Muhammad bin Tughluq (film)

Muhammad bin Tughluq
Screenshot of the title as seen in the film
Directed by	Cho
Produced by	Prestige Productions
Written by	Cho
Starring	Cho Neelu Peeli Sivam Manorama Ushanandini Ambi Rajagopal Sukumari Sampath V.R.Sreenivasan B.N.Ramasamy
Music by	M.S. Viswanathan
Release date	1971
Running time	134 minutes
Country	India
Language	Tamil

Muhammad bin Thughlaq is a 1971 Indian Tamil language cringe comedy film directed and written by Cho Ramaswamy. It is the film version of the stage play of the same name. Both the play and the film were conceptualized, written and directed by Cho who also stars as the title character. The film is a satirical 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 character's name 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 Tughluq, the sultan of Delhi in 14th century, was an unintelligent ruler especially for some of his decisions during his reign, including those of relocation of 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.

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)

Thugluq becomes a national sensation and is welcomed in all grandeur to Rangachari's house. He is interviewed by many newspaper journalists to whom he answers in a very sarcastic attitude. He learns the changes of the past centuries in almost four days and mocks that the advancements are no more than four days' advancement. He decides to contest in elections to become the Prime Minister of India. In his good faith, Thanikachalam, an old freedom fighter, and his daughter Gandhimadhi (Manorama) volunteer to help taking part in his political rallies. In his political campaigns, Thughluq makes a mockery of all of the other political contestants (in turn mocking the politicians of real life) and in a satiric tone asking the people to vote for him.