Vishwa Thulasi is a 2004 Tamil-language drama film directed by Sumathy Ram, starring Mammooty and Nandita Das. This film's score and soundtrack were composed by Ilayaraaja and M. S. Viswanathan.[1] The film was notable for having a female director.[2][3]
| Vishwa Thulasi | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Sumathy Ram |
| Written by | Sumathy Ram |
| Produced by | Ramki |
| Starring | Mammootty Nandita Das Manoj K. Jayan Delhi Ganesh Sukumari Kamala Kamesh Madhan Bob Rajesh Vaidya Ambili Devi |
| Cinematography | B. Kannan |
| Edited by | Suresh Urs |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja M. S. Viswanathan |
Release date |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
The film, set in the 1940s and moving to the 1960s, revolves around the emotional story of Thulasi (Nandita Das) returning to her village to become a dance teacher. She cannot bring herself to forget Vishwa (Mammootty), a man she has been in love with for two decades. Memories of Vishwa haunt her constantly, and upon a chance meeting with him, she discovers he too is struggling with his love for her. Both are haunted by the memory of Thulasi's cousin, a figure who is unable to control his obsession for his cousin and hide his resentment at Thulasi's feelings for Vishwa.
Thulasi comes to Sundarapuri after her guardians — her grandma and uncle — pass away, to work as teacher in a dance school. It is in Sundarapuri that Vishwa, the Zamindar whom she had met 20 years ago, lives. They meet again and the feelings that had blossomed in their hearts as teenagers, are revived. Vishwa is unmarried and Thulasi has gone through an unceremonious ritual in the name of matrimony, but fear of societal stigma and innate inhibition keep them asunder.
Sensing their intense love for each other, Pattabhi (Delhi Ganesh), the manager at Vishwa's house, helps them overcome their fears. It is then that fate enters in the form of Shiva (Manoj K. Jayan).
All the songs were composed and orchestrated by M. S. Viswanathan. Background score of the movie was done by Ilaiyaraaja.[4] [5]
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics |
| 1 | "Aaya Kalaikalin" | Srinivas, Aparna | Sumathy Ram |
| 2 | "Engu Piranthathu" | Tippu, Chinmayi | Ilaiyaraaja |
| 3 | "Kanavilavathu" | Gopika Poornima, Karthik | |
| 4 | "En Maname" | Dippu, Gopika Poornima | |
| 5 | "Kannamma Kanavillaiya | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Sumathy Ram |
| 6 | "Mayakkama" | Srinivas, Sujatha | |
| 7 | "Nizhalin Kathai Ithu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | |
| 8 | "Vishwa Thulasi" | Bhavatharini | Ilaiyaraaja |
Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote that "Though one can appreciate the debutant director's sincerity to give a clean, aesthetic, lyrical film, quite different from the dance-fight-romance routine, one feels 'Vishwa Thulasi' would have made a pleasant video-album. Stretching it to two hours, is stretching it a bit too much!"[6][7][8]
The film has won the following awards since its release:
2005 WorldFest Houston (United States)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–1979 |
| ||||||
| 1980–1989 |
| ||||||
| 1990–1999 |
| ||||||
| 2000–2009 |
| ||||||
| 2010–2014 |
| ||||||