A trip down memory lane...

Ragasiya Police 115 (Tamil, 1968; Secret Police 115)

This MGR-Jayalalitha flick is supposed to be Tamil cinema's answer to Ian Fleming's James Bond and Hollywood's swashbuckling loverboy Errol Flynn. Unfortunately, it turned to be more of a light romantic comedy with an occasional espionage work.

The filmmakers decided to harp ever reliable time-tested chemistry of MGR-Jayalalitha and the one-man comedy machine of Nagesh, even though Nagesh does not appear in any of the scenes with the protagonist. To make it family wholesome, there was no dearth of melodious songs and eye-catching psychedelic Eastman colours. The film reminisces the typical 60s Indian movie where the typical crooks (Asokan and MN Nambiar) use trap doors, hidden switches and underground tunnels to hide their ill-gotten spoils. Hey, they are still using the same modus operandi for the same purpose in the 21st century!

Ramu (MGR) is a secret CBI agent who is sent on a mission to thwart a clandestine activity of selling arms to an enemy of the state. In the process, Ramu is sucked into a scheme to befall in love with a dancer who is scavenging on the family loom. Along the way, he develops feelings for his employer, Jayalalitha. As expected, with the power of comedy, music, love ballads, motherly-sisterly love and air-fisting, Ramu saves the day.

N.B. After all the years of singing and dancing together, these two Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu must be redoing all the ballads and the dance steps up in vaikundam! MGR would have been a centenarian this year (born 1917)

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