Manasukkul Mathappu

Manasukkul Mathappu
Poster
Directed by	Robert–Rajasekar
Screenplay by	Robert–Rajasekar
Based on	Thalavattam by Priyadarshan
Produced by	D. Premakumari B. Saraswathi
Starring	Prabhu Saranya Lissy
Cinematography	Robert–Rajasekar
Edited by	R. T. Annadurai
Music by	S. A. Rajkumar
Production company	Ownland Arts
Release date	24 June 1988 (1988-06-24)
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Manasukkul Mathappu (transl. Sparklers in the heart) is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Robert–Rajasekar. The film stars Prabhu, Saranya and Lissy, with Sarath Babu and Senthamarai in supporting roles. It is a remake of the 1986 Malayalam film Thalavattam ^[1][2] which was inspired by the 1975 film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest which in turn was an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey.^[3][4] The film was released on 24 June 1988 and Prabhu won the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor – Tamil.

Plot

Shekar becomes mentally ill after his girlfriend Anitha dies because of an electric short circuiting accident during a rock concert. He is admitted into an institution managed authoritatively by Nagaraj. With the help of a young doctor Geetha, who is Nagaraj's daughter, and an old friend Raja, Shekar slowly regains his memory and mental equilibrium. He and Geetha soon fall in love. But Nagaraj has already arranged Geetha's marriage with someone else, so he opposes the lovers. When Nagaraj finds that Geetha and Shekar are adamant, he performs a surgery (lobotomy) on Shekar that puts him into a state of coma. Raja feels that death would be preferable to vegetative life and kills Shekar. He confronts Nagaraj, confesses to the euthanasia and tries to kill him for ruining Shekar's life, but Geetha suddenly shoots her father dead. She is later admitted into the same institution as a patient.

Cast

• Prabhu as Shekar
• Saranya as Geetha
• Lissy as Anitha
• Sarath Babu as Raja
• Senthamarai as Nagaraj
• Janagaraj as Vasu
• Nassar as Babu
• Sachu as Nurse Mary
• Samikannu as mental patient
• Kumarimuthu as mental patient^[5]
• Swaminathan as mental patient

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by S. A. Rajkumar, who also wrote the lyrics.^[6][7]

Song	Singers	Length
"Adadoi Mettu"	Malaysia Vasudevan	03:46
"Oh Ponmaan Kuyil"	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam	04:19
"Poonthendrale" (Duet)	P. Jayachandran, Sunandha	04:16
"Poonthendrale" (Solo)	K. S. Chithra	04:46
"Vaa Kanmani"	S. A. Rajkumar	04:28
"Yaar Yaar Inge"	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam	03:25

Release and reception

Manasukkul Mathappu was released on 24 June 1988.^[8] On 1 July 1988, The Indian Express wrote, "With some films you don't want to say much about the performances though they might be good or sort of as much as you want to write home about the bright idea the scenarist had of disposing of a heroine he wanted to kill by electrocuting her while she is playing the electric guitar or the masterstroke of the filmmaker in cutting from the shriek of the hero in the shock chamber to a happy times song-dance sequence till then obscured by the iron curtain of amnesia."^[3] Jayamanmadhan of Kalki appreciated Prabhu's performance, and felt that though there was no newness in the songs, they were still worth listening to.^[9] Prabhu won the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor – Tamil at the 9th Cinema Express Awards.^[10][11]

References

1. "மோகன்லாலும், பின்னே தமிழ் ரீமேக்கும்..." [Mohanlal films and their remakes]. Dinamalar (in Tamil). 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
2. "Did you know that these popular Hindi movies that were actually copied from South Indian films?". Business Insider. 1 October 2015. Archived from the original on 25 December 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
3. "Manasukkul Mathappu". The Indian Express. 1 July 1988. p. 5. Retrieved 6 November 2017 – via Google News Archive.
4. "Bollywood remakes of South Indian films". MSN. 22 March 2020. slide 28. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
5. சாந்தி கணேஷ், ஆ (22 September 2020). "அப்பாவுக்கு நடந்தது யாருக்கும் நடக்கக்கூடாது!" - எலிசபெத் குமரிமுத்து" ["What happened to my father should not happen to anyone!" – Elizabeth Kumarimuthu]. Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
6. "Manasukkul Mathappu (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - EP". Apple Music. 24 June 1998. Archived from the original on 19 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
7. "Manasukkul Mathapu". AVDigital. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
8. "மனசுக்குள் மத்தாப்பு / Manasukkul Mathappu (1988)". Screen 4 Screen. Archived from the original on 17 November 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
9. ஜெயமன்மதன் (17 July 1999). "மனசுக்குள் மத்தாப்பு". Kalki (in Tamil). p. 39. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
10. "Cinema Express readers choose Agni Nakshathiram". The Indian Express. Express News Service. 11 March 1989. p. 4. Retrieved 19 February 2021 – via Google News Archive.
11. "Veteran Tamil Actor Prabhu Completes 40 Years in Film Industry". News18. 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.

External links

• Manasukkul Mathappu at IMDb 
• Manasukkul Mathappu at Rotten Tomatoes