Nallavanukku Nallavan (1984)

More than anything, Nallavanukku Nallavan felt like a predecessor to Padayappa (1999). And yes, Ramya Krishnan's presence was keenly felt. 

However, my streak of excellent vintage Rajini entertainers was thankfully not broken with this one. I loved his chemistry with Radhika ma'am the most, especially when they were a middle-aged couple. I know they were both quite young when this movie first came out, and the movie is not technically romance, but I am still going to count this as "middle-aged romance" because WE JUST DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH OF THAT GENRE. Also, their transformation into the older couple was pretty convincing and went beyond the grey hair, so plus points for that.

Karthik was only halfway convincing as one of the villains though. I wish his character was written better, because I can honestly see him doing a villain role with ease. 

In conclusion, no one can top Ramya ma'am as a Rajini movie villain, and that's her power!! Maybe I'll rewatch Padayappa now, in honour of her legacy. 

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