Of the many films that Kamal Haasan and Sridevi offered to the audience, in terms of longevity and impact, Balu Mahendra’s Sadma ranks at the top. A heartbreaking love story that got elevated through flawless performances and impeccable screenplay, Sadma is still relevant and haunts us every time we watch the movie.
As the movie completes its 37th anniversary, many have been remembering the classic. In this article, we talk about why this film is unforgettable and evokes the same set of feelings even now.
A relationship that cannot be given a name
Yes, you heard that right! You just cannot label the relationship that you witness in Sadma. There are so many complications and layers, that you would rather wish to just absorb the brilliance that is happening on the screen.
A never-before-seen conflict in a love story
A man falling in love with a woman who has regressed to childhood is a love story that will take the greatest amount of hard decisions to find a resolution. May be, this conflict is the threshold line with respect to obstacles in a love story.
Grief in its greatest depiction
Although the movie has many light moments, we cannot go past the the underlying depiction of grief and sorrow. All of it gets accumulated in order to deliver an ending that will leave us in tears.
The saddest climax of Hindi Cinema
Well, who can forget the scene where Kamal Haasan enacts a monkey in an effort to get Sridevi remember him. This, indeed, is one of the saddest and the most tragic climaxes of Indian cinema. That the makers have achieved it without any death or destruction is a seriously commendable effort.
Frustration & Desperation
Not only for Somu but the feeling is same for the audience too. We are led to believe in a certain way, and when the unthinkable happens, not much remains but to lament fate and its consequences.
Evokes the same set of feelings even now
The second or the third viewing of a movie is always likely to be a diluted experience for the audience. However, in Sadma’s case, the scenario is completely different. The film manages to hold your attention even after 37 years, and still evokes the same set of feelings that your parents might have experienced while they watched this movie during their young age.
A Love Failure that can never be forgotten
We may have all watched love failures on the big screen but we can be sure that none can be so unfortunate as that of in Sadma. To view it from another angle, it was the screenplay brilliance of Mr. Balu Mahendra to arrange sequences leading up to the epic climax.
Essence of purity
There is so much of purity in the characters of the lead roles that right from the word go, you start rooting for them with all might. May be that is why we feel so bad when both do not get what they deserve (each other) at the end of the movie.
That feeling of Haunt
Long after you finish watching the movie, you will still recur the feeling of haunt on what might have happened to Kamal Haasan’s character after the disappointment. The next time you watch Sadma again, we bet you would feel the same haunt again.
Flawless Performances
Both Kamal Haasan and Sridevi were given roles that had definitive arcs and plenty of scope to display their acting abilities. The duo performed beyond expectations and imprinted an everlasting impact on the audience. Surely, we cannot imagine anyone else in this film apart from Kamal and Sridevi.
