100/100 for fresh idea!

Nootrukku Nooru (100/100, Tamil; 1971)
I remember watching this film way back in the RRF days when RTM used it show on Wednesdays, rudely interrupted by hourly news just to be told that the King had cut some ribbons at some function, told again and again in various languages. I do not remember the ending of it probably because our old cathode tube TV got overheated and stopped transmitting or the power supply went off. Finally after almost 40 years, I managed to catch it on You Tube. 
This time around (as usual), K. Balachander wrote the story, screenplay and directed the flick. This film is not ground breaking but the story is different, swaying away from the typical boy meets girls, falls in love against all odds, resistance, persistence and love wins the day type but decides to sort of venture into a kind of Hitchcockian type of right man wronged!

Also gone are the pathetic melodramatic wailing and cheesy interpersonal relationships. The setting in an urban set-up where girls are given equal opportunities in education and equal strata in daily life. Still, what is life without a pinch of Indian masala to ensure returns on your film venture. There is a dream scene, lots of songs and wise crack comedy to complement this different offering.

Prakash, a young suave bespectacled Mathematics professor, (a young Jaishankar) is accused of molestation by a female student, Manjula (a young Sri Vidya). When the principal (Gemini Ganesan) holds an closed door enquiry, it just opens a can of worms. Another student, Kaulsaya, accuses the exemplary teacher of writing (typing) a love letter. Prakash's Anglo-Indian landlord's daughter, Stella (Vijayalalitha), also accuses him impregnating her! Prakash, who is already engaged to be married to Laxmi (actress Lakshmi) also his student, has the predicament of not only tarnishing his image and smearing his spotless career but also having his wedding cancelled.

His situation seems hopeless when the police enters the scene. His only supporting pillars are Laxmi, her brother, Ramesh, (Nagesh) who is also a student at Prakash's class as well as the male students of the class.

The thing in the movie that fascinated me was the way how the story is re-acted repeatedly with different versions as different people tell their side of the story. The climax is when everybody's story seem believable and another girl appears suggesting that she might be the wife of the learned professor!

One by one with the help of Laxmi and her brother, the mystery in unravelled. During a student demonstration, Ramesh discovers that a fellow student (Y.G. Mahendra) has problems with Tamil alphabets ற and ர - the same errors found in Kausalya's alleged love letter. The students managed to beat out a confession from him. He had used the professor's typewriter to express his feelings to a misunderstood Kausalya. He decided to remain mum after the police came to picture!
The alleged 'Professor's wife' is just another cheated student whom the kind Prakash was trying to help her.
Stella got involved in a premarital liaison with a construction worker which resulted in her pregnancy. Fearing the hot tempered father, she jumps the band wagon in accusing the pathetic lecturer even though he was just trying to help her out of her mess. 
Manjula's case proved a tough nut to crack. With the help of the magistrate, Prakash managed to re-enact the alleged incidence that supposed to have happened in the college classroom. Prakash purposely tries to be promiscuous to Manjula. A surprised Manjula goes sprawling away from her desk leaving her books strewn all over the floor. This was the give way tell tale sign as her mother confessed that on the day of the incidence, she distinctly remembered Manjula coming home with her books in her hand! Prakash reiterated that any scared student wronged upon would have the last thing on her mind to pick up the book and run home. Manjula then confessed that it was all a cooked-up story after hearing that Professor Prakash was getting married soon. She developed a severe kind of teenage infatuation.
Prakash's innocence was proven and his job was reinstated. The stalled wedding plans continued from where it was stopped. Unfortunately, Stella committed suicide out of shame that she brought to the family.

Vijayalalitha

This film can be said to be a deviant from the standard format and storytelling of most Indian cinema stories. It was a fresh effort from a batch of new director and his band of new faces.
Jaishanker proved his mantle as a hero material with his likeable and dashing face. Unfortunately, he never reached the demi-god status of his predecessors (MGR and Sivaji) as well as his successors (Kamalhasan and Rajnikanth). Maybe, he was born at the wrong time.
Srividya, whom we are familiar seeing in mother or older ladies' roles looks so naively young. Lakshmi, who is still acting, went on to act in many feminist roles later as well as her biggest blockbuster in 'Julie'.
Vijayalalitha as Stella who is often seen as a cabaret dancer and or a villain in most Tamil movies gets a meaty role here. Unfortunately, in my opinion, her acting is much to be desired and she does not look too appealing in her bob-cut Anglo-Indian look! To my surprise, she actually had carved her name in the Telugu and Hindi film scenes.
Even though Kamalhasan is given credit on You Tube, I could not see him anywhere in the film. Perhaps, Kausalya's secret admirer is misconstrued as Kamal. (I think it is YG Mahendra with his irritating high pitched comical trademark voice). Nagesh, as usual, is a one man laughing machine. 
Manohar, the eternal bad guy is Manjula's father here. Pity him, he never got recognition for his acting over the years. Maybe because his acting appears the same in all his movies - bad tempered villainous stereotypical roles.
All in all, a good viewing with some familiar nostalgia songs.