Vaazhkai (1949)

I honestly did not know what to even expect from a movie that came out 48 years before I was born, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this has actually aged quite well (much better than some films that released 2 years ago, I must say) and still stands as a fun and entertaining watch. Of course there are parts, especially the ending, which made me feel a little off, but overall I had a good time. Especially because I was mostly invested in Vyjayanthimala's scenes, who not only made her debut with this movie, but also became its best and most memorable part. I don't think I have seen many Vyjayanthimala movies, but judging even from this, it's easy to tell that she had a charming yet commanding screen presence, which would only get more refined and beautiful with time. Simple scenes like her reading a book (not so simple actually, considering how many women in Indian cinema are actually shown reading) or dancing in her room acquire magic just because she's the one performing all these actions. I loved the scenes where she's driving, or where she's dressed up in a suit to play a trick on her betrothed: she made everything she did so memorable that even the central conflict of the story, an unwed mother abandoning her child in a stranger's car, becomes secondary to what Mohana (Vyjayanthimala) is upto. 

My biggest issue was with the ending though. I can never swallow the impulse for reconciliation with toxic, abusive and borderline psychotic that many movies propagate, old and new, and this is where I draw the line when it comes to "excusing the generation gap" and what not. Some men deserve to be in jail, and that's it. They don't deserve love, affection and forgiveness, and anyone who tries to tell me otherwise is just talking to a wall after a point. 

In conclusion, Vyjayanthimala dancing is everything. 

PS- I want Mohana as my best friend.