Thambi (2019 film)

Indian film directed by Jeethu Joseph

Thambi

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Jeethu Joseph
Screenplay by| Rensil D'Silva
Sameer Arora
Jeethu Joseph
K. Manikandan
Story by| Rensil D'Silva
Sameer Arora
Produced by| Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
Suraj Sadanah
Starring| Jyothika
Sathyaraj
Karthi
Nikhila Vimal
Ammu Abhirami
Cinematography| R. D. Rajasekhar
Edited by| V. S. Vinayak
Music by| Govind Vasantha

Production
companies

Viacom18 Studios
Parallel Minds Productions

Distributed by| Viacom18 Studios

Release date

* 20 December 2019 (2019-12-20)

Running time

| 151 minutes
Country| India
Language| Tamil

Thambi (transl. Younger Brother) is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Jeethu Joseph. Co-written by Rensil D'Silva, Sameer Arora, Jeethu Joseph and K. Manikandan, it was jointly produced by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Parallel Mind Productions. The film stars Jyothika, Sathyaraj, Karthi, Nikhila Vimal and Ammu Abhirami. The music and background score was composed by Govind Vasantha.

Thambi was released on 20 December 2019 and received positive reviews from critics, where it became a commercial success.[1]

## Plot

[edit]

A fight erupts between teenagers Saravanan and Manimaran, where Saravanan is hit on the head by Manimaran and faints. Manimaran is forced to escape, leaving the fainted Saravanan on a lorry.

15 years later: Gnanamoorthy is a politician in Mettupalayam, Coimbatore District, who lives with his wife, Padma, daughter, Parvathy, and his mother, who is paralyzed and uses a wheelchair. Parvathy spends her days in sorrow, hoping that her aggressive younger brother Saravanan, who had left home 15 years ago, will return. Her family believes that the miracle of his coming back may happen. One day, Moorthy receives a call from Jeevanand, who tells him his long-lost son is found. In reality, Saravanan is Vicky, a trickster and tourist guide in Goa. Moorthy brings Vicky to his house, where Padma is overjoyed seeing her son. However, Parvathy keeps shunning Vicky. Saravanan's childhood friend and lover, Sanjana, is also elated to reunite with "him". Jeeva and Vicky had secretly planned for Vicky to pose as Saravanan for a while before stealing money from the house and escaping, after which they would share the bounty. Saravanan's friend Karan, a cop, doubts whether Vicky is Saravanan, which grows stronger when he asks Vicky about their childhood, and he flounders.

However, Parvathy stops Karan from trying to disprove Vicky/Saravanan since the joy in her family has come back upon his arrival anyway. It is revealed that Moorthy had arranged for Jeeva to make Vicky pose as Saravanan. When Jeeva blackmails Moorthy for ₹2 crore (US$240,000), Moorthy kills him and pins the murder on Manimaaran, who is now a local politician who wants to build a resort in the nearby village. Karan suspects Vicky is involved in the murder since he shows up at Jeeva's house trying to remove evidence that he is a fraud. However, Karan doesn't find any proof tying Moorthy or Vicky to Jeeva's death and arrests Manimaaran. Moorthy had already entered the house once more and removed all the evidence. While Vicky is driving, he is hit by a truck and narrowly escapes death. Another attack in the house confirms his suspicions that someone is trying to kill Saravanan, and he sets out to find out what happened to him. After tracing Saravanan's steps that night, he finds the truck that hit him and, on interrogating the driver, learns that the perpetrator is Moorthy's right-hand man Sudhakar, who was angry that Saravanan had come back as he would lose the position of MLA to him.

Finally, with a clue from Sanjana, Vicky deduces that Saravanan had returned home the night of his disappearance - he was a drug addict who had fought with his family and was the reason for his grandmother's paralysis. He believes that out of anger over Saravanan hurting his grandmother, Moorthy killed his son accidentally and used sympathy to earn votes. On confronting him, Moorthy offers Vicky money to keep the matter quiet, but Vicky tells Padma, who is already aware. Suddenly, Parvathy holds Vicky at gunpoint and reveals what happened that night.

