Ranganayaki

The movie explores the nuance of Oedipus Complex. The heroine, a popular theatre artist, falls in love with a rich, young man. They eventually get married and beget a child. But the heroine is bored of married life and wants to dabble in acting. The husband refuses and leaves the town with his child. The heroine gets a lucky break in cinema and becomes a household name. Years later, as fate had it, a young man falls in love with the heroine and she reciprocates his love, but as a mother. She always gives him affection and loves like a mother. She encounters her ex-husband and pleads him to show her son just for once. But as fate has it doesn t happen, and she goes in deep depression and commits suicide, too late for the young lover who realizes that he had fallen in love with his own mother.

Directed by S.R. Puttanna Kanagal, Ranganayaki leans on a strong ensemble — Aarathi, Ramakrishna, Ashok — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1981.