Bharathiraja, one of the leading directors in tamil cinema in the last 2 decades, definitely arrived with a bang. 16 Vayadhinile, his first movie, took tamil cinema out of the studios and into the villages and further solidified the rising careers of its three main stars, Kamalhassan, Rajnikanth and Sridevi.

When we first see Mayilu(Sridevi), she has just passed her 10th standard exam and dreams of becoming a teacher. Chappaani(Kamalhassan), a simpleton, is looked after by Mayilu's mother Kuruvammaa(Kanthimathi) and earns his living doing all kinds of jobs for the people of the village - including giving a weekly oil massage to Parattai(Rajnikanth), the village rowdy. Kuruvamma affectionately refers to Chappaani as her son-in-law, on account of which he dreams of one day wedding Mayilu. But Mayilu has much higher aspirations and falls for the doctor(Satyajit) who arrives in the village. She even gives up her dream of becoming a teacher to be with him. But he dumps her (saying that what he was after was not her but her body). When Kuruvamma learns of her affair, she tries to get her married off but Parattai's spreading rumors puts an end to that. A heartbroken Kuruvammaa dies and Mayilu falls ill. She is nursed back to health by Chappaani and finally realises his worth and how much he loves her.

The first thing we notice when we see 16 Vayadhinile is how it has not aged at all. Inspite of being made more than 20 years ago (the movie was released in 1977), the movie is still fresh. The basic theme still holds true and the dialogs are sharp. The characters - even the minor ones - are well-etched and come alive because of the terrific performances (In fact, Bharathiraja, in a departure from the norm, diplays the names of the characters instead of the actors during the opening credits). Ilaiyaraja was already famous for his rustic tunes and he further solidifies his reputation here. Senthoora Poove... is melodious and the lyrics perfectly convey the dreams of a young Sridevi.

The movie is filled with dreams - fulfilled and unfulfilled. While Chappaani dreams of a life with Mayilu, she dreams of being a teacher and then marrying a doctor from the city. Ironically, her dreams - which seem more attainable - are dashed to the ground while his dreams come within his reach. The emotions in the movie seem genuine and never forced. There is a beautiful scene where Mayilu is serving food to Chappaani and he asks her to stop. Only then does she remember a previous time when he had said "Stop" when he was eating alone and realises what he must have been fantasizing about.

Chappaani's attachment to Mayilu leads to two of the best scenes in the movie. The first is after he is given a new shirt and pants to wear by the doctor. But when he sees the doctor with Mayilu, he displays his anger on the clothes, thrashing them with a stick before throwing them at the doctor's face. And then there's his encounter with Parattai in the teashop. Sticking to Mayilu's words to slap anyone who calls him Chappaani instead of his original name Gopalakrishnan, he slaps Parattai and asks "Idheppadi Irukku?" in his own style before walking away.

Kamalhassan displays his scant disregard for image, even at that time, with the role of Chappaani. With a distinct limp, unkempt hair and ragged clothing, it is an award-winning performance. He melts our heart when explaining to Sridevi why he has to be there for her ("Mother raised goats and hens. But she never raised a dog; only me"). Even back then, he displays his trademark shriek(made famous in Naayagan and seen even in Hey Ram) in the scene where he sees Rajnikanth attack Sridevi. Rajnikanth plays the cunning villain to perfection, the "Idheppadi Irukku?" adding spice to his characterization. Though he plays it almost light-heartedly initially, the one scene, where he shouts and summons Chappaani when he walks by, conveys menace. A voluptuous Sridevi dilineates well between the playful, dreamy teenager initially and the more mature woman later. Look out for Koundamani among Rajnikanth's group of 'jalra's and Bagyaraj in a single scene as the village doctor.