Eldargvj at 13:33, 20 April 2026

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{{short description|1988 film by SP. Muthuraman}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox film
| image = Dharmathin Thalaivan poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[S. P. Muthuraman]]
| producer = C. Dhandayuthapani
| screenplay = [[Panchu Arunachalam]]
| based_on = {{based on|''[[Kasme Vaade]]''|Mirza Brothers}}
| starring = [[Rajinikanth]]<br />[[Prabhu (actor)|Prabhu]]<br />[[Suhasini Maniratnam|Suhasini]]<br />[[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]]
| music = [[Ilaiyaraaja]]
| cinematography = T.S. Vinayagam
| editing = R. Vittal<br />S.B. Mohan
| studio = [[Dhandayuthapani Films]]
| distributor = 
| released = {{film date|1988|9|24|df=y}}
| runtime = 150 minutes
| country = India
| language = Tamil
| budget = 
| gross = 
}}

'''''Dharmathin Thalaivan''''' ({{translation|Righteous Leader}}) is a 1988 Indian [[Tamil language|Tamil]]-language [[action-drama film]] directed by [[S. P. Muthuraman]] and produced by [[Dhandayuthapani Films]], in their final venture. The film stars [[Rajinikanth]] in dual roles, along with [[Prabhu (actor)|Prabhu]], [[Suhasini Maniratnam|Suhasini]], [[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]], [[Nassar (actor)|Nassar]] and [[Captain Raju]] in other roles. It is a remake of the 1978 [[Hindi]] film ''[[Kasme Vaade]]''. The film marked the debut of Khushbu in Tamil cinema. It was released on 24 September 1988, and composer [[Ilaiyaraaja]] won the [[Cinema Express Awards|Cinema Express Award for Best Music Director]].

== Plot ==
Balasubramanian alias Balu is an [[Absent-minded professor|absent-minded]] but kind-hearted college professor. He lives with his younger brother Raju, his maternal uncle Rangarajan and his cousin Sumathi, who is also his love interest. Raju, who studies in the same college that Balu works, is short-tempered, rowdyish and a drunkard, spoiled by Balu's and Sumathi's pamperings. He frequently gets into fights with a fellow student Raghupathy, whose father owns the college. Balu fails in several attempts to reform Raju. One night, Balu is accidentally killed when he tries to intervene in one of the fights between Raju and Raghupathy. Before dying, Balu asks Raju to ensure that he can find another person who can marry Sumathi as he does not want her to suffer after his death, to which Raju agrees with a heavy heart. Balu's demise marks a turning point for Raju, who vows never to get angry and drink again. Sumathi, who is devastated at Balu's death, goes into depression, dons the garb of a widow and vows never to marry. To ensure that Sumathi gets over Balu, Raju and Sumathi move to [[Bangalore]], where Raju takes up a job at a garage owned by Devi.

One day, Raju encounters his brother's [[doppelgänger]] Shankar, a rowdy and thief who steals cars daily from the garage. Raju, who still feels guilty over his brother's death, is unable to fight Shankar as he looks like his brother and unsuccessfully tries to develop a bond with him. However, after hearing Raju's and Sumathi's sad story, Shankar undergoes a change of heart and he decides to mend his ways, eventually becoming a police informer. Soon, he falls in love with Sumathi, but Sumathi rebuffs him as she is unable to forget Balu. Meanwhile, Sumathi is kidnapped by a smuggler Bhaskar, for whom Shankar once used to work, in order to force him to smuggle diamonds. Shankar reluctantly agrees to Bhaskar's demand so that Sumathi would be saved, but when Bhaskar refuses to release Sumathi, a fight ensues between Shankar and Raju on one side and Bhaskar on the other side, which ends with Bhaskar's arrest. Sumathi realises her love for Shankar, and the movie ends with the marriages of both Shankar and Sumathi as well as Raju and Devi, with Shankar dressing up like the late Balu for the marriage.

