Oru Nadigai Nadagam Parkiral (1978)

The director’s last, posthumously released film is a social comedy about women’s independence. The 33-year-old Kalyani (Laxmi) marries the widowed Ranga (Srikanth), a drama critic. She refuses to be a subservient housewife, pursuing her stage career instead. The husband cannot cope but in the comic highlight of the movie, they visit a lawyer whose questioning makes them realise they belong together after all. When Kalyani has a paralytic stroke, they finally unite. Together with Bhimsingh’s Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal (1976), this is one of Tamil star Laxmi’s best-known performances.