sridhar
Genres Drama, Fantasy
Themes Films about religion
Actors Kalyan Kumar, Devika, Aachi Manorama, M. N. Nambiar, Nagesh, Padmini Ramachandran
Rating82%
Billa (1980)
, 2h55Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Action, Crime, Romance
Themes Mafia films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Gangster films
Actors Rajinikanth, Sripriya, Reena Roy, Sundarrajan, Ramasamy Subramania Manohar, Aachi Manorama
Rating74%
Billa (Rajinikanth) is a powerful mafia lord, who in spite of being one of the most wanted on the list of Interpol, remains elusive to the police. Along with the police, he makes a few other enemies through his merciless approach in running his organisation, especially when he kills one of his own men, Rajesh, when Rajesh decides to leave the business. This introduces Billa to two new enemies, Kamini (Helen), Rajesh’s fiancee, and Priya, (Sripriya) Rajesh’s sister. When Kamini seduces Billa and attempts to have the police arrest him, her plan backfires as Billa outsmarts her and escapes, and in the process Kamini was killed.
Kalathur Kannamma (1960)
, 2h56Directed by A. Bhimsingh
Genres Drama, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on plays
Actors Gemini Ganesan, Kommareddy Savitri, Kamal Haasan, S. Balaiah, Devika, Javar Sitaraman
Rating66%
Rajalingam (Gemini Ganesan) is the only son of Ramalingam (T. S. Balaiah), the zamindar of Kalathur. Kannamma (Savithri) is the daughter of Murugan (S. V. Subbaiah), a farmer of the same place. On the zamindar's advice, Murugan sends his daughter to Madras for higher education. While returning from Madras, Kannamma meets Raja in the train. Noticing her respect and awe for the zamindar, Raja calls himself an electrician visiting the zamin palace. They fall in love. A few days later, Kannamma learns the truth and to reassure her, Raja marries her secretly in a temple.
Chennai Express (2013)
, 2h21Directed by Rohit Shetty
Origin Inde
Genres Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Romantic comedy, Action, Romance
Themes Films about music and musicians, Transport films, Rail transport films, Musical films, Bollywood
Actors Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sathyaraj, Aachi Manorama, Nikitin Dheer, Priyaman
Rating62%
Rahul Mithaiwala (Shahrukh Khan) is a forty-year-old bachelor living in Mumbai. His parents died in a car accident when he was eight years old, so his grandparents raised him. His grandfather (Lekh Tandon) owns a chain of confectionery shops where Rahul has been a dedicated worker helping his grandfather. Two of Rahul's friends convince to finally take a vacation and travel with them to Goa. Rahul's grandfather dies on the day of the 100th birthday celebration. His grandmother tells Rahul that his grandfather wanted his ashes to be divided into two parts—one of each to be immersed in the Ganges and Rameswaram. She asks Rahul to take the ashes to Rameswaram and disperse them. While he accepts her request, Rahul and his friends plan to dump the ashes at Goa but his grandmother wants to see him off, forcing Rahul to travel by train. He books a single ticket on the Chennai Express, planning to quickly exit and meet his friends along the way. However, as he tries to leave the train, he notices a young woman running to board it. He helps her and then four large men board the moving train, missing his chance to debark.
Romeo & Juliet (1955)
, 1h33Directed by Leo Arnchtam
Genres Drama, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about suicide, Théâtre, Musical films, Romeo and Juliet, Films based on plays, Films based on works by William Shakespeare
Rating72%
L'intrigue est celle de la pièce Roméo et Juliette de William Shakespeare.
Carmen (1983)
, 1h42Directed by Carlos Saura
Origin Espagne
Genres Drama, Musical theatre, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Musical films, Films based on operas
Actors Laura del Sol, Marisol, Cristina Hoyos
Rating73%
Un groupe de danseurs de flamenco met en scène une version très hispanisée de l'œuvre de Prosper Mérimée. Durant les préparations et l'exécution de l'œuvre, Antonio, le chorégraphe, tombe amoureux de Carmen qui en est la danseuse principale. L'œuvre dansée et la vie réelle commencent alors à se mêler.
Center Stage: Turn It Up (2008)
, 1h35Origin USA
Genres Drama, Musical theatre, Musical, Romance
Themes Dance films, Films about music and musicians, Hip hop films, Musical films
Actors Rachele Brooke Smith, Kenny Wormald, Crystal Lowe, Peter Gallagher, Harry Shum Jr., Nicole Muñoz
Rating60%
The film starts with Kate Parker saying goodbye to her friends in Detroit and her sister because she is leaving home to go to an audition for the greatest dance school in America, the American Ballet Academy. Kate doesn't make it and instead of her Suzanne Von Stroh (Sarah Jayne Jensen) is chosen, because of an argument between the director of the school, Jonathan (Peter Gallagher) and one of the teachers, Cooper Nielson (Ethan Stiefel), who has returned to ABA after his ballet company lost its funding. A young dancer, Tommy Anderson (Kenny Wormald), is stunned by Kate and is sure that she passed and got into the academy, but soon he discovers that she was rejected, and he is paired up with Suzanne instead. Kate, homeless in New York City, goes to a club called The Foundry where she finds Tommy and impresses both him and the owner of the club, Sal, who is Tommy's best friend, with her dance moves and energy. She is given a job at the club and sleeps in the upstairs office. Because she needs to find an apartment she agrees to help Tommy with his dance if he pays her.