Thoovanathumbikal
Thoovanathumbikal
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Thoovanathumbikal

Thoovanathumbikal (transl. Dragonflies in the Spraying Rain) or, Dragonflies in the Gentle Rain, is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan, based partly on his own novel Udakappola. It revolves around Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal) who falls in love with two women; Radha (Parvathy), a distant relative of his, and Clara (Sumalatha), an escort in town.

An experimental film, it was a commercial failure at the box office, but over the years it has turned into a cult film with a large fan following. It was ranked eighth by IBN Live in the list of greatest Indian films of all time. The film is widely noted for its rich film score and songs, dialogues and characters, detailed screenplay, and Mohanlal and Sumalatha's performance. Rain is a recurring theme and is portrayed almost as a character in the film.

Jayakrishnan is a well-to-do bachelor who lives a contrasting dual life: one among his friends in the town, and the other with his mother and sister at their village. While he is an audacious guy celebrating life with his friends in town, he is a frugal family man at home. The film is about his dual life, how he falls in love with two women, Clara and Radha, and his difficulty in deciding between them.

Jayakrishnan is a typical Malayali guy belonging to an aristocratic family from Thrissur. He has his vision of life, especially when it comes to marriage. He is hardworking and works on his farm. At the same time, he enjoys a modern lifestyle with his friends in town, unknown to most people in his village.

While working on his farm one day, Jayakrishnan becomes reacquainted with Radha, a distant relative he hasn't seen since childhood. Radha's no-nonsense attitude immediately attracts him, and he soon falls for her. Jayakrishnan decides to confess his feelings to her. He heads to Radha's college campus. In the midst of a group of about 20 students, he requests a moment of privacy and then expresses his desire to marry her. Radha, unfortunately, refuses his proposal and proceeds to humiliate him by citing his promiscuous reputation.

One day, Jayakrishnan is persuaded to write a letter on behalf of his friend, Thangal, a pimp, to a girl named Clara. Written anonymously in the name of a "mother superior" as an invitation to a Christian Monastery, the letter is intended to fool Clara's father and thereby introduce Clara to the sex industry under Thangal's supervision. As Jayakrishnan writes the letter, it begins to rain. It turns out that Clara is a poor girl who belongs to the coastal fishing community. She has been mistreated by her stepmother and is trying to escape from her home. She agrees to become a sex worker and meets Jayakrishnan under Thangal's supervision. Their meeting is graced by the rain.

Jayakrishnan, saddened by Radha's rejection and urged on by his friend Thangal, agrees to be Clara's first client. This is Jayakrishnan's first time being physical with a woman. Later, he realizes that Clara is a virgin, a fact that disturbs him. He had made a promise to himself that he would not sleep with a virgin unless she was his wife, and if he couldn't keep his pledge, then that girl would at least become his wife. On breaking the one promise he was determined to keep in life, he is deeply disturbed and proposes marriage to Clara. She admires his sincerity and scruples but does not want to cause Jayakrishnan any hurt socially or personally (as she considers herself a sex worker), hence decides to disappear from his life.

During this time, Radha hears more about Jayakrishnan from her brother who was a junior in college to Jayakrishnan. She hears more about the dual life of Jayakrishnan, his small games of fooling people around him, and his ready-to-do-anything-for-friends attitude. She also learns that he had never fooled around with girls, despite his free-spirited lifestyle. Her brother tells her it would be the first time that Jayakrishnan had proposed to a woman. Radha sees Jayakrishnan as the sincere person that he is. She begins to love him and agrees to his marriage proposal. She meets Jayakrishnan to express her feelings towards him and apologizes for her brusque behavior in the past. However, Jayakrishnan has now begun to feel differently. He tells Radha that he does not regard himself as being the right person for her. When questioned by Radha about the reason behind his change of heart, he discloses everything that transpired between him and Clara. Radha is not offended by his behavior at all. She admires his sincerity and depth of feeling. She tells Jayakrishnan that she is not bothered by his past with Clara.

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