Karthik and Shakti don’t have the courage to face each other with each one consumed by guilt of their own. Though Karthik speaks freely with his house owner and tells him the mistake that he had done by not taking her to meet her dad, he doesn’t say that to Shakti. Had he told her that in the right manner, wouldn’t the strain in their relationship have got eased out?

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But, what he does is tell her, ‘Nee azhumboadhellaam ippadi senjuttiyedannu solraa madhiri irukku!’ (Everytime you cry, I feel as if you are telling me that I have done all this!) The way something is said makes a lot of difference to the other person, doesn’t it? After a series of heated exchange of dialogues with Shakti telling, it is she who had ‘killed’ her father by leaving everyone and running away from home and Karthik shouting at her, the situation seems to cool down when Karthik comes and apologizes to her. But, again ego comes into play! ‘Appa illaama irukku mudiyunnaa nee illaamayum irukka mudiyum!’ (If I can live without my dad, then I can live without you also!) tells Shakti.

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What happens here is both of them had expressed their feelings of guilt to each other completely, but, the way it had been done had made all the difference and further strained their relationship! The way Mani Ratnam delves deep into the human feelings and emotions and brings it out! Brilliant!

Burdened by guilt on the one hand and a wife who is not willing to understand him (as if he acts understanding of her feelings!) on the other hand, Karthik sets out to re-unite his sister-in-law, Poorni, with her fiancé. This does help him free himself of some of the guilt and gives him the satisfaction of having done something for the woman who played a major part in helping him marrying his lover. It is another fact that the kind of person Karthik is shown to be, he would have done the same thing, if there was any need for it, had his father-in-law been alive too.

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Karthik and Shakti’s relationship is tested again and again what with Karthik being forced by Poorni not to tell Shakti about her re-union with her fiancé till things get finalized (after all if things don’t materialize, along with her, her sister would also have to suffer seeing her sister’s life getting shattered once again) and Shakti ending up doubting her very own sister and her husband. This is one part of the movie that never fails to get me thinking. Would someone doubt that her very own sister is having an affair with her husband just because she saw them both hugging each other? But, taking the circumstances into consideration, one cannot blame Shakti for doubting her husband? Or can she be blamed?

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Just when life seemed to have become a total mess for Shakti, she comes to know that it was her husband who had played a major role in bringing back the lost happiness in her sister’s life and feels embarrassed for doubting her husband. From the expressions on her face, you could very well have expected her to run and happily hug her husband forgetting all about the state in which their relationship was in!

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Exactly at that point of time, Karthik achieves an important milestone in his career and rushes to share his joy with his wife.

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But, that’s when the harsh reality of life strikes with Shakti meeting with an accident. Had she not met with an accident, wouldn’t their lives and the movie too, have ended with everyone happily living ever-after?

Whether the movie ended on a ‘they-lived-happily-ever-after’ note or not, this post has come to an end. :) But, I am not done with writing about Alaipayuthey yet! Will be back with the next post soon!