15 years back: After Saravanan had fought with Padma and Parvathy, he pushed his grandmother down the stairs, causing her to be hospitalised. Saravanan escapes after his fight with Manimaran and returns home on his bike. Moorthy and Parvathy came back to the house and found Saravanan getting high. In a fit of rage, Moorthy beat his son, but when Saravanan hit him back in a drug-fueled rage, Moorthy broke down. Parvathy tried to console her father and threw away her brother's drugs. Saravanan began choking her, and in desperation, Parvathy grabbed a nearby showpiece and accidentally slit his throat. Moorthy fabricated a story about Saravanan leaving to save his family's reputation. Saravanan's body was interred in the forest area where the resort is now proposed to be built.

Present: Shocked at the revelation, Vicky leaves. At the train station, Parvathy admits that she had come to accept Vicky as her brother. Later, Vicky/Saravanan and Parvathy drive back to their home.

## Cast

[edit]

* Jyothika as Parvathy
* Ammu Abhirami as Young Parvathy
* Sathyaraj as P. Gnanamoorthy
* Karthi as Saravanan (Fake) / Vicky / Guru / Arjun / Michael
* Nikhila Vimal as Sanjana
* Yukta as Young Sanjana
* Seetha as Padma
* Anson Paul as Karan
* Sowcar Janaki as Parvathy's and Saravanan's Grandmother
* Bala as MLA Manimaaran
* Ilavarasu as T. G. Jeevanand
* Hareesh Peradi as Sudhakar
* Navneeth Madhav as Saravanan
* Ramesh Thilak as Vicky's friend
* Ashwanth Ashokkumar as Kutta
* Semmalar Annam as Gunavathi, Kutta's mother
* Mathew Varghese as CEO
* Hello Kandasamy as Villager
* Aroul D. Shankar as Neurologist

## Production

[edit]

In February 2019, it was announced that Karthi and Jyothika would be sharing screen space together for the first time under the direction of Jeethu Joseph.[2] Later, Govind Vasantha and R. D. Rajasekhar were confirmed to be the film's music director and cinematographer respectively.[3]

Principal photography began in mid April 2019.[4] The film was completed in a single schedule.[5] It was shot extensively in Palakkad, Goa, Coimbatore, and Ooty.[6] The film's title revealed to be Thambi on 15 November 2019.[7]

## Music

[edit]

Thambi

Soundtrack album by

Govind Vasantha

Released| 30 November 2019
Recorded| 2019
Genre| Feature film soundtrack
Length| 14:20
Language| Tamil
Label| Lahari Music
T-Series
Producer| Govind Vasantha
Govind Vasantha chronology
| Uriyadi 2
(2019)  | Thambi
(2019)  | Jaanu
(2020)

|
|

Official Tamil Jukebox on YouTube

The soundtrack is composed by Govind Vasantha,[8] and the audio rights of the film were acquired by Lahari Music. The audio launch of this film was held at Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai on 30 November 2019, in the presence of Jyothika, Karthi and Suriya, who attended the event as the chief guest, along with the film's cast and crew.[9] The album features four tracks with an instrumental theme music, and the lyrics for the songs were written by Vivek and Karthik Netha.

The Times of India, reviewed it as "the album is a treat to ears, with each song having a refreshing musical touch."[10]

No.| Title| Lyrics| Singer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Hello Saare"| Karthik Netha| Suresh Peters| 4:30
2.| "Thaalelo"| Karthik Netha| Chinmayi| 3:48
3.| "Thalattu Naal"| Vivek| Crishna| 4:22
4.| "Thambi Theme" (Instrumental)|  |  | 2:40
Total length:| 14:20

## Release

[edit]

Thambi was released on 20 December 2019. The theatrical rights of the film were acquired by Sakthi Film Factory.[11] while Ravuri V. Srinivas, acquired the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights under their Harshitha Movies banner.[12] The film was also dubbed and released in Hindi as My Brother Vicky on YouTube by Goldmines Telefilms on 29 November 2020.[13]

