If you are a true fan of cinema, you must have watched Kamal Haasan and Sridevi starrer Sadma (1983). Directed by Balu Mahendra, Sadma is among the finest Indian films that not only portrayed human emotions in a realistic way but also highlighted some of the hard-hitting topics of loneliness and mental health, which are now a part of mainstream cinema.
As the title says, the romantic drama is nothing less than a ‘Sadma’ for the audience as its ending instantly makes you teary-eyed. You won’t be able to walk away from the heightened emotions easily after watching what happens with the film’s characters, Somu (Kamal Haasan) and Nehalata/Reshmi (Sridevi), in the climax. Here’s a look at one of the greatest endings of all time.
When Reshmi is cured of amnesia, she forgets everything that happened between her accident and her treatment. As she returns to her old life as Nehalata, she forgets how Somu took care of her and the moments they shared together when she was a patient. In that moment when Somu tries everything to remind her of their beautiful past, breaks you in tears, courtesy of the remarkable performances.
In the heartwrenching climax scene of Sadma, when Nehalata (Reshmi) boards the train to return to her home, she sees a wounded man outside her window making faces, crying, calling her ‘Reshmi… Reshmi…’ and doing weird actions. The wounded man wearing rotten clothes was none other than Somu, who was trying to remind her of him by making her favourite ‘monkey’ faces, only to get disappointed. What further hurt was Nehalata thinking of him as some ‘pagal’ (mad) beggar. She throws off some food outside and says, ‘Le Kha le.’ Nehlata then says to her friend sitting next to her, ‘Koi paagal lagta hai…’. This was an ironic statement with respect to their past lives.
Though Somu doesn’t lose his focus, he keeps making faces, does everything he can to remind her of the beautiful bond they once shared, only to fall down after hitting a pole at the railway station.
While both Kamal Haasan and Sridevi performed well throughout the movie, its the climax performance of the Tamil actor which made it one of the most memorable endings of Indian cinema.
If you haven’t watched this film yet, it’s time to experience this classic tale, which is a gold standard in itself of how a true tragic love story should be made.
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