# Thanmathra

Thanmathra (English: Molecule) is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by Blessy and starring Mohanlal, Meera Vasudevan and Arjun Lal. Based on Padmarajan's short story "Orma", it portrays the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the life of Ramesan Nair (Mohanlal) and his family. The film collected three times its budget at the box-office and completed 150 days run.
Thanmathra won five Kerala State Film Awards, which includes the Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and a Special Mention Award for the debutant actor Arjun Lal. It also won the Best Feature Film in Malayalam Award at the 53rd National Film Awards.

## Plot

Ramesan Nair is a Kerala government secretariat official, cocooned in his own small and happy world. An honest and sincere man, Ramesan's family consists of his loving wife Lekha, son Manu who is a plus-two student, and daughter Manju, a primary school student. His biggest ambition is to see that his son gets into the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), something he himself had failed to achieve despite being a brilliant student. Manu is a very loving son and an intelligent student who shares a strong emotional bond with his father.
Ramesan starts to develop problems with his memory. What starts as commonplace omissions and absentmindedness, quickly grows into handicapping cognitive and behavioral impairments.
The first time we notice this is when Ramesan misplaces a very important office file at his home, inside the refrigerator. One day he arrives in office after buying a bag of vegetables and starts behaving as if he had reached home after his office hours. He begins acting strangely in the office, as if he has lost his sense of time and place. He is taken to the doctor by his family and close friend, Joseph.
In the hospital, Ramesan is diagnosed with Familial Alzheimer's disease, a disease which causes a gradual loss of memory and cognitive abilities. The news comes as a grave shock for the happy family and turns their world upside down. The family is devastated by the sad news, but tries to adjust to the situation with a lot of determination underscored by strong emotional bonds. How they cope up with the trauma, insecurity and uncertainty caused by Ramesan's plight, forms the gist of the movie.

## Cast

* Mohanlal as Ramesan Nair, a government employee suffering from Alzheimer's disease
* Meera Vasudevan as Lekha
* Arjun Lal as Manu Ramesh
* Baby Niranjana Vijayan as Manju Ramesh
* Nedumudi Venu as Ramesan's father
* Jagathy Sreekumar as Joseph
* Innocent as Lekha's father
* Manka Mahesh as Lekha's mother
* Prathap Pothan as Doctor
* Seetha as Swarnam, Ramesan Nair's childhood friend
* Lakshmipriya as Ramesan Nair's co-staff
* Nandhini as Rameshan's neighbour's daughter

## Soundtrack

The music of this movie is composed by Mohan Sithara and the lyrics by Bharathiyar (Kaatru Veliyidai) and Kaithapram. Song mixing was done by Renjith Viswanathan.
| Track | Song Title | Singer(s) | Other Notes |
| 1 | "Ithaloornnu" | P. Jayachandran | Raga: Kalyani |
| 2 | "Mindathedi" | M. G. Sreekumar, Sruthi | |
| 3 | "Mele Vellithingal" | Karthik | Raga: Maand |
| 4 | "Ithaloornnu" | Mohanlal | Raga: Kalyani |
| 5 | "Mindathedi" | Sujatha | |
| 6 | "Kaatru Veliyidai" | Vidhu Prathap, Sheela Mani, Dr. Unnikrishnan, Sunil | Raga: Valachi This is a famous poem by Bharathiyar. The classical lyrics is by Kaithapram |

## Reception

A critic from Sify wrote, "Thanmatra is an intelligent, insightful and unconventional film. It is a touching, thought-provoking drama for sophisticated audiences". A critic from webindia123 wrote, "It is a beautifully made film sure to touch the hearts of the people who see it".

## Box office

The film was commercial success at the box office.

## Awards

National Film Awards
* Best Feature Film in Malayalam (Producer) - Raju Mathew
Kerala State Film Awards
* Best Film (Producer) - Raju Mathew
* Best Director - Blessy
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
* Best Screen Play - Blessy
* Special Mention Award - Arjun Lal
Filmfare Awards South
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
* Best Director - Blessy
Asianet Film Awards
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
* Best Director - Blessy
* Best Supporting Actor -Nedumudi Venu
* Best Male Playback Singer : M. G. Sreekumar
* Best Female New Face of the Year - Meera Vasudevan
* Best Male New Face of the Year - Arjun Lal
* Special Jury Award - Jagathy Sreekumar
* Best Child Artist - Baby Niranjana
Vanitha Film Awards
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
* Best Director - Blessy
Kerala Film Critics Awards
* Most Popular Actor - Mohanlal
Amrita Film Awards
* Best Film (Producer) - Raju Mathew
* Best Director - Blessy
Mathrubhumi Film Awards
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
Kerala Film Audience Council Awards
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
J.C. Foundation Awards
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
* Best Director - Blessy
* Best Child Artist - Baby Niranjana
Kala Keralam Award
* Best Actor - Mohanlal
National Film Academy Award
* Best Actor - Mohanlal