Chandralekha (1948) :
Brief Review -
SS Vasan and Gemini's grand affair on the fictional adventure. Chandralekha is all about its grandeur more than anything else. There are many songs, and none of them sounded like a hit, but the visuals are beautiful. It goes the same for the action scenes as well because they borrow a lot from our history books, taking the swashbuckling lessons ahead. They lack finesse, but don't look cheap at least. Vasan took almost every scene to a whole new grandeur, especially the dance sequence in the climax. Those costumes, crowd, musical properties, and colossal sets are eye-pleasing, even though the storytelling lacked novelty. Had the story been a bit innovative or interesting, the film would have looked much better. Chandralekha is about a young woman named Chandra, who falls in love with a common man, who happens to be the prince. The prince's brother attempts to murder him and takes charge of the kingdom. The woman saves the prince and then joins a circus group as a show leader, Chandralekha. She is then kidnapped by the prince's brother, and now the prince must find a way to free her and get his kingdom back. All those circus scenes, featuring breathtaking exercises and stunts, look wonderful. They make the film grander than one could have expected it to be in 1948. MK Radha and Rajakumari's pair looks natural. I must tell you that they both don't look like the typically glamorous hero-heroine of the film. They actually look like the people they are playing. Rajakumari is not a zero figure or a sexy lady from a Bollywood film. She has a moderately fat body, a proper woman's look to it. Those conversions and romantic moments they share have an organic feeling of a common couple. Vasan may have envisioned the entire film on a grand scale, but he kept the character on the ground. Maybe that's why Chandralekha could connect to the masses then.
RATING - 6/10*
By - #samthebestest.
