Raksha Bandhan 2022: When Tamil cinema revelled in the brother-sister sentiment

Raksha Bandhan is just around the corner and brothers and sisters are gearing up to celebrate the unique bond of togetherness. And when it comes to brother-sister sentiments, Tamil cinema is not behind. A number of films have celebrated the sibling bond, even if the screen time has been minimal. Be it Bhuvana in Ghilli, Maragatham in Chokkathangam or even Sanjana in Thuppakki, we have seen some adorable onscreen sisters. Here are a few films that celebrate the brother-sister bond that have stayed on in the hearts of the audience.

Annaatthe

Soorakkottai village president Kaalaiyan (Rajinikanth)'s world revolves around his sister Thanga Meenakshi (Keerthy Suresh), whom he has raised after the death of their parents. When Meenakshi returns to her hometown after completing her graduation, the onus of finding an apt groom for her falls on Kaalaiyan. On the day of the wedding, Meenakshi elopes and Kaalaiyan secretly follows her all the way to Kolkata and sorts her financial and gangster troubles.

Udanpirappe 

Siblings Mathangi (Jyotika) and (Vairavan) Sasikumar love each other so deeply that they would anything to protect their kin, so much so that when Mathangi and Vairavan's sons slip and fall down into a well, Mathangi choses to save her brother's son over her own. And during the climax scene, Mathangi ends up taking the life of a sexual abuser and Vairavan disposes off his body and decides to take the blame. Udanpirappe, directed by R Saravanan, marks Jyotika's 50th film.

Thambi

Saravanan alias Vicky (Karthi) and Parvathy (Jyotika)'s relationship in Jeethu Joseph's Thambi proves that one need not always be related by blood to shower love on each other. Vicky, a trickster from Goa, pretends to be Parvathy's long-lost brother Saravanan, in order to earn some big bucks. Though the duo get off on the wrong foot during their first meeting, Parvathy and Vicky's relationship grows stronger with time and Parvathy accepts him as her brother towards the end.

Sivappu Manjal Pachai

Orphaned siblings Madhan (GV Prakash Kumar), a brash street racer and his elder sister Raji (Lijimol Jose) are a huge support to each other. But things turn awry when Raji ends up marrying Madhan's arch enemy Rajasekhar (Siddharth). As the siblings drift apart, a bad fight where both Madhana and Rajasekhar get grievously injured, brings them back together and the entire family gets reunited.

Namma Veettu Pillai

Aishwarya Rajesh (Thulasi) is a doting sister to Arumpon (Sivakarthikeyan) though their uncles consider Thulasi as a curse to the family. When he tries to look for a match, Ayyanar, a ruffian, agrees to marry Thulasi as an act of retribution. Arumpon reluctantly agrees on the insistence of his sister. After the marriage, Ayyanar insults Arumpon on every occasion and Arumpon puts up with the barbs for the sake of Thulasi and also saves Ayyanar's life after he accidentally ends up killing a person. 

Vedhalam

When Thamizh (Lakshmi Menon) expresses her wish to pursue her education in an arts college in Kolkata, her brother Ganesh (Ajith) moves lock stock and barrel to the city and begins working as an auto driver. Later, it is revealed that Thamizh is not his real sister but a victim of human trafficking rescued by Ganesh. Later, when Ganesh has to gun down some goons for the sake of his sister, he proclaims he would do anything for money and affection.

Thirupachi

Sivagiri (Vijay), a blacksmith, would do anything for his sister Karpagam (Mallika). Be it chopping off the tresses of a young woman to please his sister or wiping out hooliganism in the entire city! Yes, when Sivagiri realises that Karpagam was assaulted by a few goons, he sets out on a mission to tackle all the rowdies in the city to make Chennai a safer city for his sister and succeeds in doing so.

Samuthiram 

Rasamani (Kaveri) is the doting sister of Selvarasu (Sarathkumar), Thangarasu (Murali) and Chinnarasu (Manoj Bharathiraaja). When Rasamani ends up liking the son of a zamindar, the brothers give up their entire wealth to fulfill their sister's wish. But, Rasamani, who was pampered in her house, is constantly subjected to humiliation and abuse by husband. Her brothers too get ill-treated by her husband's family. They fight for their sister’s dignity.

Kizhakku Cheemaiyile

 Maayandi (Vijaykumar) and Virumaayi (Radhika), the siblings are extremely fond of each other. When Virumaayi gets married to Sivanaandi (Napoleon), he breaks all ties with his brother-in-law after a split and eventually forbids his wife from seeing her brother. During the climax scene, Virumaayi chooses his brother over her husband and dies in her brother's arms. The film, directed by Bharathiraaja, was a huge commercial success.

Pasamalar

Siblings Raju (Sivaji Ganesan) and Radha (Savitri) are orphans and shower their love on each other. When Radha falls in love with Anand (Gemini Ganesan), a former colleague of Raju, Raju becomes very possessive of his sister. Problems arise in the family and they become so tense that Raju leaves on a pilgrimage for peace of mind. The brother-sister die together holding each other's hand in the BhimSingh directorial, which is considered an epic film on brother-sister sentiment.