Server Sundaram (1964)

It feels weird commenting on a movie from a time and place I know nothing about, but I must say that despite that my lack of context, I found this movie to have aged pretty well. Nagesh sir pretty much carried the movie on his shoulders, but K.R. Vijaya ma'am and R. Muthuraman sir gave him excellent company too. The three of them added so much emotional depth to the movie that I quickly became invested in their journeys, and stayed that way till the end.

One thing I really appreciated about the movie was how it let Radha (K.R. Vijaya) have a certain agency when it came to following and acting on her desires, or lack thereof. If this narrative (with some alterations) had taken place in a contemporary movie, people would have been falling over themselves proclaiming it as the wokest movie ever or something like that. Yes, such is the state of Indian feminism today. I also loved the no-holds barred bromance between Raghavan (R. Muthuraman) and Sundaram (Nagesh). I would have of course loved it more if by the end Raghavan realised that he was in love with Sundaram all along and confessed his feelings to him which Sundaram obviously reciprocated... and they lived happily ever after...... but well, I will cherish their wholesome pairing anyway. 

My biggest problem with the movie was with the ending itself- I didn't particularly care for it, and it seemed like a very simplistic resolution of Sundaram's internal struggles, which till then had not even been explored that thoroughly. I hoped that the ending would be little more complex, offering insight into what Sundaram felt after all that had happened to him- and no, a career change is not it. I guess this is the part where the generation and cultural gap kicks in? Also, it was very obvious that Sundaram was devoted to the process of filmmaking, so logically also it doesn't make sense? I don't know, maybe I'll have to revisit to have an answer.

In conclusion, the music is amazing, and just for that, it's worth watching the movie. And also for the comedy. And the drama. Okay, just go watch the movie.

PS- Nagesh sir reminded me so much of 90s Shah Rukh, especially in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, it's insane. I think I'll always have a soft spot for him after this movie. 

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