Thenali(2000)
Thenali is a 2000 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed and co-written by K. S. Ravikumar. The film stars Kamal Haasan as Thenali Soman, a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee with multiple phobias, alongside Jayaram, Devayani, and Jyothika. The story follows Thenali as he follows his psychiatrist Dr. Kailash on a family vacation, leading to a series of comedic conflicts. The film was inspired by the 1991 American film What About Bob? and features dialogues by Crazy Mohan. Thenali was a commercial success, running for over 25 weeks in theatres and winning three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards. The music was composed by A. R. Rahman. The film was released on 26 October 2000 during Diwali.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Prime Video, ManoramaMax
- Theatrical Release
- 28 October 2000
- Director
- K. S. Ravikumar
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 35m
- Rating
- 6.0/10
Storyline
A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee with extreme phobias seeks help from a famous psychiatrist. When the psychiatrist goes on vacation, the patient follows him to his hill station home. The psychiatrist becomes desperate to get rid of the patient, leading to chaos and unexpected friendships.
“Fear has never been this funny.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Thenali
Cast reunions in this film: Charlie & Charle (102 films together), Delhi Ganesh & Charlie (16 films together), Kamal Haasan & Delhi Ganesh (11 films together), Delhi Ganesh & Charle (8 films together), Ramesh Khanna & Charlie (8 films together), and Charlie & Madhan Bob (8 films together).
Trivia
- The film is a Tamil remake of the 1998 Sinhalese comedy 'Sikuru Hathe', which also dealt with a man with multiple phobias.
- Kamal Haasan initially suggested the title 'Thenali', named after a legendary court jester from Tamil folklore.
- The role of Dr. Kailash was first offered to actor Arjun, but he declined, leading to the casting of Jayaram.
- Composer A. R. Rahman recorded the song 'Sutta Suriyanai' in a single take with singer Srinivas, which is rare for his process.
- The film's climax was shot in Kodaikanal, using the famous Coaker's Walk for key scenes of the characters' resolution.
- Actress Devayani, who played Kailash's sister, was praised for performing her own dance sequences despite not being a trained dancer.
- The movie was a commercial success and spawned a sequel, 'Panchathanthiram', though with a different storyline and cast.