Thappu Thalangal (1978)

Director
K. Balachander

Main cast
Rajnikanth; Kamal Haasan; Saritha; Sundar

Genres
Family, Drama, Romance

Description
Thappu Thalangal is a saga of emotional and selfish world of human feelings. Devu, a local thug whose weapon of choice is a bicycle chain he sports casually around the neck. On one of his nightly rounds, Devu is pursued by a cop and seeks refuge at a whorehouse run by a hooker Sarasu. Despite her vehement protests, he stays put and leaves only at daybreak, but her persistent cough stays with him. At a theatre, Devu watches an advertisement for Glycodin Cough Syrup and proceeds to buy her a bottle. Devu and Sarasu bond over the cough syrup and philosophize late into the night, exchanging notes on their immoral lifestyles. Devu's assault on a trade union leader delivering medicine to a critically ill worker leads to a mishap. In an inspired moment, he suggests they remap their lives and chart a moral course. The couple's plans for normality never attain fruition. The inevitable return to lives of vice is especially tragic and heartbreaking.


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