Nadigaiyar Thilagam

Do you love watching good movies? Are you a fan of Indian regional movies that were released between the ‘50s & the ‘70s? Have you adored the black & white epics? Do you still think those were the golden days of Indian celluloid? Do you still fascinate the graceful women who portrayed simple and tough roles equally impressively, who looked like angels even in  black & white contours, who did not have references and encyclopaedia or Googles and YouTube or Wikipedia to look up to learn the nuances of acting? Do you want to relive all of these in a span of 180 minutes?

Watch #Mahanati (Telugu) or #NadigaiyarThilagam (Tamil). Watch history being recreated. Watch how technical movies of those years have been in spite of technology itself not being so advanced. Watch how Telugu filmmakers have always been advanced in movie making not just in the recent Bahubali but ever since the 50s in Mayabazar.

This is one movie that gives you the experience of watching many legendary old movie clippings all in one. Period film and hence a huge challenge as always with such films. Absolutely stunningly made. Every detail is attended to. Art Director - #Avinash, brings the old Madras of the 50s straight thru to 80s right in front of our eyes. The roads, studios, buses, trams, rickshaws, jhutkas, telephones, radios, TV sets - every single prop is remarkably recreated. Kudos to #IndrakshiPattnaik, the costume stylist. Perfect costumes including small details in the costumes including those that of bystanders and passers by, let alone for the main casts. Make up and hair do, especially for the lead casts, fabulous job!

#KeerthySuresh - take a bow, Lady! Plum role 🤢 Savithri was one of the bests in the field. In fact, even till date, there are not many performers who can pull off the array of roles that she has brought out in those times. Almost each of her blockbuster roles were recreated by Keerthy. What a huge risk she has taken! The best part is, the risk is rewarded amply. Keerthy does not just look Savithri. Keerthy has lived Savithri in every frame of the film.  I had goosebumps seeing her on screen replicating Savithri’s scintillating performance in Maya Bazar! It felt Keerthy was obsessed with Savithri’s spirit, if that was possible. Watch it to believe it.

#Dulquer - tricky role. It’s the kind - “damned if you did, damned if you don’t” types. Finely essayed by Dulquer. He has done it so neatly and perfectly. He oozes romance and aptly recreates the magic that Gemini once did! His subtle portrayal in some places adds to the weight of the scene.

#KotagiriVenkateswaraRao, editor - marvellous job of switching between colour and black & white. Still leaves me awed!

#AshwinNag - one needs a lot of conviction to do such films. The director has loads of it. Could have been more careful in representing some facts without dramatising or adding fictional elements for commercialism. Casting of Samantha is a disaster. And the person who dubbed for her in Tamil, adds to the irritation. But these can be tolerated only because his focus and output of the mainstream was terrific. Astounding job!

Do watch in theatres and live the golden era, yet again!