A movie which made Mani Ratnam a household name in Tamil nadu, which tells the simple story between a husband and a wife. Mani Ratnam has tackled some major issues over the past 10-13 years or so from terrorism (Roja, Bombay) to politics (Iruvar), to melodrama (Idayathai Thirudathi, Anjali) and thrillers (Thiruda Thiruda). It's funny how this simple yet complex story still remains his best to date. As aforementioned, the story tells of a troubled marriage between Mohan and Revathi - as Revathi was in love with her boyfriend, Karthik. I won't go in too much detail, but this film, in my sincere opinion, was the best film of the 1980's.
Mani Ratnam doesn't make the camera the star of the movie here unlike he has done with his future films - which fools the audience into thinking they're watching a good movie. (ex: Iruvar, Dil Se). Instead, he goes straight for the screenplay and characterization and etches out some of the best characters in tamil cinema. Mohan, one of the most popular stars of the 80s, comes through with a decent performance - very subtle unlike his other films. Revathi, the star of the show, gives quite possible her best performance in a tamil movie. The anger she shows against Mohan and the playful emotion she shows with Karthik, will make you wonder why she didn't win a national award for this film. Karthik, in what can called one of the greatest supporting performances, gives life to his extremely likable character and is an absolute delight when he's on screen. Future Mani Ratnam lead heroes (Aravind Swamy, Madhavan, Shah Rukh Khan) were all modeled after Karthik's "Manohar". A great performance by the great actor. P.C. Sriram is behind the camera and it shows. Whether it's the soft colors of the Taj Mahal, or the beautiful lighting work he does indoors, P.C. Sriram accomplishes it brilliantly and then some. Ilayaraja provides Mani Ratnam with another great soundtrack. "Chinna Chinna" and "Mandram Vandhu" are two of the best songs Ilayaraja has composed for Ratnam. This is a must-see for all Mani Ratnam fans and anybody who wishes to see how a classic is made.
Mani Ratnam doesn't make the camera the star of the movie here unlike he has done with his future films - which fools the audience into thinking they're watching a good movie. (ex: Iruvar, Dil Se). Instead, he goes straight for the screenplay and characterization and etches out some of the best characters in tamil cinema. Mohan, one of the most popular stars of the 80s, comes through with a decent performance - very subtle unlike his other films. Revathi, the star of the show, gives quite possible her best performance in a tamil movie. The anger she shows against Mohan and the playful emotion she shows with Karthik, will make you wonder why she didn't win a national award for this film. Karthik, in what can called one of the greatest supporting performances, gives life to his extremely likable character and is an absolute delight when he's on screen. Future Mani Ratnam lead heroes (Aravind Swamy, Madhavan, Shah Rukh Khan) were all modeled after Karthik's "Manohar". A great performance by the great actor. P.C. Sriram is behind the camera and it shows. Whether it's the soft colors of the Taj Mahal, or the beautiful lighting work he does indoors, P.C. Sriram accomplishes it brilliantly and then some. Ilayaraja provides Mani Ratnam with another great soundtrack. "Chinna Chinna" and "Mandram Vandhu" are two of the best songs Ilayaraja has composed for Ratnam. This is a must-see for all Mani Ratnam fans and anybody who wishes to see how a classic is made.