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
*[[Rajinikanth]] as Professor Balasubramanian (Balu) and Shankar
*[[Prabhu (actor)|Prabhu]] as Raju
*[[Suhasini Maniratnam|Suhasini]] as Sumathi
*[[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]] as Devi
*[[Nassar (actor)|Nassar]] as Raghupathy
*[[Captain Raju]] as Bhaskar
*[[V. K. Ramasamy (actor)|V. K. Ramasamy]] as Rangarajan
*[[Charle]] as Mani, Shankar's friend (allakkai)
*[[V. Gopalakrishnan (actor)|V. Gopalakrishnan]] as Devaraj
*[[M. R. Krishnamurthy]] as Mohanram
*[[Kavithalayaa Krishnan]] as workshop worker
*[[Disco Shanti]] (special appearance in "Othadi Othadi" song)
}}

== Production ==
After ''[[Thai Veedu]]'', [[Devar Films]] parted ways with [[Rajinikanth]]. All the subsequent films they produced were flops which resulted in heavy losses. Director [[R. Thyagarajan (director)|R. Thyagarajan]] openly accepted that they had a very good rapport with Rajinikanth for sometime but due to unavoidable circumstances they lost their friendship with Rajinikanth. They accepted that they are responsible for the issue and there was no mistake on Rajinikanth's side. Rajinikanth wished to help them and did ''Dharmathin Thalaivan'' under the subsidiary [[Dhandayuthapani Films]].<ref name="dinamalar">{{Cite news |date=11 August 2020 |title=மறக்க முடியுமா? - தர்மத்தின் தலைவன் |url=https://cinema.dinamalar.com/marakka-mudiyuma/90355/old-movies/.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925065555/https://cinema.dinamalar.com/marakka-mudiyuma/90355/old-movies/.htm |archive-date=25 September 2020 |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=[[Dinamalar]] |language=ta}}</ref> The film, a remake of the 1978 [[Hindi]] film ''[[Kasme Vaade]]'',{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|p=113}} was the 21st collaboration between Rajinikanth and S. P. Muthuraman. The film was launched at the office of Devar Films.<ref>{{cite news|work=Anna|language=ta|access-date=19 July 2025|title=தர்மத்தின் தலைவன் |url=https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP372-6-23-11-112|date=9 August 1987|page=4|via=[[Endangered Archives Programme]]}}</ref> It saw [[Prabhu (actor)|Prabhu]] and Rajinikanth pairing for the first time, although it released after their second outing together, ''[[Guru Sishyan (1988 film)|Guru Sishyan]]'' (1988).{{sfn|Ramachandran|2012|p=36}} The film marked the debut of actress [[Khushbu Sundar|Khushbu]] in Tamil films.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rangarajan |first=Malathi |date=9 October 2014 |title=High on EQ |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/high-on-eq/article6485556.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141130102751/http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/high-on-eq/article6485556.ece |archive-date=30 November 2014 |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> She revealed that the film happened after she met Prabhu and he recommended her to Dhandayuthapani. She also recalled an instance when she struggled to learn and understand Tamil during the shoot.{{sfn|Ramachandran|2014|p=114}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Swaminathan |first=Chitra |date=18 January 2008 |title=My first break -- Kushboo |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/my-first-break-kushboo/article3022446.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925065555/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/my-first-break-kushboo/article3022446.ece |archive-date=25 September 2020 |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 August 2010 |title=Japanese film festival begins |url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Japanese-film-festival-begins/article16135551.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925065033/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/Japanese-film-festival-begins/article16135551.ece |archive-date=25 September 2020 |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
The music was composed by [[Ilaiyaraaja]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dharmathin Thalaivan (1988) |url=http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/moviedetail.asp?mid=T0000040 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140107060908/http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/moviedetail.asp?mid=T0000040 |archive-date=7 January 2014 |access-date=7 January 2013 |website=[[Raaga.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Dharmatthin Thalaivan Tamil Film LP Vinyl Record by Ilayaraja |url=https://mossymart.com/product/dharmatthin-thalaivan-tamil-film-lp-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraja-3/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530060023/https://mossymart.com/product/dharmatthin-thalaivan-tamil-film-lp-vinyl-record-by-ilayaraja-3/ |archive-date=30 May 2022 |access-date=4 July 2022 |website=Mossymart}}</ref> The song "Muthamizh Kaviye" is set in [[Gourimanohari]] raga.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mani |first=Charulatha |author-link=Charulatha Mani |date=25 October 2013 |title=Godly Gowrimanohari |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/godly-gowrimanohari/article5271861.ece |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508163516/https://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/godly-gowrimanohari/article5271861.ece |archive-date=8 May 2019 |access-date=25 September 2020 |work=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref>

