In Virumaandi (2004), right after the court scene where Kothalan (Pasupathy) and gang compromised evidences and got acquitted from the mass killings case, Nallama Nayakkar (Napoleon) exposed the vulnerability of Virumaandi (Kamal Haasan) wide open before everyone. He said that he (Nallama Nayakkar) can sleep well, even though they were deprived of justice, but will he (Virumaandi) be able to sleep defying his own conscience. He never said that to Kothalan or any other person but specifically to Virumaandi because he knows his friend’s son is good by heart and only the circumstances made him do so. We too felt the same and it’s time for Virumaandi’s redemption.
Kothalan and gang were celebrating their infamous success, but Virumaandi is nowhere to be found. Annalakshmi (Abhirami) goes searching for him and finds Virumaandi sitting in the stairs of his well. She knows that he is broken and consoles him. When she says that it was foolish to give the land for the sake of common good, he says he still got her. When she advises him to go somewhere else and lead a good life, he gets furious that why should he leave alone and what happened to her words when she said she would be his mother too. Realising the truth in her own words, she agrees to go along with Virumaandi.
This scene could have been filmed anywhere. But director Kamal Haasan chose to film this particular scene in that particular well which was the root cause of all the problems. He is in a deep well of sorrow and guilt for his wrongdoings. Then comes the saviour Annalakshmi, who gives him a lap to cry on and brings him out of that well (well, well of sorrow and guilt too). This is the finest moment in the movie where Annalakshmi acted true to her words, that she would be his mother too and made way to what would have been a 100 years of togetherness. Alas.
Those who forgive are humane.
Those who can ask for forgiveness are even more humane.
ABHIRAMI AS ANNALAKSHMI (VIRUMAANDI)
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