Kavikkuyil (1977)

After having seen enough early Sridevi (as lead heroine) films, I had very little expectations from Kavikkuyil. Surprisingly though, this was quite an interesting movie to watch. Both the love stories in this movie were completely different from each other in tone yet were woven together so seamlessly that I was not ever bored by the proceedings.

The first love story, with Sridevi and (a much, much older) Sivakumar, was completely mystical in its tone, substance and treatment. Not only was it reminiscent of Kalidas' Abhijnanashakuntalam, but also of the Krishna-Radha story. Sivakumar and Sridevi were both really good in their individual roles, but as a pair... nah, fam. He was literally 22 years older than her, and she was literally 14 years old when this film released. No matter how many such pairings I see her in, I can never get used to this phenomenon. I mean, I LOVE watching teenage Sridevi- it never ceases to amaze me just how talented an actress she was, and I am reminded again that there will never be another like her. It's what I hold on to to help me deal with her untimely demise, I guess. 

The second love story, with Fatafat Jayalakshmi (oh, how I love her name!) and Rajinikanth was a complete contrast- in a very refreshing and non-cringey way, it was the woman pursuing and wooing the man. Fatafat Jayalakshmi brought in such a badass aura to her character and I was cheering my feminist queen throughout. I would have just happily watched a movie with her character as the protagonist, honestly, and I am kind of salty that we never got one. Back to my main point, however: this transgression of caste and class boundaries initiated by a woman was quite a sight to behold, and served as a very effective foil to the mythical love story, even as it complemented it beautifully. Even the Sridevi-Sivakumar love story had caste transgressions, but since it was so steeped in its essence as a retelling of classic tales, the caste angle didn't work here as much as it did in the other love story. Probably why I found this movie an interesting watch.

In conclusion, Rajinikanth was right, he really did make the best pairing with Queen FJ. Very sad now because I don't think any more of their movies are streaming with subs anywhere. God really is testing my patience these days. 

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