Nadigaiyar Thilagam (2018)

English translation: The Pride of Actresses

Director: Nag Ashwin

Story: Madhan Karky (Tamil version)

Cast: Keerthy Suresh, Dulquer Salmaan, Samantha Akkineni, Vijay Devarakonda

Music: Mickey J. Meyer

Time: 172 minutes

Bottom-line: Has its flaws, but a wonderful tribute to Savitri  

Nag Ashwin’s biopic covers the tale of one of the most popular actresses of the 50s and 60s in Tamil and Telugu cinema – Savitri. The film was simultaneously made in Tamil as Nadigaiyar Thilagam and in Telugu as Mahanati. Keerthy Suresh and Dulquer Salmaan play the lead roles, while Samantha, Vijay and Rajendra Prasad take on the supporting roles.

1981: The narrative follows a structure similar to that of Citizen Kane. Savitri (Keerthy) is taken to a hospital in Bangalore, and she enters a coma. Reporter Vani (Samantha) and photographer Vijay (Vijay) are asked to cover this incident. They learn that just a few days ago, Savitri had written a letter mentioning someone named “Shankar Ayya”. As they find out who this mystery man is, the rest of her story is also revealed. Savitri was raised by her paternal uncle, Chowdary (Prasad), who took her to the world of cinema. After several rejects, she eventually got her big break. She also became close with actor Gemini Ganesan (Dulquer), and, despite him being a family man, they fell in love with each other and secretly got married. As she rose in fame and her husband’s career started to decline, family troubles entered the picture. As people took advantage of her generosity, Savitri’s life slowly got affected by the failed relationship, loss of wealth and drinking addiction, all the way to her pathetic state as shown at the beginning of the film.

 

Dulquer as Gamini Ganesan, and Keerthy as Savitri

First up, you do not have to know anything about Savitri’s life before watching the film. Having an idea might help you relate better, but knowing too much might make you question how true the events shown are, especially the decline of her health and the failed relationship. The story covers all the important aspects of Savitri’s life within 3 hours of screen time: her childhood, rise to fame, her life with Gemini Ganesan, and her descent into poverty. The last half hour of the movie is quite sad, to see Savitri put on a brave smile even as she is being taken advantage of by everyone around her. The Vijay-Samantha romance was annoying; all it did was divert our attention from the main plot. The plot twist at the end, when it is revealed who Shankar Ayya really is, is surprising. The final scene – true or not – is a chilling finale.

 

Samantha as Vani, and Vijay as Vijay

Keerthy Suresh and Dulquer Salmaan steal the show. The former even dubbed for herself, this being her first Telugu movie (the irony being that in the film, Savitri struggles to speak Tamil, but is fluent in Telugu!). The directors back then spoke about how Savitri’s eyes and facial expressions speak volumes, and the same can be said about Keerthy too, whether she plays the successful actress or the alcoholic woman driven to poverty. Dulquer is known for his style, and that’s all he needed to portray the charming and manipulative character of Gemini Ganesan. While the romance in the story eventually fails, the chemistry between Keerthy and Dulquer is really good. Samantha’s acting was decent, but the character of Vijay could have been eliminated totally; the essence of the film would not have been lost. I also liked Rajendra Prasad's acting, especially the humour his character provides. 

The cinematography, make-up and period settings are amazing. The soundtrack is good, with the right amount of time given to dream songs and background songs. Some clips shown with the closing credits give a comparison between the real-life incidents and the ones recreated in the film. As long as you are not too sensitive to the “controversial” elements which show the actors in a bad light, Nadigayar Thilagam/Mahanati is a beautiful watch, and it will certainly make you appreciate the life of actress Savitri better.

My Rating: 3.5/5