Keladi Kanmani (1990): watch the full film free, legally

Anu, Sasi and an unfinished past

Keladi Kanmani is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama and Vasanth's directorial debut. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam plays A. R. Rangaraj, known as ARR, a widower whose college-student daughter Anu is played by Anju. Ramesh Aravind plays Anu's classmate Sasi, while Radikaa plays Saradha. The film centres on a terminally ill woman seeking to make amends for a past mistake before she dies.

Anu and Sasi begin by playing pranks on each other, then fall in love. Yet Anu is repeatedly troubled by a sense that something bad will happen. Sharp headaches lead her to a doctor, who diagnoses bilateral renal artery stenosis and says she is almost certain to die within a year. An operation may be needed, but her likelihood of surviving it is minimal.

Anu connects her sadness to events from years earlier. After her mother dies, ARR employs Saradha as Anu's mathematics teacher. ARR and Saradha grow close and decide to marry, but Anu cannot accept Saradha as a replacement for her mother. The wedding is cancelled, and Saradha's deaf and mute parents later commit suicide because they believe they are a hindrance to their daughter. In the present, Anu asks Sasi to help reunite ARR and Saradha. An old photograph gives Sasi a lead: he recognises Saradha as a woman he met in Bangalore weeks earlier.

Vasanth's first feature with familiar collaborators

Producer A. Sundaram asked Vasanth, then an assistant to K. Balachander, to make a film for Vivek Chithra Productions. Vasanth initially had no story and was sceptical about the offer. His family told him he should be thankful to have a producer before having to approach many producers with a ready story. Sundaram asked him to return once he had a story.

Wanting to make films like Balachander, Mahendran and Balu Mahendra, Vasanth began with the idea of a romance between two mature people. Ananthu, another Balachander assistant, created the story, and Vasanth developed it into a screenplay. The film took its name from a song in Balachander's 1989 film Pudhu Pudhu Arthangal. R. Raghunatha Reddy was cinematographer, Ganesh and Kumar edited the film, and Maghi made his debut as art director.

Vasanth chose Balasubrahmanyam as ARR after working with him on Manathil Urudhi Vendum in 1987. Balasubrahmanyam initially worried that Vasanth was taking a risk with him in the lead, but Vasanth wanted ARR to feel like a character rather than be played by a popular face. Suhasini was Vasanth's first choice for Saradha, but was unavailable, and Radikaa was cast. Sukanya and Ramya Krishnan were considered for Anu before Anju was chosen.

Ilaiyaraaja's songs and a breathless passage

Ilaiyaraaja composed the music, released on the Echo Records soundtrack album. He was Vasanth's only choice despite his busy schedule. “Nee Pathi Naan Pathi” is set in the Carnatic raga Chakravakam, while “Mannil Indha Kaadhal” is set in Keeravani. “Varanam Aayiram” is a ragamalika, with one stanza in Nayaki.

“Mannil Indha Kaadhal” was devised when Vasanth wanted a scene to display Balasubrahmanyam's singing. Vasanth proposed a breathless performance, and Balasubrahmanyam agreed. Ilaiyaraaja advised limiting the device to particular stanzas rather than using it for the complete song. For its second breathless stanza, Balasubrahmanyam sang for 40 seconds: 25 seconds without breathing, followed by 15 seconds after a brief inhalation. Editing made it appear that the stanza was sung without a breath. The song was filmed on a beach off East Coast Road, Mahabalipuram.

Vasanth agreed when Ilaiyaraaja suggested using “Karpoora Bommai Ondru” in portions through the film instead of playing it all at once. The soundtrack apart from “Mannil Indha Kaadhal” was completed in 45 minutes. Ilaiyaraaja spent three days composing background music for the two reels forming the climax.

A long theatrical run and early praise

Released on 27 July 1990, Keladi Kanmani became a commercial success and ran in theatres for more than 285 days, making it a silver jubilee film. Its success helped Ramesh Aravind obtain roles in other Tamil films. The film won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, including Second Best Film, and Radikaa received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Tamil.

N. Krishnaswamy of The Indian Express praised Raghunatha Reddy's photography, Maghi's decors, the new-look locations, Ilaiyaraaja's music and Vasanth's staging, calling the film a top-bracket work. Ananda Vikatan said Vasanth handled a weighty script clearly, praised his confidence in casting Balasubrahmanyam and Anju, and rated the film 55 out of 100.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Keladi Kannmanii”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.