{{short description|2009 film by Sabha Ayyappan}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}} {{Infobox film | image = Thoranai poster.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster of Tamil version | director = Sabha Ayyappan | producer = Vikram Krishna | writer = Sabha Ayyappan<br />Shashank Vennelakanti (Telugu dialogues) | starring = Vishal<br />Shriya Saran<br />Prakash Raj | music = Mani Sharma | cinematography = Priyan | editing = V. T. Vijayan | studio = G K Film Corporation | distributor = | released = {{Film date|df=y|2009|5|29}} | runtime = 148 minutes | country = India | language = Tamil<br />Telugu | budget = | gross = }} '''''Thoranai''''' ({{translation|''Posture''}}) or '''''Pistha''''' ({{translation|''Person with attitude''}}) is a 2009 Indian masala film directed by Sabha Ayyappan and produced by Vikram Krishna under the banner G K Film Corporation. It stars Vishal and Shriya Saran in the lead roles, while Prakash Raj, Kishore and Santhanam appear in other pivotal roles. The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil and Telugu languages with different supporting cast in the Telugu version. ''Thoranai'' and ''Pistha'' were released on 29 May 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/2008/Dec/12/vishals-pista-on-floors-10138.html|title=Vishal's Pista on floors|location=Hyderabad|date=12 December 2008|work=The New Indian Express|access-date=28 April 2025}}</ref>
==Plot== Murugan is a native of Madurai who arrives at Chennai to find his long-lost brother Ganesan, who had run away from home about two decades ago. Murugan gets stuck in a rivalry between gangsters Guru and Tamizharasu, where he learns that Guru is actually Ganesan. Murugan decides to protect Guru/Ganesan from Tamizharasu and a cat-and-mouse game ensues. Guru/Ganesan finally decide to reform himself where he reunites with Murugan and his mother, while Tamizharasu is killed in a police encounter.
==Cast== {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" ! Actor (Tamil) !! Actor (Telugu) !! Role (Tamil) !! Role (Telugu) |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Vishal || style="text-align:center;"| C. Murugan (CM) || style="text-align:center;"|C. Muralikrishna "Krishna" (CM) |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Shriya Saran || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Prakash Raj || style="text-align:center;"|Thamizharasu || style="text-align:center;"|Suryaprakash |- | style="text-align:center;"| Santhanam || style="text-align:center;"|Ali || style="text-align:center;"|Vellaichamy || style="text-align:center;"| Chittibabu |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Kishore || style="text-align:center;"|Ganesan (Guru) || style="text-align:center;"|Rambabu (Guru) |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sriman || style="text-align:center;"|Ganesan ||style="text-align:center;"| Rambabu |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Aarthi || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu's friend |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Geetha || style="text-align:center;"|Murugan's mother || style="text-align:center;"| Muralikrishna's mother |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sayaji Shinde || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Minister Sivanaandi |- | style="text-align:center;"| M. S. Bhaskar || style="text-align:center;"|Tanikella Bharani || style="text-align:center;"|Tamizharasan's assistant || style="text-align:center;"| Suryaprakash's assistant |- | style="text-align:center;"| Paravai Muniyamma || style="text-align:center;"|Telangana Shakuntala || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Pachamma Patti |- | style="text-align:center;"| Livingston || style="text-align:center;"|Surya || style="text-align:center;"|Murugan's father || style="text-align:center;"|Krishna's father |- |style="text-align:center;"| Pandiarajan || style="text-align:center;"|Krishna Bhagavaan || style="text-align:center;"|Walter Vetrivel|| style="text-align:center;"|Walter Rangaraju |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Lal || style="text-align:center;"|Chennai Police Commissioner || style="text-align:center;"| Vizag Police Commissioner |- | style="text-align:center;"| Suruli Manohar || style="text-align:center;"|Srinivasa Reddy || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Constable |- | style="text-align:center;"| Mayilsamy || style="text-align:center;"|M. S. Narayana || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Watchman |- | style="text-align:center;"| T. P. Gajendran || style="text-align:center;"|Kondavalasa || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Apartment Secretary |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Suman Shetty || style="text-align:center;"|Murugan's friend || style="text-align:center;"| Krishna's friend |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Nellai Siva|| colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Resident |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Shanmugarajan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Corrupt inspector |- | style="text-align:center;"| Muthukaalai || style="text-align:center;"|Kallu Chidambaram || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Bike customer |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Besant Ravi || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Guru's henchman |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Sampath Ram || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Guru's henchman |- |colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Aryan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Tamizharasan/Suryaprakash's henchman |- | style="text-align:center;"| Periya Karuppu Thevar || style="text-align:center;"|Rallapalli || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Panchayat Man |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Swaminathan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Cashier |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Senthi Kumari || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Indu's friend |- | style="text-align:center;"| Manobala || style="text-align:center;"|Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Birth and Death administration officer |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Boys Rajan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Police officer |- | style="text-align:center;"| Dhadi Balaji || style="text-align:center;"|Chitram Srinu || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Bystander who pretends to be blind |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Kullamani || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Cyclist who laughs at Indu |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Karate Raja || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Rowdy |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Kadhal Saravanan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Waiter |- | style="text-align:center;"|Scissor Manohar || style="text-align:center;"|Duvvasi Mohan || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Man who asks for lift |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Raviraj || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| |- |style="text-align: center;"|''Unknown'' || style="text-align:center;"|Annapoornamma || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Krishna's grandmother |- |style="text-align: center;"|''Unknown'' || style="text-align:center;"|Gautam Raju || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Traffic police officer |- | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Meenakshi || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;"|Item number in "Vedi Vedi" and "Pidi Pidi" |- |}
== Production == Among the forty scripts that he heard, Vishal okayed Sabha Ayyappan as the director. Ayyappan had previously worked as an assistant director to Boopathy Pandian for ''Malaikottai'' (2007).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/regional/movie-details/news-interviews/in-conversation-with-vishal/articleshow/4359168.cms|title=In conversation with Vishal|work=The Times of India|date=5 April 2009|first=KR|last=Manigandan|access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref>
==Music== The music was composed by Mani Sharma. In a music review, Karthik of ''Milliblog'' wrote, "''Thoranai'' has what a Vishal starrer deserves – massy and straight forward songs that aim at your feet with Manisharma scoring better than his other recent Tamil soundtracks".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://milliblog.com/2009/04/20/music-review-thoranai-tamil-manisharma|title=Music review: Thoranai (Tamil – Manisharma)|work=Milliblog|author=Karthik|author-link=Karthik Srinivasan|access-date=22 November 2025}}</ref>
;Tamil version<ref>{{cite web |date=15 Nov 2019 |title=Thoranai (2009) |url=https://mio.to/album/Thoranai+%282009%29 |access-date=15 Nov 2019 |work=Music India Online |archive-date=15 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115151605/https://mio.to/album/Thoranai%2B(2009) |url-status=dead }}</ref> {| class="wikitable" ! Song !! Singers !! Lyrics!! Length |- | "Vedi Vedi Saravedi" || Naveen, Ranjith || Viveka || 4:26 |- | "Vaa Chellam" || Udit Narayan || Pa. Vijay|| 5:07 |- | "Pattucha" || Vijay Yesudas, Janani Madhan || Kabilan|| 3:58 |- | "Peliccan Paravaigal" || Ranjith, Rita, Rahul, Jai || Vaali|| 4:07 |- | "Manjasela Mandakini" || Tippu, Saindhavi || rowspan="2" |Pa. Vijay|| 4:20 |- | "Vaa Chellam" (Version 2) || Ranjith || 5:07 |}
;Telugu version<ref>{{cite web |date=15 Nov 2019 |title=Pista (2009) |url=https://www.raaga.com/telugu/movie/pista-songs-A0001475 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191115151607/https://www.raaga.com/telugu/movie/pista-songs-A0001475 |archive-date=15 November 2019 |access-date=15 Nov 2019 |work=Raaga.com}}</ref> *"Pidi Pidi" - Ranjith, Naveen *"Naa Maharani" - Udit Narayan *"Pattuko Pattuko" - Narayanan, Janani Madhan *"Oka Pelican" - Rahul, Suchithra *"Naa Maharani" - Ranjith *"Mandakini" - Tippu, Saindhavi
== Critical reception == ''Sify'' wrote "Arbitrarily packing in elements of every genre without actually bothering to stop and see if the mix does work, ''Thoranai'' is like an overcooked stew."<ref>{{cite web |date=29 May 2009 |title=Thoranai |url=http://www.sify.com/movies/thoranai-review-tamil-pclxeIjbjgghf.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004191553/http://www.sify.com/movies/thoranai-review-tamil-pclxeIjbjgghf.html |archive-date=4 October 2017 |access-date=5 February 2025 |work=Sify}}</ref> Pavithra Srinivasan of ''Rediff'' wrote "Thoranai's only merit is that it's marginally better than ''Sathyam''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Srinivasan |first=Pavithra |date=29 May 2009 |title=Thoranai: Not good, but not bad either |url=http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/29/thoranai-review.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170101002610/http://movies.rediff.com/report/2009/may/29/thoranai-review.htm |archive-date=1 January 2017 |access-date=15 Nov 2019 |work=Rediff.com}}</ref> ''The Times of India'' gave 2/5 stars and wrote "It is a formidable star cast that you see in ''Thoranai''. However, what is missing is a convincing story".<ref>{{Cite news |title=Thoranai Movie Review |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/thoranai/movie-review/4597080.cms |website=The Times of India |access-date=26 January 2020 |archive-date=7 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231007161034/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/thoranai/movie-review/4597080.cms |url-status=live }}</ref> Reviewing the Telugu version, BVS Prakash of ''The Times of India'' gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Inspite of a dud like ''Salute'', Tamil star Vishal hasn't realised the significance of a solid plot even for a star-centric film."<ref>{{Cite web |author=Prakash |first=BVS |date=30 May 2009 |title=Pistha Movie Review |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/pistha/movie-review/4597638.cms |accessdate=15 November 2019 |work=The Times of India |archive-date=10 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160810121214/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/Pistha/movie-review/4597638.cms |url-status=live }}</ref><!--https://www.idlebrain.com/movie/archive/mr-pista.html-->
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb title}}
Category:2009 Indian films Category:2000s masala films Category:2009 Tamil-language films Category:2008 multilingual films Category:2009 action films Category:2009 directorial debut films Category:2009 films Category:Films scored by Mani Sharma Category:Indian action films Category:Indian multilingual films Category:Tamil-language action films Category:Tamil-language Indian films