Engal Thangam(1970)
Engal Thangam (transl. Our Gold) is a 1970 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Krishnan–Panju. The film stars M. G. Ramachandran as Thangam and Jayalalithaa as Kaladevi. The story follows a truck driver who takes the blame for his friend's crimes to save him from a dangerous gang of burglars. The film was produced by Murasoli Maran under Megala Pictures and distributed by Venus Movies. It features music composed by M. S. Viswanathan with lyrics by Vaali. The film won the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Film – Second Prize. It was released on 9 October 1970.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- YouTube
- Theatrical Release
- 9 October 1970
- Director
- R. Krishnan
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 54m
- Rating
- 7.3/10
Storyline
A truck driver named Thangam risks everything to save his blind sister's husband. The husband is a skilled safe-cracker trapped by a ruthless gang of burglars. Thangam must fight the gang alone while protecting his family from danger.
“He is our gold. He is our hero.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Engal Thangam
Cast reunions in this film: M. S. Viswanathan & Manorama (63 films together), M. S. Viswanathan & Jayalalitha (46 films together), M. S. Viswanathan & M. G. Ramachandran (37 films together), M. G. Ramachandran & Jayalalitha (26 films together), M. S. Viswanathan & Cho (15 films together), and M. S. Viswanathan & Krishnan-Panju (14 films together).
Trivia
- The film was remade in Hindi as 'Dost' (1974) starring Dharmendra and Shatrughan Sinha.
- It was one of the few 1970s Tamil films to directly depict the social issue of sexual assault.
- The director duo R. Krishnan and S. Panju usually worked together, but this film is credited only to R. Krishnan.
- Actor Muthuraman, who played the friend Moorthy, was often cast in positive roles, making this villain part unusual.
- The movie's title translates to 'Our Gold', referring to the cherished sister character.
- The film released during a period when Tamil cinema was shifting towards more action-oriented revenge dramas.
- Composer M.S. Viswanathan, who scored the film, was known for reusing successful tunes across languages, but this soundtrack is original.