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Mahanadi

Original title: Mahanadhi
  • 1994
  • 2h 42m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
4.9K
YOUR RATING
Kamal Haasan, Cochin Hanifa, and Sukanya in Mahanadi (1994)
CrimeDrama

An innocent man is framed in a financial scam and imprisoned. After his release, he learns that his daughter was sold into prostitution and he struggles to free her.An innocent man is framed in a financial scam and imprisoned. After his release, he learns that his daughter was sold into prostitution and he struggles to free her.An innocent man is framed in a financial scam and imprisoned. After his release, he learns that his daughter was sold into prostitution and he struggles to free her.

  • Director
    • Santhana Bharathi
  • Writers
    • Kamal Haasan
    • Ra Ki Rangarajan
  • Stars
    • Kamal Haasan
    • Sukanya
    • Poornam Vishwanathan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.6/10
    4.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Santhana Bharathi
    • Writers
      • Kamal Haasan
      • Ra Ki Rangarajan
    • Stars
      • Kamal Haasan
      • Sukanya
      • Poornam Vishwanathan
    • 20User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins total

    Photos60

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    Top cast14

    Edit
    Kamal Haasan
    Kamal Haasan
    • Krishna
    Sukanya
    Sukanya
    • Yamuna
    Poornam Vishwanathan
    • Panjapakesan Iyer (Krishna's Cellmate)
    Mahanadhi Shobana
    • Kaveri (Krishna's Daughter)
    Cochin Hanifa
    Cochin Hanifa
    • Dhanush
    • (as V.M.C. Hanifa)
    S.N. Lakshmi
    S.N. Lakshmi
    • Krishna's Mother-in-Law
    Tulasi
    • Manju
    Mahanadhi Shankar
    • Dulcana
    Rajesh
    • Muthusamy
    Thalaivasal Vijay
    Thalaivasal Vijay
    • Mannangkatti
    Sangeetha
    Sangeetha
    • Older Kaveri Krishnaswamy
    Mohan Ram
    Mohan Natarajan
    • Venkatachalam
    Shanmugasundari
    • Director
      • Santhana Bharathi
    • Writers
      • Kamal Haasan
      • Ra Ki Rangarajan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews20

    8.64.9K
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    Featured reviews

    9harineem-209-525488

    Not for emotionally weak

    I would not recommend this movie if you are emotionally fragile and get disturbed easily. This movie will shatter you to pieces in some scenes. I am not a KamalHassan fan but this is a performance which even Gods would come down to watch. Playing a middle class father having his life ripped apart by greedy men this is his best performance ever and maybe his best movie. I will never watch this movie again because I cant handle the intensity of some scenes where you will just breakdown in tears. A fantastic movie which should have easily won the Oscars or any international award.
    10darbar

    A Tamizh movie classic (10/10)

    This movie is a typical Kamal, Santhana Barathi, Ilayaraaja classic and one of the movies Kamal has done his best without overdoing (which IMO he frequently does).

    It's the story of an innocent village widower businessman who leads a simple life along with his children and Mother-in-law. He yields to temptation of moving to the city to make big money. Then starts all the trouble and pain that he has to face. The movie is really intense,dark and tragic.I will say no more for it will spoil the suspense.

    Illayaraja has done his part by providing the movie with a great musical score.

    Mahanadi is probably one of the few thamizh movie worth the time. 10/10 for the acting, direction and the music.
    7vijaythepro

    Beautiful cruel world

    An innocent and naive father with two motherless children living a happy content life in a village gets lured by a shady townsman who claims to be a businessman and promises to make him rich. The naive father then goes through a series of kafkaesque events. One thing leads to another driving the man's life into a downward spiral. The height of which would be his thirteen year old daughter being trafficked into prostitution. There are ways in which the film appears to be an echo, Patterns of similar action takes place at different point throughout the film which makes us more familiar with the characters and the overall theme of the film hits us stronger, really putting us in the shoes of the protagonist and what insanity of a world he's experiencing. The continuous background of railways. The growth of the family dog. The repetitive shady men. And most importantly the daughters habit of speaking during sleep. We see her innocent dreams to her most traumatic. All rivers start from somewhere, then gets separated and in the end reunites. So do the characters in the film. Mahanadi is a cautionary tale for those who didn't already know and a social commentary for those who see the obvious. For me Mahanadi was all about the side effects of being naive and irrational in a cruel cruel world.
    8life2dlees

    well enacted movie by Kamalahassan

    this is one of the Tamil movies which will appeal to international audience! Krishna(Kamalahassan) a widower,living happily with his two kids and his mother in a village near Srirangam! in a thrush of greed,brainwashed by an urban con man (v.M.C.Haneefa)he starts a financial company with his partnership, in the city Chennai. then the story shockingly reveals,how the city and its materialism ruins him and his family before his innocence comprehend its deceptive ways! Kamalahassan could challenge any actor in the world on any role! the scene when he finds his long lost daughter in a brothel in Calcutta, his emotional outburst, and the subsequent scene he trying to runaway carrying her in his arms through the mob of pimps,would substantiate that the statement made by me above is not an exaggeration! it may be a bit cinematic when he sets out for a revenge... and Yamuna(Suganya) may irritate you with a faulty Brahmin's dialect... apart from that its an excellent film utilizing fully the acting potentials of one of the world's best actor KAMALAHASSAN!
    10seenpriyan

    Not all movies can be this one

    As the summary suggests, not all movies can be like Mahandi. This is a movie of different caliber. I personally never had a chance to watch this movie to appreciate its content until the movie was played on TV. This movie is worth watching for its songs, Kamal Hassan's acting, entire crew who made a very serious movie happen. The movie begins with a respected small town man Krishna played by Kamal Hassan with his perfect family minus his wife. His two kids Cauvery(played by Mahanadi Shobana), Bharani(Notice all the character names are rivers in India). Having met his Childhood friend , he is allured into living in a bigger city. Decides to start a business in big city with wrong people. The wrong people really screw his life, he ends up in prison for the false charges of fraud. He has hard time in Prison with his honesty, having completed his term he if out of the prison to find out his kids are missing, act of Wrong people. Watch this movie to find out what really happens next , does he find his kids ? Music is worth listening, has got a touch of folk and classic. Worth watching. Alls well ends well... is it? Alls not well doesn't end well? Find out more than debating the correctness of previous statement.

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    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The names of the lead characters are also the names of main rivers in india. Kamal:krishna The late mother(wife of Krishna) : Narmadha Suganya: yamuna Daughter: kaveri Son: bharani
    • Quotes

      Panjapakesan Iyer (Krishna's Cellmate): Krishna to not worry about the state of affairs in the world, since there is a God above who knows exactly how to deal with criminals and wrongdoers.

      Krishna: Could you please keep quiet, Sir? Both God and the Law are silently looking at what is happening to me.

      [Neenga konjam summa irunga Sir! Nindru kolra deivamum summa irukku; andru kollum sattamum summa irukku]

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    FAQ15

    • How long is Mahanadi?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 14, 1994 (India)
    • Country of origin
      • India
    • Language
      • Tamil
    • Also known as
      • The Great River
    • Production company
      • Sri Amman Creations
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • ₹25,000,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 42m(162 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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