{mosimage}This is one movie I always quote as a Bible to all of my friends who get married. This is one of the rare masterpieces that delved into the institution of marriage and power of love starting where the other love stories ended - marriage. Again this is one of the beautiful movies that imparted a strong message without being preachy and doesn't get lost in the gloss. I think the suspense is enough - I am writing about K. Balachander's "Puthu Puthu Arthangal" which translated into "New definitions..."
{tab=Page 1}{mosimage}A rich spoilt brat Kavitha (Geetha) develops a crush on renowned playback singer Balu (Rahman) and by hook or crook marries him. She loves her husband dearly that nobody else in the world can love him so much, but also that nobody should love him. She is very possesive about him which leads to suspicous nature, thus tearing their marriage apart. Jyothi (Sitara), dancer whose marital life is a miserable case happens to enter in the lives of Kavitha and Balu, and the life was never the same again
K. Balachander's wizardry of story telling flashing all over the movie takes you ups and downs along with the lead players' travails and traumas, but no where preachy. This movie belonged to everybody but most to Geetha and Rahman. Geetha had breathed the role of obsessive fan turned possessive wife with ease. KB had etched each role and build the characters with utmost care validating the behavioural patterns of everyone. Rahman as a helpless but loving husband who is driven to extremes is far convincing and in the actor's entire career this is his only movie where his performance is credited and evergreen. Sitara makes a fabulous debut in Tamil with this movie, taking cues from her previous performances in Malayalam cinema.
Some beautiful moments that brings breeze in your heart:-
1. Balu and Jyothi in a single sweater
2. Balu putting "Maruthaani (mehndi)" in Jyothi's hands with clay
3. Balu & Jyothi's passionate "Good Night" behind the glass partition
4. Kavitha rewinding the last stanza of "Guruvayoorappa" and the visual scenes also running behind
While some scenes that command your attention are
1. Kavitha's violent love at bedroom
2. The scenes that fuel the separation of Balu and Kavitha (News Reporter sequence)
3. Confession of Jyothi's husband at the press conference
4. Kavitha turning mad, pushing the car from the mountain cliff
5. Dog running back to its place when Kavitha returns home (Notice the KB touch here).
6. The climax scene where Kavitha meets Jyothi and Balu together and confessing that she doesn't feel jealous then seeing them together (Ultimate scene!)
Coming to the psychological aspects of this movie, there are lot of things you that shouldn't be missed and only then you can understand why Kavita behaves so.
{tab=Page 2}{mosimage}1. Out of her obsession, Kavitha manages to befriend Balu, have sex with him before marriage and traps him into the marriage with the help of her powerful mother "Khakinada" Kanchana (Jayachitra). So she has a feeling of fear that he married her only because of seduction, that actually overshadowed the affection and love her husband had for her. The fear took the reins leaving love at the backseat.
2. There was no element called trust because she suspects that her husband might have sex with any other girl, just the way he had with her before marriage. This was well depicted by the scene where she "interrogates" about Balu's conversation with the top heroine. So out of suspicion she tries to over power him, keep him "monitored' which beyond certain limits ruins her marriage.
3. Kavitha drives away her pet dog which rests in Balu's because she couldn't see anybody taking the place where she must be, followed by a violent love making scene. Whenever Kavitha enters home, the dog runs back to its place depicts the fear that underruns in everybody's blood in that house.
4. Balu's relationship with Jyothi was beautiful even though it comes under the extra marital affairs category. There was an element of trust, breathing space for each other and above all was forced by Kavita herself.
5. The brief episode of Poornam Vishwanathan & Sowcar Janaki leaves the viewers with a desire of having a succesful love marriage even after years.
6. The scene where Kavitha pleads Guru to marry her, which goes with the defined pattern of love turning to hatred and vengence. In love, the partners are understand each other so any decisions they take are for the well being of another. But in obsession, once the line of hatred is crossed the decisions are taken purely out of ego.
{mosimage}The movie ends with the bottomline that wherever there is no trust or belief, love is easily overshadowed by suspicion, thus killing the ultimate purpose of its existence. When you don't have enough trust on your partner, you always move with suspicion that he/she might develop into affair with every person he/she talks, laughs and comfortable with, you tend to restrict them by demanding not to talk or by monitoring them, in the name of "Possesiveness". Kavitha was insecure (may be because of the premarital sex) but Balu was loving to her, which she didn't realise at all. How long a person can be patient just because he/she loves the other person more? Everything has a limit. After sometime the excessive love itself becomes a burden. So the underline of possesiveness is the lack of trust. To have a succesful relationship, the basic thing that should be worked on is a strong foundation of trust.
Vivek and Janakaraj provided the necessary relief with their comedy but that also travelled along with the story and the theme. Vivek's advice of "Innaikku settha naalaikku paal.." was not only philosohpical but hilarious too. Jankaraj's romantic escapades coupled with humour was also a how to be stuff.
{mosimage}Technical team comprised our "Maestro" Illayaraja tuning some evergreen melodies and a memorable background score. Whether it is the "Kalyana maalai.." that is being played in every marriage household even today or enchanting "Guruvayoorappa" and soulful "Keladi Kanmani" that shows the beautiful relationship brewing between Balu and Jyothi. Ananthu's assisting in Screenplay and dialogues was adept and Raghunatha Reddy's camera was fine. Editing by Ganesh accomodated the small touches of KB then and there at the lengths. No wonder this movie provided with an "A" certificate, so much for its matured adult theme.
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