Thalapathi (transl. Commander) is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language gangster drama film[3] written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Rajinikanth and Mammootty with Arvind Swamy in his feature-film debut, Jaishankar, Amrish Puri, Srividya, Bhanupriya, Shobana and Geetha in supporting roles. It is about a courageous slum dweller who befriends a powerful don and the attempts of a district collector to thwart them.
The soundtrack was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. It was the last collaboration between him and Ratnam. The first song to be composed for the film was "Chinna Thayaval", although Ilaiyaraaja had given the tune of "Putham Puthu Poo" to Ratnam much earlier. "Chinna Thayaval" is set in Charukesi, a Carnatic raga, and "Putham Puthu Poo" is set in Hamsanandi.
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