Manthira Punnagai (1986 film)

Manthira Punnagai is a 1986 Indian Tamil-language film directed by V. Thamizhazhagan in his debut; he co-produced with G. Thyagarajan. The film stars Sathyaraj and Nadhiya, with Raghuvaran, Baby Sujitha, Thengai Srinivasan, Senthil, Jai Jagadish, Bob Christo and V. S. Raghavan in supporting roles. It was released on 11 December 1986.

Plot
Sathyaraj came across a mute child abandoned by her mother and starts bringing her up to be a police officer. She starts investigating Sathyaraj’s criminal activities and how she handles the scene makes the story interesting.

Production
Manthira Punnagai is the directorial debut of V. Thamizhazhagan. Both the lead stars, Sathyaraj and Nadhiya, play dual roles each. Cinematography was handled by Ramachandra Babu, and editing by K. R. Krishnan.

Soundtrack
The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja. The song "Kaali Perungaaya Dappa" is set to the Carnatic raga Vachaspati. The disco-themed "Pavala Malligai" attained popularity.

Release and reception
Manthira Punnagai was released on 11 December 1986, and distributed by Metro Movies. Jayamanmadhan of Kalki unfavourably reviewed the film but praised the music and said since Thamizhazhagan overly desired to give a lot in his debut film, Manthira Punnagai (magical smile) became a Mandha Punnagai (dull smile) full of yawns and concluded "Better luck next time!".