Swathi Kiranam (1992)

I really can't imagine anyone doing Anantha Sharma's role and pulling it off like Mammukka did. That's what makes the man such an irreplaceable part of Indian cinema: he not only does justice to every role (never mind how good, bad, or in-between the movie is), but leaves such an impact that it's hard to imagine anyone else in his place. 

Apart from Mammukka though, I loved Raadhika as Anantha Sharma's wife. She brought in a lot of dignity to the film, especially considering how most of it was about her husband's ugly display of pettiness and unnecessary egotistical drama. Master Manjunath as Gangadhar was decent too, but I feel like his character simply wasn't well-written enough. This brings me to my main problem with the movie: the characters weren't fleshed out deeply enough for my liking, and I do wish there was a little complexity to make the story even more interesting. 

The other problem I had was with the climax and the ending. I don't see the point of Gangadhar's death at all, and it just felt like a convenient "solution" to bring about Anantha Sharma's change of heart. 

However, I would still recommend this movie, based on the performances, and of course, the music itself. The songs are the soul of the movie, and they really make you understand and appreciate the story on a deeper level. The music in K. Viswanath's movies is something else, and honestly, half the reason why I want to explore more of the director's work. I mean, he is a wonderful director and all, but the albums!! Healing, soothing, and always welcome in my burnt-out soul. Now I must end this, and go space out to the Swarnakamalam album. Thanks for reading. 


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