We understand if it feels like Tamil cinema has always been talking about romantic love. After all, we do get our yearly dose of romance films; our star vehicles never seem to exist without a love track. The truth, however, is that it’s when you look beyond the blinding brightness of stars and the distracting focus on central characters, that you sometimes sense real love.
You may not find these couples dancing; you may not find them whispering ‘I love you’—but you will find love in them, nonetheless. For this Valentine’s Day, our team at Cinema Express has put together what we deem to be some heartfelt romantic tracks that perhaps went slightly under the radar of our attention.
Here are some love angles in our film that were written with sensitivity, that even in passing moments, evoked a tear or two. Such love may or may not have turned into a happily-ever-after portrait of endless joy, but during the fleeting time it existed, nobody can deny that it was alive and thrived. And that’s perhaps why it’s more special.
Pisaasu
Till death do us apart
They say that as you die, you picture your whole life unfolding. But Pisaasu points at an unlikely possibility, the strangest of what-ifs. What if you fall in love at first sight, as you take your last breath? Drawn from this poetic premise, Pisaasu—that’s presented as a horror story—is, in fact, a story about unrequited love (for the most part). A dead woman is in love with a man—and not just any man, but one who has, in fact, killed her (and this realisation makes it in many ways the pinnacle of selfless love). And so, while she tries to win his love, she guides him, straightens him out (including preventing him from drinking), and eventually protects him from the wrath of another man who loves her dearly (her father) … It’s fittingly twisted that this story of love and redemption ends when the killer falls in love too—with the dead woman. The romance itself might lack a future, but it has the beautiful consequence of ensuring that two doomed men have a better future.
Kaala:
Keeping the romance alive
Much has been said about the poetic beauty of failed love and its resurgence. While Kaala takes us through such an episode with Zareena(Huma Qureshi) and Karikaalan(Rajinikanth), the film does so without sacrificing the charming and almost teen-like love between Kaala and his wife Selvi (Easwari Rao). Perhaps one of the most beautiful things about love is how even a failed love is as intense as those that prevailed through hard times. We know he has made peace with a love that has died through the joyous unbridled love he shows to his wife. Kaala showed us how it looks like to move on with peace by showing us an effervescent married life.
Pithamagan
When love tamed a feral heart
Love is so all consuming that even a feral character like Chiththan (Vikram) couldn’t escape it. A hardened heart being tamed by love is a tale as old as time but Pithamagan differs by not making gomathi a female-rehab trope who jumps at the opportunity to fix a broken man. No, she is broken too but in different ways. Gomathi (Sangeetha) effortlessly walks past all of Chiththan’s tough, wild psychological barriers and reaches that one primal part of his heart that still longs for love. Stories like these tell us that no matter how many layers of thorns life wraps around us, at our core, there is always space for love.
Thevar Magan
Sacrifice as an expression of love
Coming to the village for the first time, Bhanu is full of love. But what happens next is far from rosy. Her Sakthi, his village, and the burgeoning violence remind her she is an outsider. It is her magnanimous exit from Sakthi’s life that allows him to become the Sakthivel of the film. Bhanu’s realisation that Sakthi is as much a pawn in the system as she is forced to become is heartbreaking.
Aahaa..Beyond the sacred thread
What happens when the man who is rightfully yours is out there to care for the woman who was supposed to be at your place? Aahaa explores these nuances between a husband-wife, subtly portrayed by Raghuvaran and Bhanupriya. The husband extends his platonic affection to terminally ill Geetha (Sukanya), unaware of his wife. But the latter’s only grouse is her husband thinking that she may not be able to understand him. Bhanupriya excels as a woman who is capable of complicated emotions and very much open to accept that a man can feel simple affection to more than just one woman.
Ok Kanmani Ageing like a fine wine
The old-school romance between Bhavani, an Alzheimer’s patient (Leela Samson), and her husband Ganapathy (Prakash Raj) in OK Kanmani is one of the most endearing examples of a love that ages like fine wine. Even as the film primarily focuses on the idea of modern love through Dulquer Salmaan’s Adi and Nithya Menen’s Tara, who initially don’t believe in the institution of marriage, Mani Ratnam admirably weaves in a parallel story of the elderly couple, reiterating that love is about being there for each other through thick and thin and that it is to eternity and beyond. In a rather non-preachy way, their life together transforms Adi and Tara’s perception of love. Perhaps, they even showed us how if we ever get lost somewhere in old age, our loved ones will be the guiding light to take us back home.
Anbe Sivam
The beauty of unrequited love
Not all love stories have happy endings. But isn’t letting go one of the most beautiful forms of love? When Mehrunnisa realises that her Nalla was never her Nalla in the first place, there is an aching monologue that perfectly encompasses the lengths people can go for love. Changing the way we dress, the way we speak, and even altering our ambitions to align with the one we love. There is also a cute allusion to another unrequited love in the process, but it is clear that this romance isn’t one for the ages, but it is that warm memory of finding the shade of a tree to rest after a long, sunny day.
Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum
The romance that lives on
Over the years, we have seen romance of different kinds in cinema, but more often than not, one of the most neglected branches of love is definitely the one about lived-in romance. We see the blossoming of love, and the breaking of love, but what about the love that stays for years together. The love that comes through in the form of repetition. The love that manifests in the form of the simplest things like forgetting the car keys only to come back home to kiss your partner. The romance between Pannaiyaar and Chellamma is easy because they make it seem so. A simple glance, a passing shrug, and even a pregnant pause is enough for them to understand each other. This story reiterates the most important aspect of love... communication.
Meyaadha Maan
When love hits unannounced
It is not surprising when Vinoth initially does not reciprocate feelings for Sudarvizhi in Meyaadha Maan. Vinoth is someone who will not go against the bro code. Sudar, on the other hand, takes the dominant hand in making him realise that he has been in love with her all this time. Vinoth takes his time to analyse why he loves her. The relationship that is born out of this, is underrated, yet beautiful and realistic. The film establishes that end of the day that all is fair in love, and we realise it when Murali himself approves of the union.
Alaipayuthey Love that let’s go
This Mani Ratnam directorial can never miss a chance of being called one of the iconic romantic films in Tamil. But besides the evergreen story of Shakthi (Shalini) and Karthik (Madhavan), there lies an unrequited yet over-arching love for the girl from her family member Sethu (Vivekh). He yearns to earn a place in her already love-bloated heart, but little does his innocence and care drive away the affection he has for Shakthi. Sethu reminds us about how sometimes love is all about letting go, and that it can be seeing your loved one smile, even if they are at a distance from you.