Thalapathi is a 1991 Tamil Language epic gangster drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G.Venkateswaran under the banner of GV Films. 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.br br Ilaiyaraaja, in his last collaboration with Mani Ratnam, composed the film's score and soundtrack, and the lyrics were written by poet Vaali. The cinematography was handled by Santosh Sivan and the editor was Suresh Urs. Most of the filming took place in Karnataka state. With a budget of ₹3 crore, at the time of its release, Thalapathi was the most expensive South Indian film.br br Cast:br Rajinikanth as Suryabr Mammootty as Devaraj (Deva)br Arvind Swamy as Arjunbr Jaishankar as Krishnamoorthybr Amrish Puri as Kalivarathanbr Srividya as Kalyanibr Bhanupriya as Padmabr Shobana as Subbulakshmibr Geetha as Selvibr Nagesh as Panthulubr Charuhasan as Subbulaxmi's fatherbr Kitty as Sundarambr Sonu Walia (special appearance in the song "Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu")br Manoj K.