Muhammad bin Tughluq (1971)

Muhammad bin Thughlaq (Tamil: முகமது பின் துக்ளக்) is a 1971 socio-political satire Cringe comedy film in Tamil by Cho Ramaswamy. It is the film version of the stageplay of the same name. Both the play and the film is conceptualized, wrote and directed by Cho who also stars as the titular character. The film is a sarcastic take on the then political and social affairs of India and is considered a fine portrayal of the political attitude existent till today.

The title and the titular character is an allusion to the present day politics in India, that can be compared with those of Tughluq's. It is believed in India that Muhammad bin Tughluq, the sultan of Delhi in 14th century was an unintelligent ruler, especially for some of his decisions during his reign, including that of relocating his capital and experiments with coins. Thus, Cho found it to be a correct allusion to the present day political happenings. There are several dialogues in the film that mention these facts.

Synopsis

Thathachari (Neelu) narrates a small anecdote of Sultan Muhammad bin Tughluq emphasizing on how the king had an arrogant attitude, indifferent view towards his kingdom and subjects, how he treated his guests and also the kind of plans he introduced that backfired. When his son Rangachari (Rajagopal) goes on a mission to research on Tughluq, he finds a buried coffin that contains Thugluq (Cho), and his accomplice Ibn Batuta (Peeli Sivam) alive inside. They claim that they are the true Thugluq and Batuta buried several centuries ago along with a herb that has protected them and kept them alive until 1968 A.D. (the present year of the film)

Acteurs