Sadma

An extremely well-done movie (although not terribly intellectual), both lead actors do an excellent acting job with good material. Very simply, the plot focusses around the relationship between a single man and a girl he takes in, who has lost her memory. I was recommended this as an Indian film that is very non-Bollywood, and that is certainly true. (The unbelievably improbably coincidences are kept to a minimum, and there is no long-lost twin brother or dying mother or any of the inevitable Bollywood cliches.)

Be warned though, after watching this you might feel vaguely depressed for the rest of the evening.

It is one of the most heart-rending movies that I have seen till date. And the final scene would make most cry - and you wouldn't be sure whether you are crying for the character or for yourself or for something that can't be explained in words but only felt in the deep recess of our hearts. For most it might be just another good movie that makes you feel very sad and depressed. But for anyone who has ever loved and doted on anyone as if she was your child, lover and mother all rolled into one; loved so deeply that her presence is what helps you breathe and her absence shatters your world - he would be able to feel what Kamal's character really goes through.

Sdama is the story of an idealistic young man Somu (Kamal Haasan) who rescues an amnesiac young girl, Reshmi (Sridevi), from a brothel and takes charge of her life. She has the mental age of a five year old and her parents are looking all over for her. Reshmi gets in and out of trouble. Somu has to deal with her pranks and misdemeanors. He is pursued by the very sexy young wife (Silk Smitha) of his boss. Eventually the amnesia will go away - we have been told that it is just a matter of time. But when memory returns will the memories of Somu fade from Reshmi's mind?

What can one say about Kamal? The man wrote the book on acting. Here he is young, very good looking and absolutely perfect as the idealistic school teacher who decides to rescue a girl in trouble. Stalked by Silk Smitha, he also get ample opportunity to flex his dancing skills in a fantasy item number! Sridevi is very good as the five year old trapped in a young woman's body. She has the expressions and gestures down pat. Maybe there is exaggeration in the acting, but I can see her as a hyperactive 5 year old. Then she provides a perfect contrast as the young woman who wakes up from this nightmare. Silk Smitha has ooomph in ample measure and there is also an ampleness to her. One wonders how good some of today's anorexic leading ladies would look with those curves! The ultimate tragedy of the film leaves one in shock and mourning for what could have been while at the same time Reshmi's return to normalcy is celebrated.

The film is well directed and the camera work is extremely beautiful. Kamal still has traces of his South Indian Hindi accent, but is miles ahead of his Ek Duje ke Liye days. All in all this is a very satisfying cinema experience. Yes you will be saddened by the story but the beauty of the film is a joy that must be experienced.

This is one of the best, or rather the best movie I have ever seen. The storyline and the characters are simple yet so complex. Seeing this movie is like being there for the time. The photography and the locations are absolutely fabulous, would remind of some time in your life. The facial expressions on Kamal's face are quite realistic. In one sequence the heroine is lost and Kamal has searched all around the village for her and not been able to find her. He sits in front of god, lights a candle looking at God's statue, just from his face expressions it is visible how much he wants her back in his life. The end scene would fill anyone into big time thoughts. Only downside is that silk smita has helped this movie to get Adult certificate and some boring song sequences.

Sadma has one of the greatest and most unusual stories ever in an Indian movie. It is well directed, well narrated, and naturally acted. The film has bits of comedy, drama, but it is better described as a realistic, enjoyable and beautiful journey which remains keepsake-less. It lets the viewer experience a real pain on-screen. I'm obviously talking about the climax scene which is so touching that nothing can be good enough to explain what you feel about it. It can be really difficult when an experience of a lifetime, a story of love and a relationship of pure humanity are gone with the wind as if they had never been. I can easily relate to this because I experienced something similar in life. Don't know where the writer had taken his inspiration from to write this extraordinary story and this fine script, but Balu Mahendra must be applauded for handling it so well on-screen.

Kamal Haasan and Sridevi are nothing short of spectacular and superb in their respective roles. As the caring and worldly school teacher Somu, Haasan plays his role with depth and visible understanding of his character, and his final scenes are of the film's strongest. Sridevi, in one of her most memorable roles, plays a young woman, who, as a result of a head injury loses her memory and is in a mental state of a five-year old girl's. That means she actually has two roles to play (which this actress has done plenty of times). As the conscious woman before the accident, she is graceful and beautiful, but it is the other role that marks this performance. To play a little girl trapped in a young woman's body must be very difficult for any actor, but Sridevi does it with incredible ease and conviction, making her character both funny and moving.

It's extremely difficult to lose someone, but to lose someone who does not even know he may have ever had even an opportunity to interact with you is much more saddening. This is the basic concept of Sadma. All I can say is do yourself a favour and go watch it.