Thimiru is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Tarun Gopi (in his directorial debut), written by G. V. Renjith and produced by Vikram Krishna under G K Film Corporation. It stars Vishal, alongside Reema Sen, Sriya Reddy, Vadivelu, Manoj K. Jayan, Vinayakan and I. M. Vijayan. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, while cinematography and editing were handled by Priyan and V. T. Vijayan. Thimiru was released on 4 August 2006 and became a major success. The film was dubbed in Telugu as Pogaru and was later remade in Kannada as Minchu.

Plot

Ganesh arrives from Madurai to continue his MBBS degree in Chennai. Srimathy, Ganesh's professor's daughter, wants to thank Ganesh for helping her escape from goons. When Ganesh and Srimathy meet, they are surprised as they already know each other, leading to Ganesh and Srimathy's past. Past: Eswari, an arrogant moneylender, lends money at usurious rates and goes after families who cannot repay the money. Srimathy's family gets into trouble with Eswari, where Ganesh helps Srimathy's folks. Eswari falls for Ganesh's bravery and proposes to him, but he rejects her. Eswari kidnaps Ganesh's parents and threatens him to accept her, but Ganesh thwarts her plans. Eswari angrily tries to kill Ganesh, but accidentally dies in a mishap. Eswari's brothers Periya Karuppu and Chinna Karuppu assume Ganesh and Srimathy to be responsible for their sister's death, where they resolve to kill them. Present: Chinna Karuppu learns that Ganesh and Srimathy are in Chennai and confronts him. Ganesh defeats Chinna Karuppu, who falls down from a building despite Ganesh trying to save him. Periya Karuppu confronts Ganesh and Srimathy, but Ganesh defeats him and reveals about his efforts to save Chinna Karuppu and Eshwari. Ganesh and Srimathy walk away after realizing their love for each other.

Cast

Production

Tarun Gopi was keen on casting Sriya Reddy in an antagonistic role and was only successful after several rounds of negotiation, with the casting subsequently winning acclaim post-release.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja in his second collaboration with Vishal after Sandakozhi. The soundtrack released on 21 July 2006 and features 6 tracks overall, including an instrumental track. Rajesh Ramanath lifted the five songs for the Kannada remake Minchu, but did not give due credit to Yuvan Shankar Raja. The track "Maana Madurai" was initially composed for the delayed film Thaamirabharani, but later used in Thimiru.

Reception

Malini Mannath of Chennai Online wrote "A promising effort by the director, which however falls short of the entertainment value of Vishal's earlier film Sandakozhi." Rajaraman. R of Nowrunning wrote "Thimiru is a thorough entertainer with gripping fight sequences and excellent screenplay." Lajjavathi of Kalki gave a negative review and criticized Sriya Reddy's character, Vadivelu's humour and logical mistakes but praised Yuvan's music and editing. Cinesouth wrote "Till the intermission, it is admirable how the director Tarun Gopi has maintained the suspense of the hero and heroine having already met earlier. The tight screenplay where there is no lapse into dullness at any point, makes it hard to believe that this is his first directorial venture".