Gold medal) is a 1974 Indian Tamil-language crime drama film, directed by P. Madhavan and written by Mahendran.

Based on Mahendran's play of the same name, the film stars Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, Srikanth and Prameela.

It focuses on a disciplined police officer who is dedicated to his job, while his rebellious son, on the contrary, is a criminal and resents his father.

While he upholds the principles of justice and honesty, his son Jagan proves contrary to this even at a young age.

Jagan, who befriended other criminals in prison, indulges in several illegal activities like theft, kidnapping and smuggling, and is wanted by the police.

His repeated attempts to reform him are misunderstood by Jagan, who decides to take revenge on his father for blocking his path to easy riches.

[2] Mahendran did not write any dialogue for the scene where Lakshmi dies, instead he "visually depict[ed] the sorrow of a widower, which was very challenging", although Ganesan managed it successfully in a single take.

[7] According to Ganesan, Thangappathakkam is not about a man killing his son to receive a gold medal, but a police officer's commitment to his post.

[20] Kanthan of Kalki lauded the performances of the lead cast, particularly Srikanth for portraying a new kind of villain not usually seen in Tamil films, in addition to Madhavan's direction and Mahendran's writing.

[28] According to Rediff's N. Sathiya Moorthy, Ganesan's characterisation of Choudhry "became a role model for aspiring young police officers".

[29] The characterisation of the role became a benchmark in such a way that many later Tamil films would often refer to Choudhry when mentioning an "honest and upright officer".

[6] According to film historian G. Dhananjayan, the scene where Choudhry does not utter even a word after his wife's demise "is the way [Mahendran] started his brand of cinema".