Thaayin Manikodi

Thaayin Manikodi (transl. Mothers' jewelled flag)[1] is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Arjun Sarja, 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.[2]

Thaayin Manikodi
Directed byArjun Sarja
Written byArjun Sarja
K. C. Thangam
Produced byD. Sudhakar Raju
StarringArjun Sarja
Tabu
Nivedita Jain
CinematographyK. S. Selvaraj
Edited byP. Sai Suresh
Music byVidyasagar
Production
company
Sree Lakshmi Devi Associates
Release date
  • 29 August 1998 (1998-08-29)
Running time
152 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTamil

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

Production

The film was first announced in January 1996, with director and lead actor Arjun initially casting Vijayashanti in a leading role.[3] However the actress later left the project after she had creative differences with the film's producer, Sudhakar Raju.[4] 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.[5] Further scenes were also shot in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, with art director Thotta Tharani constructing sets for the film.[4] Production was delayed as a result of the FEFSI strike of 1997.[6]

Soundtrack

The soundtrack features 6 songs composed by Vidyasagar.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Nooraandukku Oru Murai"VairamuthuGopal Sharma, Devie Neithiyar05:15
2."Adi Raani Sultana"VairamuthuMano, Devie Neithiyar04:18
3."Mister Hollywood"VaasanGopal Sharma, Swarnalatha05:06
4."Sixteena Seventeena"VairamuthuGopal Sharma, Swarnalatha04:38
5."Uncle Uncle"VairamuthuS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Baby Sruthi Unnikrishnan, Baby Deepika05:06
6."Yahaan Ladki Hai"Palani BharathiVidyasagar, Sujatha Mohan04:26
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.[4] 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.[8][9] Ji of Kalki felt Tabu and Vijayakumar were wasted but praised the action sequences.[10] 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".[11]

Four years after the original release, the film was later dubbed and released in Telugu during November 2002 as Jaatiya Pattaakam.[12]

References
  1. "THOSE WERE THE DAYS: The Manikodi Movement". DT Next. 26 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  2. "Patriot games". Rediff.com. 16 November 1998. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  3. Sitaraman, Sandya (9 January 1996). "Tamil Movie News--1995 Review". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 19 July 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  4. Sitaraman, Sandya (17 January 1997). "Tamil Movie News--Pudhu Edition 2". Google Groups. Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  5. "Madras film strike: Producers demand their pound of flesh". Rediff.com. 7 July 1997. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  6. "Thayin Manikodi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – EP". Apple Music. December 1997. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  7. Rajendran, Sowmya (18 May 2018). "'Irumbuthirai' takes on Aadhaar: How Tamil films are questioning the Centre". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  8. Aravind, CV (23 August 2017). "Kollywood's 'Gentleman' and Action King: Arjun Sarja at his 150th film". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 6 August 2021. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  9. ஜி. (27 September 1998). "தாயின் மணிக்கொடி". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 96. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  10. Ramanujam, D. S. (4 September 1998). "Film Reviews: Ellamae En Pondattithan / En Aaasai Raasavae / Thaayin Manikkodi". The Hindu. p. 26. Archived from the original on 7 April 2001. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. "Movie review – Jaatiya Pataakam". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 14 March 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
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