20 years back in the beginning of the new millennial, a new actor made his debut with his dream director. That movie was a blockbuster and was a trendsetter in Tamil and Telugu cinema. It remained one of the best for a generation of people. That film is Sakhi. The actor is Madhavan. The director is Mani Ratnam. I watched this film just now. Does the film fare well or does it get dated? Lets find out.
Sakhi is a 2000 romantic drama starring Madhavan and Shalini in lead roles directed by none other than the legendary Mani Ratnam. The story revolves around Karthik and Shanti, two modern(in 2000's) individuals divided by class but united by love. They fall in love and get married. But, they start struggling and quarrel while trying to sustain their relationship. Finally, a tragic incident unites them forever. If you haven't watched the film, watch it right away.
Expecting many would have watched this since it is a 20 year old film, I am moving to spoiler territory from now. The film tackles a subject which is eternal. The concept of love and how it is very difficult to sustain a relationship. Mani Ratnam after his film Dil Se makes an urban, new, fresh and feel good film for the 2000's. The screenplay has a good flow and we never feel the length of the film which is 2 hours and 23 minutes(long for today's standards). If the 2 hours of the film is good, the other 23 minutes is awesome as hell. The guest appearances of Arvind Swamy and Khushboo are a surprise anyways but their roles are good that their 10 minutes of screentime is also very valuable. The tension builded for about the film about the missing heroine is fleshed out in this segment which is damn good. Overall, the story and screenplay is a complete wonder. Also, I guess it is one of the earlier films to attempt a non linear screenplay and the director maintained good clarity and it shows in the film.
The ensemble cast is absolutely mindblowing. R. Madhavan's acting is phenomenal even if we do not consider that it is his debut film. Consider that and it is one of the best debuts of Indian cinema. Of course, he is a successful actor in almost all south languages. Shalini in her last role gives a great performance balancing the youthfulness of the younger sister and the confusion of a struggling wife. Jayasudha gets little screentime than the two leads but she shines as the loving mother who goes through tough times. Swarnamalya, Vivek, K.P.A.C Lalitha, Karthik Kumar, V.Natarajan,Azhagam Perumal all shine in the smaller moments they get. Arvind Swamy and Khusboo give some good performances even though it is their guest apperance.
Sakhi is incomplete without its music by A.R.Rahman. Each song is so timeless that it a 17 year old teenager's staple and I am younger than this film, you understand it. From Pachchadanamey to Snehituda, from September Maasam to Kalalai Poyenu, from Yede Yededey to Kailove Chedugudu, all songs are complex, soothing and moving all at the same time. Believe it or not, this film was a debut for Clinton Cerejo. A break for S.P. Charan, son of S.P. Balasubrahmanyam. A.R. Rahman you beauty.
Editing by Srikar Prasad is great in fact all technical aspects shine. The cinematography by P.C.Sreeram is excellent especially his work in Pachchandanamey has to be appreciated. The colours were popping in this song based on colours. Lyrics by Veturi Sundarammurthy is very good. It was his lyrics that inspired the famous song Pachchandanamey. That is quite an achievement.
Overall, this film is a masterpiece with its great acting, great story and screenplay, fantastic music and a great time. This film is available in youtube. It also has a hindi remake named Saathiya starring Vivek Oberoi and Rani Mukherji. You can watch it too as it is a shot for shot remake. It is a recommendation for each and everybody. If I have to dig for any negatives, maybe the film has gotten a little dated with few scenes in between the movie but that is nothing.
iMDB Rating: 8.3/10
My Rating: 9.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment