Sagara Sangamam

Plot synopsis:
Balakrishna (Kamal Haasan) is an economically disadvantaged but multi-talented dancer, adept at the Indian classical dances of Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, etc. Fondly called Balu, his simple and honest soul does not permit him to attain professional success in the commercial world that requires a certain level of moral laxness. Madhavi (Jayaprada), a wealthy young woman and a dance patron, notices his talent and acts as his benefactress, helping him secure an opportunity to participate in a high-level classical dance festival.
Balu's aging mother passes away from the afflictions of poverty two days before the performance. Balu, who was very attached to her, is emotionally devastated and fails to participate in the dance festival. Madhavi nevertheless gives him support and encouragement and sets him on the mend. Balu gradually develops a fondness for Madhavi as their relationship grows. He hides his love for her but eventually picks up the courage to express it. Balu discovers that, while Madhavi shares his feelings, she is a married woman separated from her husband. The husband later returns to unite Madhavi and Balu, but Balu decides to sacrifice his love showing respect for the institution of marriage.
The years pass, and Balu, a disappointed man, has become an inconsolable alcoholic and a newspaper journalist/art critic. Meanwhile, Madhavi's husband dies, and she hears about Balu's condition. In a bid to revive his will to live and his passion for his art, she tends to his medical needs through his friend Raghu (Sarath Babu) and solicits Balu to be the dance master for her daughter, Sailaja (SP Sailaja).
The film ends with Sailaja's stage performance with Balu watching her in a wheelchair, his health having completely deteriorated. While watching the performance, he passes away. Raghu and Madhavi are seen taking him away quietly, without interrupting the performance, back to the hospital. Balu dies on his way to the hospital.

