Thappida Thala

Thappida Thaala (Kannada: ತಪ್ಪಿದ ತಾಳ, English: Wrong Notes) is a 1978 Indian Kannada language film directed by K. Balachander. It stars Rajnikanth and Saritha in the lead roles.

It was simultaneously made in Tamil as Thappu Thalangal. It was later remade in Malayalam as Kazhukan

Devu (Rajnikanth), a local thug whose weapon of choice is a bicycle chain he sports casually around the neck. He charges ₹ 30 to slice a finger, ₹ 300 to chop a hand,₹ 3000 for the leg, and ten times as much to dispose off the whole body. On one of his nightly rounds, he is pursued by a cop and seeks refuge at a whorehouse run by a hooker Sarasu (Saritha). Despite her vehement protests, he stays put and leaves only at daybreak, but her persistent cough stays with him. At a theatre, Devu watches an advertisement for Glycodin Cough Syrup and proceeds to buy her a bottle. They bond over the cough syrup and philosophize late into the night, exchanging notes on their immoral lifestyles.

Devu's assault on a trade union leader delivering medicine to a critically ill worker leads to a mishap. Watching the wailing of the widow of the worker, he is traumatized and breaks down at Sarasu's place. In an inspired moment, he suggests they remap their lives and chart a moral course. Sarasu is attracted by the notion of giving up prostitution and leading a normal life as Devu's wife, though she wonders if they will be able to pull it off. The couple go to great lengths to secure a job for Devu and lead a normal life, but there are too many skeletons in the closet. Devu is no longer feared for his might, and Sarasu's past clientele continue to haunt the joint. She gets a loan for Devu from his evil brother Soma, who continues to harass her on that pretext. In a particularly traumatic sequence of events, Sarasu is raped by Soma as a helpless Devu watches, pinned down by Soma's henchmen. The couple resolve to repay Soma's loan, and Devu undertakes a botched robbery attempt. Devu is imprisoned and in his absence, Sarasu has an abortion. The couple's plans for normality never attain fruition. The inevitable return to lives of vice is especially tragic and heartbreaking.