Ooty residents still gush about climax scene of Moondram Pirai

Udhagamandalam: The Nilgiris, particularly Ooty, has been the locale of many a Sridevi film. Many scenes in Tamil films featuring the then ‘queen of southern movies’ along with Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth such as ‘Vazhve Mayam’, ‘Moondram Pirai’, ‘Thanikattu Raja’ and ‘Naan Adimai Illai’ were shot in and around Ooty. However, one movie shot in the hills that deeply moved film buffs is the critically acclaimed ‘Moondram Pirai’, written, directed and cinematographed by Balu Mahendra.
The film featured Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in lead roles, while Silk Smitha, Poornam Vishwanathan and Y G Mahendra played supporting roles. Most of the scenes were shot near Ooty. The shooting of the intense climax of the film at the Ketti railway station is an unforgettable experience for local people who watched it.

Recalls Kakkamallan, a gardener in the Ooty Railway station and resident of Ullathi village near Ketti: “I was among the people who witnessed that poignant scene. The scene always remains in my heart. Sridevi, who had no dialogue in that particular scene, really proved her histrionic skills.”

It took nearly three days for Balu Mahendra to shoot the climax scene. “After the movie was released in 1982, for several years the Ketti station was known as ‘Moondram Pirai station’ among tourists. Even today, many tourists connect the station with the movie,” said Kakkamallan.

Mathan, a resident of Ketti village who also witnessed the shooting, said Indian cinema had lost a wonderful actor. “The railway station scene tells the whole story of the movie. I still remember how Sridevi carried herself so well during the shoot. Millions of her fans still gush about her role in Moondram Pirai.”

The lilting lullaby ‘Kanne kalaimane’ in the romantic drama was the last song penned by Kannadasan. Composed by Ilayarajaa, the evergreen melody was recorded before the lyricist’s death in 1981.

Though Balu Mahendra shot many of his movies in Ooty and surroundings, this movie apparently was very close to his heart. In an interview, he had said it was based on his brief relationship with actress Shoba.

The movie fetched Kamal Haasan the National Film Award for best actor and Balu Mahendra the best cinematography. It bagged five state film awards, including one for Sridevi for best actress.

Silk Smitha, Poornam Viswanathan, Balu Mahendra and Sridevi are no more today.