Kamalhassan has consistently alternated his movies between safe, commercial ventures and the experimental, bold efforts. The most recent examples of this kind of pairing are Hey Ram and Thenali. But he has done the same in the early 90s too. While Singaravelan was unabashedly commercial, Gunaa, released in the previous year, represents probably his boldest risk yet. Its theme of a deranged, obsessive man earning the love of a woman is quite unique and well handled with good performances, breath-taking photography and a perfect soundtrack.

Gunaa(Kamalhassan) has grown up in a red-light area hating his surroundings. Though he himself believes otherwise, he is mentally retarded. He is obsessed with a woman he calls Abirami and believes that she is the one meant for him. When he sees Rohini(Roshini) at the temple, he believes that she is his Abirami and kidnaps her. Rohini is naturally scared of him but gradually comes to understand his pure and innocent love.

Kamalhassan's performance is naturally the heart and soul of the movie and he carries it with aplomp on his capable shoulders. The character earns our sympathy within a few frames. The darkened face serves to make his expressive eyes stand out and he puts this to good use, conveying subtle emotions with a flicker. The walk around his doctor's room, while continually talking, ending with a sickening thud as he smashes into the wall, is a standout scene. Few others in the cast make much of an impression. Roshini looks sweet and makes her acceptance of Kamal's love look believable. Rekha as the good-hearted prostitute and Girish Karnad as the sympathetic doctor provide support. Janakaraj makes a detestable bad guy, taking advantage of Kamal's innocence to further his plans.

The movie takes a little too long to introduce its characters and a few of them are quite superfluous too. For instance, the scene where Kamal is brought in to sign some papers just serves to emphasize Janakaraj's sleaziness(which we learn about soon enough anyway) and furthermore, the whole issue of Kamal's mother losing her house is never tackled later. It is only with Kamal's sighting of Roshini at the temple that the movie moves into interesting territory. The happenings here, which he assumes are signs from above and add strength to his belief that she is Abirami, are beautifully picturised. Kamal's expressions of pure joy on having found Abirami are a joy to behold and his swaying to the tune of Paartha Vizhi... is strangely soothing.

The remaining part of the movie is almost entirely a two-person drama with Roshini's change of attitude towards Kamal. His affection for her is genuine and small scenes, like his reason for waiting for her to finish eating before he eats, are both natural and subtly funny. His reaction to her attempts to escape illustrate his state of mind perfectly - he firmly believes that she is destined for him, can do no wrong and will gradually come around. But the character of Roshini's guardian is a little cinematic.

The cave provides the perfect setting for the last portion of the movie. Roshini's happiness inspite of the isolation and her complete acceptance of Kamal's love are understandable. The moody and atmospheric background music suits the setting well and photography is suitably shadowy without being too dark. Kanmani Anbodu... is picturised well with its mixing of Kamal's lovelorn lines and Roshini singing it. The movie's final scene is poetic and Kamal's last line and posture are grand and illustrate the severity of his love.