Nayagan (1987)

Starring: Kamal Hassan (as Velunayakan), Saranya (as Neela, Velu's wife), Janagaraj (as Selva, the little boy who shows young Velu to his future home with the poor man & his daughter), etc.
Director: Mani Ratnam
Music Director: Ilayaraaja
Award(s): 1988 Silver Lotus Award for Kamal Hassan as Best Actor

Many label Mani Ratnam's classic Nayagan (Hero) as the "Indian Godfather" -- but I digress, not necessarily because both fail to hold a common link between them, but more so due to the very idea of this juxtaposing itself: we have got to stop this comparing deal once & for all! There is no point in comparing two works of art together because that only brings forth arguments by opposing parties &, at the end of the day, devalues the combined efforts of the producer(s) & the director(s) in desperate attempt to make as unique of a film as possible.

Nayagan, much like customary Ratnam fashion, intertwines the concept of politics & everyday life. On one side, you have the hot-headed-yet-generous Velunayakan (Kamal Hassan) who has the entire village folk supporting his every move & on the other, corrupt corporate officials who misuse their power for their own good.

The film begins with the shooting of Velunayakan's father by the police officials, whereon the young boy, agonized & mentally bruised, kills the very officer on the night of his father's cremation. Upon doing so, he flees the place &, on a chance encounter with a young boy of his age, is taken to a poor home where the father agrees to meet his daily needs & provide a roof over his head. Eventually, he learns that his caregiver earns the little money that he has by being a "safeguard" for those exporting illegal substances via ships. Years pass, &, due to his father's illness, he volunteers to continue the "family business." In the village, he is respected & admired for playing the role of a caretaker for the helpless & the happless, garnering tremendous support from every citizen. One day, while visiting a brothel, he agrees not to sleep with the young girl of fourteen/fifteen, in an exchange that she continue studying for her exams. Their interactions later blossom into love & he proposes marriage to her. She eventually gives birth to two children. What seems to be a happy family of four only turns into a nightmare when the family is constantly threatened by outside forces, commanding that Velunayakan allow them to continue with their vicious acts of smuggling & the like. When he objects, they shoot his wife. (One of the very beautiful scenes in the film is this exact shot, where, upon shooting, the wife falls down from the balcony. The minute Velu notices it, he comes for rescue, grabbing his saree, only to have his wife roll out of the attire unto the downstairs concrete, leaving him with the fabric in his hand.)

Meanwhile, police are on a search for his body. As his children age into young adults & he goes grey-headed, he orders his helpers to murder those who are considered to be threats to the village. His daughter witnesses the act one day & provides an ultimatum: either he put an end to it all or she is gone! When she can no longer take it, she flees the house. He gets the shocking news that his son is dead when he sees his burned body covered in white fabric, laying on the ground. Deeply hurt & helpless, he decides to turn himself into the police, only to find out that the officer set to arrest him is none other than his daughter's, Selva's, husband (she is now married & has one son whom she deprives her father from seeing, claiming that she doesn't want to associate her child with a criminal don that is her own flesh & bone -- her dad).

The last few minutes of the film deals with him being taken to the court for hearings, resulting in his release due to the vocal support shown by the many villagers, aggressively showing their neverending support toward their "lifesaver."

Toward the beginning of the film, he kills one of the corrupt police officers & ends up supporting his wife & mentally-challenged boy via money. Unbeknownst to the young boy that this so-called "supporter" is the very murderer of his father, he grows up & later proposes that he become Velunayakan's personal officer (as a sign of respect for his father). During the last few minutes of the film, through sheer accident, he is informed of his father's death, arrives at the scene of the court hearing, & shoots the one who he had vowed to protect 'til the end of time, thus, shattering the wish of the villagers: that, one day, they will be reunited with their Velu - The Village Protector.

This is a Mani Ratnam production, so nothing short of great entertainment was expected.

The following song -- sung by Kamal himself & recurring multiple times throughout the movie -- is definitely one of the many highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy-DZpEEOg4

Here's a catchy & fun song between Velunayakan's right-hand man & a dancer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeU8QrRv7Jc