Moondru Mudichu (1976)

Sridevi gives such a terrific performance as Selvi that it's easy to forget she was just 13 in this movie. She manages to overshadow both Kamal Haasan (who was quite a big star by then, if I'm not wrong) and Rajinikanth (who is exceptionally good as the villain). If she had not made the transition to Telugu and Hindi cinema full-time, and stuck with Tamil movies, her filmography might have been less cringe and more content. Even that is wishful thinking, but whatever. Everytime I start thinking I should finish her filmography some day, I remember all those movies with NTR, Rajesh Khanna, etc. as her co-stars. How will I survive those?!

Anyway, back to Moondru Mudichu: K. Balachander pulls off an emotional drama with intense psychological conflicts like no one's business. I knew the "main twist" in advance, since it has been talked about the most, and I do wish I didn't know about it. It would have been quite the shocker. Despite all this though, the way the twist came about was surprising enough for me. On top of it, the background music was brilliant. It turned the atmosphere truly sinister, and combined with Rajini's trademark evil looks, elevated the movie to the next level.

However, like I said earlier, the movie belongs to Sridevi. When she took on Rajini's catchphrase "Theek hai?" I forgot that he had ever said it. She owns it in her very first leading role as an "adult" (I repeat: she had just entered teenage when this movie came out) and it comes off as no surprise that she would eventually go on to become the queen of Indian cinema. 

Also, how cute were Sri and Kamal?? Their scenes here reminded me of why they are one of my favourite on-screen couples of all time. However, I also want to point out that no matter what kind of dynamics the script demands, Sri and Rajini always pull through. This trio was on a whole different level altogether.

In conclusion, this movie cemented the path for "Sridevi maaassss" and we have no choice but to stan. Theek hai?

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