## Reception

[edit]

### Critical reception

[edit]

Sify rated 3.5 out of 5 stars stating, "Thambi is an engaging watch for the solid performances of the lead actors and very unlike most thrillers you’ve seen recently."[14] The Times of India rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "The movie manages to entertain with ample suspense and family moments, which keep us guessing till the end – there’s an interesting twist towards the end of the first half and another appealing one in the climax, too. But the slow screenplay should have had more moments to make it a proper edge-of-the-seat film. Though the entire plot revolves around sister-brother bonding, we get only a few emotional moments between Karthi and Jyotika. A tighter screenplay with more emotional connect would have done wonders."[15]

Firstpost rated 3 out of 5 stars stating, "An impressive performance by Karthi powers Jeetu Joseph's engaging thriller."[16] The Indian Express rated 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "This Karthi and Jyotika starrer could have been so much more but settles for much less."[17] India Today rated 3 out of 5 stars stating "Thambi’s runtime seems to be a little longer and a taut screenplay would have made wonders to the overall film. Yet, the film has brilliant twists that will have you engrossed in it."[18]

Behindwoods rated 2.5 out of 5 stars stating, "The twists, an engaging second half and powerful lead performances make Thambi a watchable suspense thriller."[19] Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "It’s easy — actually, not so easy, but at least, it’s the lesser of the evils — to ignore the badly shot songs, the badly staged action scenes, the badly executed tone shifts, or even the all-round badness of the performances. The director encourages everyone to mug madly — every reaction shot from Karthi is like a wink to the audience. But what else can the poor man do, when given impossible scenes like the ones that have him talking to his conscience in various mirrors?"[20]

### Box office

[edit]

In 10 days, the film grossed around ₹19 crore in Tamil Nadu.[21]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "'Thambi' Box Office collection: Karthi's 'Thambi' beats Sivakarthikeyan's 'Hero' in Chennai". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
2. ^ "Karthi and sister-in-law Jyothika to join hands for Jeethu Joseph?". Indiatoday. 7 March 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
3. ^ @johnsoncinepro (26 April 2019). "@Karthi_Offl new film starts rolling. #Jyotika #Sathyaraj in lead roles as well, @Anson_offl in important role. Directed by critically acclaimed #JeetuJoseph. Music @govind_vasantha Dop @rdrajasekar. Best wishes to the entire team" (Tweet) - via Twitter.
4. ^ "Jeethu Joseph's Tamil film, starring Jyotika and Karthi, goes on floors in Goa". Cinema Express. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
5. ^ "Karthi goes sleepless for cinema, completes Jeethu Joseph's Thambi in just one schedule". The New Indian Express. 3 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
6. ^ Subhakeerthana, S. (20 December 2019). "I love it when I am busy: Jyotika". The Indian Express. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
7. ^ "OFFICIAL: KARTHI-JYOTHIKA'S FILM TITLE AND INTENSE FIRST LOOK RELEASED!". Behindwoods. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
8. ^ "ஜோதிகா - கார்த்தி நடிக்கும் 'தம்பி'-க்காக கோவிந்த் வசந்தா இசையமைத்த சாங்ஸ் கேட்க ரெடியா..?". Behindwoods. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
9. ^ "Actor Karthi Speaks About Jyothika And Surya In Thambi Movie Audio Launch". The Indian Express. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.(Tamil)
10. ^ Joseph, Ashish Ittyerah. "Music Review: Thambi". The Times of India. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
11. ^ "'Thambi' is the title for Karthi-Jyotika's next". Sify. 7 November 2019. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
12. ^ "Karthi's 'Donga' Telugu Theatrical Rights sold out". The Hans India. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
13. ^ "My Brother Vicky (Thambi) 2020 New Released Hindi Dubbed Movie - Karthi, Jyothika, Sathyaraj". YouTube. 29 November 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
14. ^ "Thambi review: An emotional thriller". Sify. 20 December 2019. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
15. ^ "Thambi Movie Review". The Times of India. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
16. ^ "Thambi movie review: An impressive performance by Karthi powers Jeetu Joseph's engaging thriller". Firstpost. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
17. ^ "Thambi movie review: A solid slow burning thriller in parts". The Indian Express. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
18. ^ "Thambi Movie Review: Jyotika and Karthi's film is intriguing with ample twists". Indian Today. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
19. ^ "THAMBI MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
20. ^ "Karthi And Jyotika Twist Themselves Up In Knots In Jeethu Joseph's Underwhelming Thriller Thambi". FilmCompanion. 21 December 2019.
21. ^ M. K., Surendhar (2 January 2020). "Sivakarthikeyan's Hero sails past Rs 20 cr in Tamil Nadu; Prati Roju Pandage pulls in Rs 25 cr globally". Firstpost. Retrieved 23 January 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Thambi at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Jeethu Joseph

