Thenali is a Tamil film which released on July 30, 2001 and was directed by K.S. Ravikumar. This film is a remake of the Hollywood movie What About Bob?, and has Kamal Haasan and Jyothika playing the lead roles. It turned out to be a box-office winner. It won the Filmfare Best Movie Award South in the year of its release. The film also included a couple of stars in guest roles which were Meena and the famous previous Sri Lankan radio broadcaster and master of ceremony for many Tamil functions across the world, B.H. Abdul Hameed.

Thenali(Kamal Hassan) - a man who fears anything and everything due to earlier life in Sri Lanka. Delhi Ganesh and his assistant, who are doctors treating Thenali, are jealous of a relatively junior doctor Jayram getting all media attention. They sent Thenali to Jayram because the former will drive people round the bend foists Thenali on Dr.Kailash, who is on a vacation along with his wife Jalaja(Devayani) and two children. The expected happens. Thenali falls in love with Janaki (Jyothika) , sister of Jayaram. The whole film is about how Jayram goes mad with the antics of the patient and gets a paralytic attack and is confined to a wheel chair unable to stop the marriage of his sister with Kamal Hassan. Thenali gets well with the shock treatment given by his ex-patient. Meena, Abdhul Hameed, and director Ravikumar make an appearance to give this shock treatment).One cant stop laughing watching Kamal Haasan along with Jayaram comics.