Thirudan () is a 1969 Indian Tamil-language action film, directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, K. Balaji and Vijayalalitha. It is a remake of the Telugu film Adrushtavanthulu (1969), and was released on 10 October 1969. The film became a commercial success, running for over 100 days in theatres.
Plot
Raju, a thief turns over a new leaf, marries and lives an honest life. But his ex-boss is not too happy about the change and tries all means to get him back.
Cast
Sivaji Ganesan as Raju
K. R. Vijaya as Radha
Vijaya Lalitha as Chithra
K. Balaji as Jagannath
Major Sundarrajan as Inspector Ragunath
S. V. Ramadas as Vasudevan
Nagesh as Ranga
Pushpamala
M. S. Sundari Bai as Dhanalakshmi
C. K. Saraswathi as Paravatham
Gandhimathi (Guest Role) Typist Gopu (Guest Role) Baby Rani as Lakshmi Baby Sumathi (Guest Role) Harikrishnan as the Jailer Sasikumar as a dancer C.I.D Sakunthala as a dancer
Production
Thirudan, a remake of the Telugu film Adrushtavanthulu (1969), was directed by A. C. Tirulokchandar and produced by K. Balaji's Sujatha Cine Arts. Ganesan's home, Annai Illam, also features in the film.
Soundtrack
The music was composed by M. S. Viswanathan, with lyrics by Kannadasan.
Release and reception
Thirudan was released in select theatres on 10 October 1969, and in others on 17 October. The Indian Express called it an adaptation of Once a Thief "that the original has been mutilated beyond recognition". The reviewer praised Ganesan and Vijaya's performance and called K. Balaji's villainy "naive" and concluded, "If you care for entertainment with a lot of thrill here is the picture".