{{track listing
| headline = Track listing
| extra_column = Singer(s)
| title1 = Muthamizh Kaviyae
| length1 = 04:34
| lyrics1 = [[Panchu Arunachalam]]
| extra1 = [[K. S. Chithra]], [[K. J. Yesudas]]
| title2 = Othadi Othadi
| length2 = 05:45
| lyrics2 = [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]
| extra2 = [[Malaysia Vasudevan]], [[Sunanda (singer)|Sunanda]]
| title3 = Thenmadurai Vaigai Nadhi
| length3 = 05:10
| lyrics3 = [[Vaali (poet)|Vaali]]
| extra3 = [[S. P. Balasubrahmanyam]], [[P. Susheela]], Malaysia Vasudevan
| title4 = Thenmadurai Vaigai
| note4 = Sad
| length4 = 04:10
| lyrics4 = Vaali
| extra4 = Malaysia Vasudevan, P. Susheela
| title5 = Yaaru Yaaru Indha Kizhavan
| length5 = 07:04
| lyrics5 = Vaali
| extra5 = [[Mano (singer)|Mano]], Malaysia Vasudevan
| title6 = Velli Mani Kinnathiley
| length6 = 04:34
| lyrics6 = [[Gangai Amaran]]
| extra6 = Mano, K. S. Chithra, Malaysia Vasudevan
| total_length = 35:57
}}

== Release and reception ==
''Dharmathin Thalaivan'' was released on 24 September 1988.<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 September 1988 |title=Dharmathin Thalaivan |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19880924&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=10 February 2023 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |pages=7 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The film became a commercial success and paid off all the losses of Devar. However it became the final production of Devar Films and after that they left the industry.<ref name="dinamalar" /> Ilaiyaraaja won the [[Cinema Express Awards|Cinema Express Award for Best Music Director]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=11 March 1989 |title=Cinema Express readers choose Agni Nakshathiram |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19890311&printsec=frontpage |access-date=19 February 2021 |work=[[The Indian Express]] |pages=4 |via=[[Google News Archive]] |agency=Express News Service}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
The first look poster of ''[[Ghajinikanth]]'' (2018) had its lead character in an ethnic attire resembling Balu portrayed by Rajinikanth from ''Dharmathin Thalaivan''. The film was titled ''Ghajinikanth'', because of the forgetful nature of its lead character, besides being a portmanteau of Rajinikanth and ''[[Ghajini (2005 film)|Ghajini]]'' (2005), which also revolves around a forgetful character.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rajendran |first=Gopinath |date=13 December 2017 |title=Arya starrer Ghajinikanth's first look revealed |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/dec/13/arya-starrer-ghajinikanths-first-look-revealed-1725619.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703165619/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2017/dec/13/arya-starrer-ghajinikanths-first-look-revealed-1725619.html |archive-date=3 July 2022 |access-date=3 July 2022 |website=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rajendran |first=Gopinath |date=9 April 2018 |title=We managed to get a clean A-certificate: 'Hara Hara Mahadevaki' director Santhosh P Jayakumar |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2018/apr/09/we-managed-to-get-a-clean-a-certificate-hara-hara-mahadevaki-director-santhosh-p--jayakumar-1799236.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703165621/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/tamil/2018/apr/09/we-managed-to-get-a-clean-a-certificate-hara-hara-mahadevaki-director-santhosh-p--jayakumar-1799236.html |archive-date=3 July 2022 |access-date=3 July 2022 |work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |title=Rajinikanth 12.12.12: A Birthday Special |publisher=[[The Hindu|Kasturi & Sons Ltd]] |year=2012 |editor-last=Ramachandran |editor-first=Naman |editor-link=Naman Ramachandran}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |author-link=Naman Ramachandran |title=Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography |title-link=Rajinikanth: The Definitive Biography |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-14-342111-5 |location=New Delhi |orig-date=2012}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

{{S. P. Muthuraman}}

[[Category:1980s action drama films]]
[[Category:1988 Indian films]]
[[Category:1988 Tamil-language films]]
[[Category:1988 films]]
[[Category:Films about brothers]]
[[Category:Films about lookalikes]]
[[Category:Films directed by S. P. Muthuraman]]
[[Category:Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Panchu Arunachalam]]
[[Category:Indian action drama films]]
[[Category:Tamil remakes of Hindi films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language action drama films]]
[[Category:Tamil-language Indian films]]

Dharmathin Thalaivan - Revision history

Eldargvj at 13:33, 20 April 2026