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In Tamil 'Varumaiyin Niram Sivappu' means - The colour of poverty is red. The movie is based on the unemployment situation in India. This is the problem everyone is facing mostly nowadays (21st Century). There are some scenes presented in a very comedic way but you'll realise how serious the problem is.

Everyone has seen Sadma, so we all know how beautiful it is to watch both Kamal Haasan & Sridevi in a single frame. Music of M. S. Viswanathan is soothing to the soul. The complete unemployment situation was perfectly portrayed in the 1st song of the movie. In the song Sippi Irukkuthu, Sridevi composing the music & Kamal making the lyrics is the Most Beautiful Sequence of the movie. The film won Best Film, Best Director & Best Actor for Haasan in Filmfare Awards South.

It's Available on Amazon Prime Video & Youtube (Rajshri Tamil), With English Subtitle.

© MandalBros.

Art movies usually follow naturalistic style. This, my favorite of all KB movies, is a rare combination of romanticism in art movie. This is not an art movie per se, but one of the closest attempts from KB. (next to 'Oru veedu iru vaasal').

The story is about an uncompromising young man's struggle of finding a honest job in the hypocritical world. The lead roles are played by Kamal and Sridevi, probably the best ever Tamil movie couples known for acting talent. This movie is an example of an artistic serious movie that is interesting, moving, ironical and funny at the same time.

There is a scene involving an empty kitchen set. This is one such scene where you have to laugh at the joke, in order to keep yourself from crying.

This would be one of the finest works of director K Balachander. It is likely that many of us would have watched the movie at the time of its release; yet, it is worth watching this again. Anyone reading this review about the movie is likely to know the story well enough, so, I will avoid dwelling on that. Suffice to say that it is a well narrated tale of how a man's principles are severely tested by poverty and it is a question of will power over adversity - will the protagonist stand up for his beliefs against all odds?

This movie had a strong social relevance back in the 80s and you can relate to the story even today, four decades later.

Direction is top notch. Acting by Kamal, Dileep, Sridevi, Poornam, SVe, OVK Rao, as well as the support cast, is excellent. The art of linear story telling is traditional, and yet, it works wonderfully well for the movie...a couple of flashbacks give sufficient backdrop to justify the protagonist's character.

The romance between the lead pair is refreshingly different and subdued. Of course, Bharathiyar's songs and philosophy are beautifully woven into the screenplay.

For an 80s movie, the melodrama is not over the top. However, Pratap Pothen's character is slightly jarring. The film could have avoided the 'Ranga Rangaiya' song completely.

Overall, this is one timeless classic which can be watched and appreciated even today.

A lot of people thought this movie was highly exaggerated, but I think it was a pretty accurate reflection of what idealistic young men go through in India. Kamal is in his element, as is Sridevi. In fact, everyone does a good job. Plenty of melodrama and cliches, but the movie ends on the right note. Thengai Sreenivasan appears for a few incredibly funny minutes, proving that there are no small roles -- only small actors. MSV and Kannadasan, not to mention Bharathiyar, make for an everlasting classic soundtrack. Worth a watch.

KB, the director of this flick has delved deep into the problem of unemployment in the 80's period of India. The license restrictions made unemployment further higher in the country and this story deals with a well-educated youth who is extensively ideal and does not lose his morality for mere survival. What follows is his actions in life making him fight his own father and come out of his house as an independent unemployed youth fighting in order to find a job. This movie also shows two other people who are the protagonist's room-mates and the film ends with the beautiful character portrayals and twist and turns. The film shows that morality is very relative in this world and the order of the day is survival through any-means. Among the protagonist's friends,one of them marries a rich widow and gets settled while the other becomes a mad-beggar roaming in the streets. The film's heroine is shown as a woman who is also a heavy victim of fate with a drunken father and a mad and rich boss who tries hard to marry her but she is in between the boss and her lover finally managing to marry her lover. Another beautiful character is the dumb painter on the roads trying to make a living through his paintings. What is clearly shown in the film is that the unemployed youth are well-educated and active young people and are not lazy people. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is exemplified through this film. Kudos to the director and the hero Kamal Haasan for this film.

Varumayin Niram Sivappu (1980) : Brief Review -

I haven't seen any film exploring the conflict between moral idealism and horrible reality of unemployment in such hard-hitting manners. A damn serious formation of Chaplin's Classics. The first frame in the film shows MA holders shouting for Job, and we realise that we are in for some serious show. However, the film has some comedy in the first half that might just give it a chance to be called satire but Arguably. Poetical forces play in the life of an unemployed yet well educated young man. He finds the depth and the beauty of his principles yet fate leaves him in destitution fighting over his morals against the immorally realist nature of society. I remember all the Chaplin classics from Depression Era as well as Post World War era where he brilliantly conveyed message through his Comedy. From his last days 'Monsieur Verdoux' was one such film which didn't have much of a comedy Flavour but showcased a conman's life jingling through unemployment and his kind nature of Helping other needful people. Varumayin Niram Sivappu was sort of like a reminder of that film but here the horrible reality of unemployment was on extreme level. Even harder than Bollywood films of 50s decade which attempted the similar topic. Kamal Haasan plays a character which is morally authentic but factually very tough to find in real life. He portrays a poetically designed man with utter honesty and that outburst of his failure is expressed in right manners. Sridevi plays his love interest, a girl not as much poor as him and little confused but therefore more real. This entire love angle is designed beautifully by the writer, slightly away from typical Indian romance. This Balachander Classic is truly a genuine artistic break from mindless commercial potboilers of Tamil Cinema in 70-80s.

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest.

Excellent Movie. Everybody acted very well in the movie. Songs and BGM in the movie were good. The movie was so interesting. The movie was not at all boring. This is one of the Best Movie of Kamal Haasana and K. Balachander. Excellent Movie.

One of the best films in indian film industry. K.Balachander's best film. One of the Kamal and sridevi best movies.Kannadasan wrote the lyrics. M.S.Vishwanathan scored music well