* Detective (2007)
* Mummy & Me (2010)
* My Boss (2012)
* Memories (2013)
* Drishyam (2013)
* Papanasam (2015)
* Life of Josutty (2015)
* Oozham (2016)
* Aadhi (2018)
* Mr. & Ms. Rowdy (2019)
* Thambi (2019)
* The Body (2019)
* Drishyam 2 (2021)
* Drushyam 2 (2021)
* 12th Man (2022)
* Kooman (2022)
* Neru (2023)
* Nunakuzhi (2024)
* Ram (upcoming)

* v
* t
* e

Viacom18 Studios

Key people|

* Ajit Andhare
* Viacom18 (parent)

Films|

* Tanu Weds Manu (2011)
* Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011)
* Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap (2011)
* Breakaway (2011)
* Players (2012)
* Kahaani (2012)
* Blood Money (2012)
* Bittoo Boss (2012)
* Department (2012)
* Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 1 (2012)
* Gangs of Wasseypur – Part 2 (2012)
* OMG – Oh My God! (2012)
* Aiyyaa (2012)
* Keymon & Nani in Space Adventure (2012)
* Son of Sardaar (2012)
* Inkaar (2013)
* Special 26 (2013)
* Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns (2013)
* Chashme Baddoor (2013)
* Bombay Talkies (2013)
* Zapatlela 2 (2013)
* Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
* Madras Cafe (2013)
* Boss (2013)
* Bhaji in Problem (2013)
* What the Fish (2013)
* One by Two (2014)
* The Royal Bengal Tiger (2014)
* Queen (2014)
* Manjunath (2014)
* Mary Kom (2014)
* Gollu Aur Pappu (2014)
* Mumbai Delhi Mumbai (2014)
* Margarita with a Straw (2014)
* Rahasya (2015)
* Dharam Sankat Mein (2015)
* Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015)
* Time Out (2015)
* Gabbar Is Back (2015)
* Black (2015)
* Santa Banta Pvt Ltd (2016)
* Budhia Singh – Born to Run (2016)
* Photocopy (2016)
* Motu Patlu: King of Kings (2016)
* Rangoon (2017)
* Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017)
* Lucknow Central (2017)
* Aval (2017)
* Padmaavat (2018)
* Aapla Manus (2018)
* Manto (2018)
* Andhadhun (2018)
* Baazaar (2018)
* Bhai: Vyakti Ki Valli (2019)
* Thackeray (2019)
* Kodathi Samaksham Balan Vakeel (2019)
* Romeo Akbar Walter (2019)
* Manmadhudu 2 (2019)
* Motichoor Chaknachoor (2019)
* The Body (2019)
* Thambi (2019)
* Shimla Mirchi (2020)
* Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (2020)
* Krishna and His Leela (2020)
* Sarbath (2021)
* Bhramam (2021)
* Hey Sinamika (2022)
* Gehraiyaan (2022)
* Jugjugg Jeeyo (2022)
* Shabaash Mithu (2022)
* Laal Singh Chaddha (2022)
* Drishyam 2 (2022)
* Govinda Naam Mera (2022)
* Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023)
* Fighter (2024)
* Jigra (2024)

Subsidiaries|

* Reliance Industries
* TV18
* Paramount Networks EMEAA

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