Paasam

This was probably one of the most dragging movies I ever saw of M.G.R.'s, save the song paal vannam in the movie, which was what I was dying for. Perhaps the song itself set the expectations that the movie never met.
The movie opens with M.R.Radha constantly tongue lashing his wife as they had been childless for many number of years. His cousin sister arrives with a brood of her grandchildren and suggests to him to marry her second daughter, who would be 'fertile enough' for him. Listening to her, he taunts his wife further. Unable to bear the insults and being a good wife, she moves away from her husband, giving him consent to marry anyone he chooses.
M.R.Radha's brother dies and he is left with all his wealth and his nephew. Staying away from the nephew, he enjoys the wealth.
As M.R.Radha's wife is walking aimlessly, fate brings M.R.Radha's baby nephew and her together. She decides to bring the child as her own. She also becomes pregnant. She arrives happily to her husband's house, only to find him marrying another woman. She leaves the place and brings up the 2 children by herself.
Even after the second marriage, M.R.Radha is childless. Meanwhile, his wife is bringing up the children telling them that their father will soon come. But the boys get to know of the truth. The younger one, M.G.R. is infuriated, breaks his dad's photograph and runs away. While he is washing his hands, he overhears a conversation between a son and his dad of the son leaving his wife, because she is barren. He gets more mad and kills the son. He gets arrested and put in jail.
Many years pass and when he is released, his family has moved and he feels lost. He is then pulled to the wrong people and lives as a thug.
Meanwhile, his brother, Kalyan Kumar, works for the government and has recently obtained a respectful post in the same village as his long - lost father (although both are unaware of the truth). He works hard to make the village a better place. He gets rivalry with Ashokan, who is a local hitman and falls for a girl, Sheela (who fears the new government official), without knowing she is Ashokan's sister. As part of his improvements, he organizes a dance program fund raiser to build a local school.
During one of his heists, M.G.R. tries to rob Saroja Devi, who is a dancer. She talks of her mother and M.G.R. agrees to help her, and thus, arrives in the village where his brother and father live. Saroja falls for his good heart. Being old buddies, Ashokan and M.G.R. meet. Ashokan invites M.G.R. to his house for a meal and he falls for Ashokan's sister. When he asks for her hand, Ashokan refuses demeaning him because of his profession. M.G.R. is heartbroken and Saroja Devi keeps calling him home, as she is now in love with him. M.G.R. is unable to reciprocate her love.
Ashokan finds out about Kalyan's and Sheela's love and is vengeful but calms down, when he realises they want to marry. He sets the preparations.
M.R.Radha wants to take revenge on Kalyan and instigates M.G.R. on stealing the funds raised for the school. M.G.R. does the job and Saroja saves him from trouble. As he is on the run, he ends up in the wedding feast of his brother's and sees his mother. He is guilt ridden and returns to M.R.Radha for the money, but he feigns innocence and lets the police behind him.
Dejected, M.G.R. goes to Saroja for help and she helps him out and he agrees to marry her. When he arrives at Kalyan's home, he realises M.R.Radha had double crossed him and Kalyan and his wife are already arrested. Unable to hold himself, he blurts the truth to his mother and is thrown out of house, as the mother is not able to accept the truth. She, then, marches to M.R.Radha's home to demand justice and is happy to find her husband. Realising what he had done, M.R.Radha rushes to help his son, but injures himself. His wife travels by train instead.
After leaving his mother, M.G.R. is filled with vengeance for M.R.Radha and plans on killing him. He tells his plans to Saroja and walks out of the marriage.
He manages to get hold of the carriage his dad was traveling in and shoots him dead. On the way back, he meets Saroja, and at her request marries her. Right after he ties the sacred thread, she dies. Carrying her body, he surrenders to the police, only to find that his brother, his sister in law and Ashokan are free, M.R.Radha and his accomplices behind bars and most gruesome of all, his mother was shot dead. Seeing her body, he falls dead too.
It is was different type of movie compared M.G.R.'s usual flicks. Supposedly the movie didn't run well as his fans at the theatre couldn't bear to see him dead even in the movie. Such was his fan following! The movie, though moved a little slow and felt as though the most smallest things and sentiments were being dragged.
The songs were definitely a treat. My favourite as I mentioned before was paal vannam. But some other famous ones were ulagam piranthathu, jaljaljal ennum and maalaiyum iravum. I must warn not to set expectations about the movie seeing the paal vannam song - it is a dream song and people looked much different in the real movie. But definitely worth a watch for a different get up of puratchi thalaivar.