“Azhagan” is a beautiful love story!

It definitely might not be necessary for me to write about a movie that was released a decade and half ago. But, being the self confessed KB fan I am, I really do not have a choice. I chanced upon the DVD of Azhagan during my recent trip to Chennai and did not waste even single moment thinking whether or not I should buy it. Yesterday, I saw Azhagan on my DVD and this should have been the 15th time I was watching that movie. Romance has not really been my favorite theme as far as movies go, but I cannot point out a better instance of mature romance handled in an entertaining manner in Indian cinema before or after Azhagan. Azhagan is the story of M S Azhagappan (Mammootty), a widower with four children and a successful hotelier in Chennai. At different points of time, he comes into contact with three women- Swapna (Madhubala), the perky college student; Kanmani (Geetha), a highly qualified teacher and Priya Renjan (Bhanupriya), a well known classical dancer. How each of these women fall for Azhagappan’s charms and who among the three he chooses as his life partner is what the rest of the movie is all about. The strongest point of Azhagan is its script and dialogues. K Balachander in his inimitable style weaves a cohesive and clear script around Azhagappan and the three ladies. The characterization of Azhagappan is so deft that anyone will believe three ladies falling for him and trust, the extremely handsome Mammootty to get into the skin of the character. The actor truly comes up with a mesmerizing performance, his looks and image contributing much more than his talent in making this a winning one. Madhubala makes a fabulous debut playing the naughty Swapna. It is sad that the actress could not capitalize much even in spite of her association with stalwarts like Balachander and Maniratnam very early in her career. Geetha is adequate as Kanmani, she gets the least screen time among the three ladies but being the veteran that she is, Geetha makes Kanmani unforgettable. However, it is Bhanupriya who walks off with all the credit for breathing fire into the character of the extremely stubborn and possessive Priya Renjan. She is graceful in the dance sequences and forceful when it comes to dialogue delivery. Her make up and costumes add to her camera friendly looks. Among the rest of the cast, Soniya and Veeraraghavan stand out for their witty dialogues. Editing is good and the photography by Reghunatha Reddy is in typical KB style with extreme close- up’s of the protagonists. Lyrics by Pulamai Pithan are extremely tasteful and Maragathamani provides soulful music in his debut album. Chithra’s talent is brought to the fore in “Kozhi koovum” and “Thathitho”. “Sangeetha swarangal” can easily be considered one of the best romantic songs ever. “Saadimalli poocharamae” stands out for its meaningful lyrics. To sum up, “Azhagan” is one of K B’s best films and a treat for die hard romantics!!!