Anthimanthaarai (pronunciation) (transl.Mirabilis jalapa) is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language historical drama film directed by Bharathiraja. The film stars Vijayakumar and Jayasudha.[1] It is produced by Chandraleela Bharathiraja and Thilaka Ganesh. The film won the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil. The music for the film is scored by A. R. Rahman, marking his third collaboration with Bharathiraja after Kizhakku Cheemayile and Karuthamma.

Anthimanthaarai
DVD cover
Directed byBharathiraja
Screenplay byBharathiraja
Story byR. Selvaraj
Produced byChandraleela Bharathiraja
Thilaka Ganesh
StarringVijayakumar
Jayasudha
Sanghavi
CinematographyC. Dhanapal
Edited byK. Pazhanivel
Music byA. R. Rahman
Production
company
Megaa Movies
Release date
  • 1 June 1996 (1996-06-01)
Running time
131 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

The film had a brief run lasting for a week in major cinemas and fared poorly at the box office despite its accolades and critical acclaim.[2]

Plot

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An aged man Kandaswamy Iyer at his retirement pursues a relationship that he could not experience when younger. He was once a freedom fighter and activist, but as time passes by, his efforts become gradually forgotten. Towards the end of his life, he grapples to financially support himself and loses his respect and identity in society. His desires to lead a peaceful retirement with his companion Thangam is tragically taken away from him by the ungrateful and ignorant community.

Cast

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Production

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Radhika was initially supposed to star in the film but her busy schedule meant that the role went to Jayasudha.[4]

Soundtrack

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The soundtrack of the film was composed by A. R. Rahman[5] and was a promotional audio since the film featured just a few snatches of these songs in the background. It has 4 songs including a Carnatic song written in Sanskrit and 3 instrumental themes. The lyrics were written by Vairamuthu.

Song Singer(s)
Bharathiraja's Voice I Bharathiraja
"Sakiyae Nee" Unnikrishnan
Theme Music I Instrumental
Bharathiraja's Voice II Bharathiraja
"Oru Naal Oru Pozhudu" Swarnalatha
Theme Music II Instrumental
"Pullai Thinkum" Sumangali
Music Bit I Instrumental
Music Bit II Instrumental

Reception

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Kalki called Anthimanthaarai a film lacking trademark elements of Bharathiraja and praised him for narrating the plot within two hours by lessening the dialogues and expressing with small movements and montage shots.[6] D. S. Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote, "The tragic tale of a freedom fighter, a firm believer in old values, gets the deft and poignant Bharathiraaja touches, heightening the value of the character in Mega Movies, Anthimantharai".[3] Anthimanthaarai won the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Tamil.[7] According to Vijayakumar, he was a strong contender for the Best Actor award, but lost by a single vote.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "நடிகர் விஜயகுமார் பிறந்த நாள் ஸ்பெஷல்: அனைத்து பரிமாணங்களிலும் ரசிக்க வைத்த கலைஞர்". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). 29 August 2020. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  2. ^ Gaekwad, Manish (6 January 2017). "You've heard the AR Rahman song? Now listen to the background score". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Ramanujam, D. S. (7 June 1996). "Anthimantharai". The Hindu. p. 33. Archived from the original on 20 December 1996. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  4. ^ "'We don't create intelligent characters' - Jayasudha". Nilacharal. Archived from the original on 5 November 2006. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  5. ^ "Anthimanthaarai – Andha Naal – Ullathai Allitha". IsaiShop. Archived from the original on 18 October 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  6. ^ "அந்திமந்தாரை". Kalki (in Tamil). 14 April 1996. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ^ "43rd National Film Festival" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  8. ^ Ashok Kumar, S.R. (8 December 2005). "For Vijayakumar, work is always worship". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 December 2005. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
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