Aasai (1995)

My only regret is that I wish I knew absolutely nothing about this movie before watching it. I know I'm 26 years too late to the party, but honestly, not knowing the basic premise would have made things even more scary and messed up, not that there wasn't enough of those sentiments already. But to watch it unfold like the psychotic drama it was on the big screen, while innocently expecting another cute sweet love story featuring foetus Thala... I would give anything to have that experience.

I know we love poking fun at Prakash Raj for being the evergreen villain, but it takes an Aasai for one to truly understand why he's earned that reputation. He really brings to life the evil but powerful psychopath who can manipulate people and situations to get what he wants, and I swear I was shaking a little when the movie ended because he is just that good at driving the point home. That's the thing about well-written thrillers- they work excellently as horror movies because you can't help but imagine yourself in the exact same situation and you realise that had a few things gone differently in your life, you very well could have been there. And isn't that the scariest thing in the world?

The movie also made me think of how cruel the system of separating wives from their natal families is. Most women in traditional Indian society only have their families as support systems, and when they have to go to their husband's home, they are expected to leave all their old attachments behind, and more importantly, give up a certain agency that allows them to communicate with their families with no interference; for now, the wife has to be dependent on the husband and his family's approval and permission to maintain ties with the old home. Watching Ganga's (Rohini) fate in this movie made me feel both sad and angry- how many women have suffered in similar ways, and how many women will continue to suffer because we are clearly nowhere close to eradicating such poisonous structures and the thinking that propagates them?

I loved the music, and will definitely be jamming to the songs when I'm in that 90s Tamil mood. Also, the fight scenes were A1, and for the first time, I was mentally going "Thala maaaaassss". I really liked Ajith's character- he was a jerk to Yamuna (Suvaluxmi) too, and I'm glad they didn't go down the path of showing his character as pure good. But even though he was a jerk, the movie did emphasise that his heart was in the right place and that he did care a lot for Yamuna. That scene in the jail where he starts begging Prakash Raj to spare Yamuna will haunt me. Another thing I appreciated was how this movie's gaze was fully sympathetic to the female characters, and never once tried to victim-blame. Quite progressive for the 90s, I must say. Just kidding, it's quite progressive for the present day too. Oh, well.

In conclusion, abolish men.