Mani Ratnam's breakthrough film Mouna Raagam was released 35 years ago on August 15, 1986. As my dad recollects, the movie initially ran dry and many theatres decided to chuck it out very soon. But tables turned and the film became a massive success crossing 175 days in theatres. The movie -starring Mohan, Revathi and Karthik - is a cult-classic for the fans of the ace-director and the genre of romance.
Mouna Raagam, roughly translated as 'Silent Symphony', checks all boxes, be it for Ilayaraja's astounding music that can still be recollected over and over again, PC Sreeram's cinematography or Vaali's lyrics. And as a sucker for the film that I will watch over a thousand times and still not get bored, I find myself drawn to Divya's character played by a superb Revathi.
Within a few minutes into the movie, you get to know the character of Divya. She establishes herself as a carefree and free-spirited woman who dances to 'Vaan Megam', as if the lyrics were truly written for her. She speaks her mind despite facing an imminent emotional threat at home regarding an arranged marriage followed by her father's heart attack that eventually made her accept the 'horrid' reality of being married to the man not of her dreams.
Remember that this was the era when women are made to choose the groom by their parents and nod their head without arguments or ifs and buts, but here, Divya tries her best to ward off Mohan. Before she even talks to him, she establishes that she is not sorry for making him wait. "I don't like this concept of arranged marriage. Edho sandhai la maata pakara mari iruku (It's like seeing cattle in a market). I have a lot of flaws - anger, stubbornness, ego and more," she openly reveals to Chandrakumar aka Mohan.
She wants her parents to treat her like adults, something that even Gen Z struggle to tell their parents. She also wants her choice to be respected and doesn't want the wishes of her parents to be dumped on her. Movies portray women as strategic, emotionally unstable or someone who's the epitome of sacrifice. Divya, here, shows her vulnerable side and carries a flashback that haunts her till date. She is a home-maker, unofficially, but unlike other wives, she normalised the trend of being emotionally unavailable instead of using the 'hiding behind the misery' strategy.
Although I don't agree with the stalking and 'taking no for an answer' approach by Manohar (Karthik), I loved how she was not the usual squirmy college girl, but someone proudly wore her chudidhars and confidence with her. Who can forget the iconic 'Mr Chandramouli' scene where Divya throws water on Manohar. She is not warding off a stalker here, but that scene was the start of a beautiful romance between them. Revealing about her past with Manohar to Chandrakumar freed her off the emotional baggage that she suppressed over the years.
She wasn't the 'kudumba kuthuvilakku' (the traditional wife) who tolerated a man she didn't like. She threw jibes, uttered words that screams 'ouch' - like the one where she likens his touch to a "kambilipoochi oorara mari" feel. But it made her who she was. She held ego close to her heart, but that was what saved her in the end when she discovered true love and revealed it to Chandrakumar in the climax.