Tharai Thappattai is a 2016 Tamil art movie written and directed by Bala. The film features Sasikumar and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar in the leading roles, while Ilaiyaraaja composes the film’s music based on karakattam. This film also happens to be Ilaiyaraaja’s 1000th film. Tharai Thappattai began production in 2013 and released on 14 January 2016.
Sannasi (M. Sasikumar) is a multi-talented folk dancer and nadaswaram expert in a village living with his father Samipulavan (G. M. Kumar). Samipulavan was once a great singer and thavil expert who stopped performing singing and playing thavil because of the indecent content in the folk dances by the younger generation in recent years. He also has stopped talking with his son because of the same reason.Sooravalli (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar) is Sannasi’s aunty’s daughter who loves Sannasi very much and expresses her love often for which Sannasi doesn’t responds.Both Sooravalli and Sannasi are in the same group of dancers who go to places for performing.
An innocently dressed Karuppaiah (R. K. Suresh) often interrupts the male performers in the group wherever they go, to know where the next dance programme would happen. One day Sannasi gets a phone call from a group of men in a lodge near by. They pay him a lumpsum amount to book his group for a dance programme in a temple in Andaman Nicobar islands. The group goes to Andaman by a passenger ship, stays in the hotel provided by the organizers and performs Karagattam in a temple. The men who organized the dance liked the women dancers and asks Sannasi to show them the girls indirectly asking for sex. Sannasi without uttering any word takes the organizers to the room where the lady dancers are staying and says to them that he has showed the girls as per their wish . Sooravalli who is short tempered fiercefully hits all the organizers knowing that they had asked for sex with the lady dancers including her. The organizers who were drunk at that time were badly injured and in turn they tore the return tickets to main land India taking revenge on them. That night the group of dancers could not find a shelter and sleep in the road. Not knowing how to get back to main land India, they go in search of a job. A building contractor helps them to find a construction work and asks for some percent of money as his commission. Agreed to this the group of dancers work in the construction site only to damage the buildings and the constructions built so far. In the chaos Sooravalli gets hurt by getting her feet pricked by a nail. The building owner gets irritated with the damage and scolds the contractor. The contractor asks them to stop the work and go back. Without any money the dance group was not able to buy even a tea. Soorvalli who could not see Sannasi starving for hunger puts her make-up and dances karagattam,with the wounded feet, in the street asking the thavil players and nadaswaram players to accompany her. Mesmerized by the dance the public gives them enough money with which they return to mainland India. While returning Sooravalli fells ills because of the nail which got pricked in her foot. Sannasi takes care of her throughout the journey which improves their bonding.
Directed by Bala
Produced by M. Sasikumar
Written by Bala
Starring M. Sasikumar, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar
Music by Ilaiyaraaja
Cinematography Chezhiyan
Edited by G. Sasikumar
Production Company Production & B Studio
Distributed by Ayngaran International
Release dates January 14, 2016
Country India
Language Tamil
