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Kandukondain Kandukondain: A Lesson Learned in Time

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  Kandukondain Kandukondain released in 2000. At that time, many didn't like Meenakshi (Aishwarya Rai) falling in love and marrying Major Bala (Mammooty) because: He's much older He's lame He doesn't match Meenakshi's "beauty" Till today, many of us focus on looks and couples' "physical match. But 26 years ago, Kandukondain Kandukondain taught us all about what really matters. Meenakshi's character transformation is impactful: From a dreamy girl wrapped in her fantasy of "Prince Charming" To a woman who is able to see how true love doesn't come in a poetic package but real care However, women usually love men despite men's looks. Men's priority when choosing a partner remains women's looks. I'd like to stress that if Bala was a woman (lame, much older) and Meenakshi, a man ("handsome", blue-eyed angel) - the pair is still good. It takes time to break all these confining rules that define couples. But it...

"Jyothika is a Traitor to South Indian Cinema" "South Indian Cinema is a Traitor to South Indian Women"

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  Once Jyothika started to work in Bollywood, she said these about the South Indian industry: Male dominated Female roles always felt incomplete Heroines' role is always limited to dance and love scenes Agreed. Her statements are untrue. From Snegithiye to 36 Vayathinile, Jo had a solid run down South. But when I see South Indian cinema lovers calling Jo a traitor... I can't help calling South Indian cinema industry a traitor to common, dark skinned South Indian women. Let's be honest. Jo wasn't accepted in South cinema because her acting skills were off the charts. She was accepted because: She's very fair skinned. She has Anglo-Indian features. She fulfills the average South Indian males' fantasy. No doubt, Jo's acting skills improved vastly. But her entry into South Indian cinema wasn't based on acting skills. It was based on South Indian men's fair skin fetish. The dumbfounding logic: We import actresses from North India. We want North Indian fem...

Rhythm Srikanth (Ramesh Aravind) is Love

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  Ramesh Aravind's character in Rhythm, Srikanth, is so underrated. I think it's time to properly honor the man I grew to admire over the years. His sense of humor is endearing. In an age where r@pe and distasteful jokes about a person's body is the norm, Srikanth's clean humor is refreshing. He is straightforward. Although him asking Chitra (Meena) if she'd marry him is quite abrupt, it reflects his honesty. He is service-minded. It does seem like he stalks Chitra.  But he goes to her house to sell tickets to help the orphanage he volunteers at.  So, even if he's stalking her, I'd forgive it because he's doing it for needy children's well-being. He stays rooted to his wish to adopt a child despite rejection. Just because three women rejected him because he comes with an adopted child, he didn't forsake the child for a bride. And Chitra falls in love with that kind of stalwart heart. He defies his casteist mother. We may love our parents but when...

Life Lessons from Anbe Sivam

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  In terms of Anbe Sivam, we're late learners.  But better late than never.  This cult classic offers:  Timeless lessons - designed to make ourselves and the world... BETTER. 1. Self-acceptance.  The mirror scenes have a beautiful dichotomy of  Nallasivam (Kamal Hassan) subsequently accepting himself - even vanity: He is dejected when he sees his scarred face in the hospital. He calls himself handsome when he sees himself in the mirror at the hotel. Life lesson from here: You needn't meet beauty standards. Self acceptance is valid no matter how you look. People will accept you when you accept yourself. 2. Learn to listen actively. No one actually listens actively anymore: including me.😅 Listening is food for the mind. In the case of A. Anbarasu (R. Madhavan), listening would've saved him from an embarrassing injury. 😂 3. Humor diffuses distress. In the entire movie, the most stressful situations are handled with clever humor. Nallasivam jokes about his di...

Durga: The Feminist Character that's the Need of the Hour

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🎬 Durga: The Feminist Character that's the Need of the Hour The Girlfriend is an important movie, made for this generation. I’d like to applaud Rahul Ravindran’s bold and realistic writing , especially in how he crafted Durga’s character. What stood out to me most was how Durga—a bold, feminist-esque woman—is not portrayed as: A vengeful and cruel archetype like Neelambari , or A clueless yet entitled trope like Shakti from Aan Paavam Polladhadhu Instead, Durga feels real, layered, and deeply human . 🌱 1. Durga Grows and Acknowledges Her Flawed Choices Just like all of us, Durga evolves. She expresses her interest in Vikram openly , without hesitation. She doesn’t shy away from her magnetic attraction to him. She questions why Vikram chooses the seemingly nondescript Bhooma Devi over her —the most popular girl in college. Yet, she doesn’t swear revenge . She confidently believes Vikram will eventually leave Bhooma Devi for her, rooted in her self-assurance rather than bi...