Parasakthi

Little needs to be said about the film that launched Sivaji's career, alongwith Karunanidhi's. After almost 50 years, it is as powerful as ever, thanks to Sivaji's brilliant portrayal of the Burma-returned Gunasekaran and the dialogues (who can forget the courtroom scene). Though long drawn out and sagging at times, it remains a classic for all times. Get the CD, DVD, whatever and watch it.

Parasakthi is a social issue drama following a family separated by the flames of war, trying desperately to reunite. Three brothers in Rangoon attempt to return home to their family in Southern India, who have fallen upon hard times. The main message of the movie is to try and treat other human beings as if they were your brothers and sisters.

At the time the movie was incredibly controversial, particularly for its attack on religious institutions. Nowadays it comes across as exceptionally kind-hearted. It's definitely a wild ride though, there's some pretty graphic actual war footage (the movie occurs during World War II), brutal narrative elements, and some extreme turns and swerves in the story - all mixed in with some really very picturesque matte work in beautiful studio settings, comedy, and romance. It's a long uneven movie, and often I was confused about where it was going, but the payoff is pretty great and intense.