Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal

One of the best tamil movies to have been made & certainly Director Bheem singh's best directorial effort. The novel has been handled beautifully in the film, something of a rarity in tamil cinema. All the actors have done well. Lakshmi of course, is stupendous but credit should also be given to Srikanth who has brought out the complexity of the character very well. Pity he was typecast as a villain in so many films.

The film enjoyed a 100 day run in chennai, a rarity for cinema of this kind.

Tamil cinema's never been too fond of published literary works, and the exceptions have usually been well-made (like Thillana Mohanambal, for instance). Based on a novel by the writer Jayakanthan, this film explores middle-class Tamil norms and values with regard to women and their status in society.

Lakshmi (in an award-winning role) plays a self-made woman who's molested as a teenager, as a result of which her family practically ostracises her. She's determined to get married to the guy who did it to her, and goes in search of him. They do meet, but even after they forge a new relationship, her family does not let her live in peace.

A scathing indictment of the society as it was seen by the writer during that period (mid-70s), it does falter at the end. Overall, the film is a refreshing break from the mindlessness of mainstream cinema that rules even today. Lakshmi is stupendous, and is well-supported by the rest of the cast.

Its a blemish that Tamil cinema has not entertained Novel Adaptations. I'm sort of surprised that the best directors in the industry till date are not ready for Novel Adaptations. "Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal" was my first tamil novel and it made me wonder "Are there people like Ganga in real life?". It was one of the best books I've ever read.

Kudos to the entire team. They have brought that feel and magic on screen too. The artists, music, dialogues are one of the best you'll ever see. I've never heard a dialogue like "You can never be a wife to someone. You can only be a concubine".

I was little sad that the climax has been changed a little. I'm not sure why. Otherwise its an amazing movie.