Sagara Sangamam (The Confluence )/1983: (Dubbed in Tamil as Salangai Oli) Kamal Haasan, Jayaprada, Sharat Babu, S P Shailaja, Manju Bhargavi and others. Directed by K Vishwanath

As a youngster, Kamal learnt dance; often secretly so his father would not know. To finance those lessons, his mother often 'lost' bits and pieces of her jewellery.

This film was Kamal’s repayment. The role of Balakrishna Bhagavatar is in fact a confluence of an inspired director and an actor willing to push for excellence.

Kamal plays the wannabe dancer who never made it big despite his obvious abilities. He turns to alchohol for solace and to dance criticism for his livelihood.

The arangetram of a young dancer serves as the peg on which an art-meets-heart story is hung. Superb narration and direction by Vishwanath, brilliant performances by Kamal and the rest of the cast and outstanding music combine in a film that can, two decades later, still grip.

Of the innumerable set pieces the film is studded with, check out Kamal’s dance, in an alcoholic stupor, on the rim of a well in pouring rain.