Tags: romantic

Review:
A beautiful movie.
'Sagara sangamam' refers to the meeting of the river with the sea.It metaphorically refers to many things such as the seeking and fulfillment of destiny,of the union of people meant for each other and even of a persons place in the world.Sagara sangamam is the story of two star crossed lovers who sacrifice all for the happiness of each other.Balakrishna is a talented dancer with a passion for the arts(and dance in particular).His simple and honest soul doesn't permit him to attain professional success in a world that requires a certain level of moral flexibility.Battling poverty yet hoping to someday fulfill his(and his mothers) dream of becoming a dancer,Balakrishna(Kamal Hassan) meets the beautiful Madhavi(Jayapradha).Madhavi recognizes the talent inherent in Balakrishna and gives him the opportunities that would finally give Balakrishna the recognition he deserves.Before an important life changing performance tragedy strikes and Balakrishnas mother passes away.Balakrishna never completely recovers this tragedy yet remains steadfast with courage that Madhavi is on his side.Madhavi seemingly accepts his love yet the river and the sea never meet.Balakrishnas world slowly falls apart and he tries to escape it all through cigarettes and alcohol.
Not until its all about to end does Balakrishna finally meet Madhavi again,through an unpleasant encounter with her haughty daughter.Sagara sangamam is a great movie filled with such lyrical beauty it absorbs you entirely.Its greatness lies in its authenticity,simplicity and self conviction that its character portray so well.Kamal hassan portrays Balakrishna so well that its hard to imagine anyone else in his place.Some people are born to play some roles.This was one of Kamal hassans.Jayapradha(as Madhavi) is stunningly beautiful and a pleasure to the eyes.The direction of great k.Vishwanath is flawless and dialogs by Jhandhyala are immortal.The music of this movie remains popular until this very day.S.P.Balasubramaniam completely deserves the national award that he won for this movie.Many scenes in the movie especially the drunken'rain dance' atop the well remains forever etched in telugu cinema culture.I remember watching this movie at a very young age and it made no sense to me as to why everyone in my family loved it so much.It wasn't until recent times that I saw it again and realized how i had seen it all before yet realized so little until now.Sagarsasangamam is a classic in every sense..
marvellous movie.
It is such a wonderful movie from Vishwanath.
with the music and dance and the sentiment, one can watch this movie many times.
what a great dance and sequences by Kamala Haasan..
lovely songs....
dance of emotions.
This movie is a gem for two reasons.
One, it had popularised the traditional dance forms of India in the telugu speaking land.
Two, it is an excellent portrayal of complex emotions like Love, friendship, teacher-student relationship, and above all devotion to art.When I saw this movie at age of 10, i thought it was boring.
Very recently at age of 23 i watched this movie again, and was bowled over by the way Balu and Madhavi are portrayed in the movie.
The love and affection between the characters is divine in nature.
a masterpiece of indian cinema.
this movie is truly a cornerstone for all kinds of cinematic expression, as far as indian art is concerned.
very unfortunate that present day cinema (indian) has been overtaken by crass storytelling and thinly veiled attempts to dump undeserving kith and kin of who's who on the unsuspecting audiences.
kamal haasan performs his work beautifully as a struggling but talented dancer who lives( and dies) for his art in a moving portrayal.
it must be one of his greatest roles in the past two decades.i am yet to see another presenter of k.vishwanath's class in movie-making for a long time.technical wizards, yes, but true creators of evergreen masterpieces , hmm..., , i don't think so.and to think every director(read " son/brother/daughter/sister of ....
who has chosen to make the business his fiefdom") talks about his new" attempt to emulate vishwanath" today with a poker face!!!!i am sorry but , at least in hindi and telugu cinema, sorry, no ---i think few of you deserve to be there.this is certainly not a movie to be missed..
Can never get bored of this movie.
Just saw this movie for the Nth time....and i can never get bored of watching this beautifully made film....Sad part is i cant give more than 10 for this movie...Probably the best movie made in Telugu language.Human emotions and feelings were handled in a sensible way....
and the best love story i ever watched...Classical dance was portrayed with masterly touch...I don't think any other director can handle with such elegance...Kudos to K.Viswanath, Ilayaraja, Veturi.I am sure their magic cannot be repeated again...
A masterpiece.This movie is highly recommendable..
Perhaps the best movie ever made in Telugu.
For those who have read economics, the law of diminishing marginal utility does not work here.
This movie continues to grow on you.
I have seen this time and again and would love to see it again.For the casual observer it might appear to be a movie based on a failed classic dancer but it is much beyond that.
True, it has popularised the classical dance format to such an extent that every time I see this movie, I repent not learning.
Much beyond the dance, this movie is an amazing portrayal of human emotions.And anything I talk about the music is less.
Veturi has penned lyrics in a manner, which have made him the legend he is and Ilayaraja, the maestro, gave life to the lyrics.
Its been 23 years since the movie has released but the songs are still considered the best Telugu Movies have ever seen.About the performances, anything said is less.
Kamal Hassan and Jayaprada have always received rave reviews for their performances in this movie but another actor who deserves a mention is Sarath Babu.
Spell binding performance.
Not to forget, Jandhyala's dialogues render life to the characters..
master piece.
very good movie.
good direction brilliant music and brilliant performances by the artists.the drunkard who is also a columnist in a new paper comments about a dancer for some erratic movements.
the girl and her fiancé call the drunkard and try to insult him ,but, insulted by him .
he shows the dance movements to the dancer.
it is later known that the dancer's mother and the drunkard were lovers in their younger days.
the girl keeps hating the drunkard but she is forced to take lessons from him.
even the romance is handled in much more mature and appreciable manner.brilliant performance by drunkard / dance master , drunkard's friend , dancer , dancer's mom ..
ARS GRATIA ARTIS.
Talking about one of my all time favourite movies should be easy right?
Well thats not the case here.
I first saw this movie when I was 12 years old and didnt understand what big fuss was about.
Re-viewings would prove what a classic piece of confluence of art and emotions it was and why It was deservedly the National Award Winner.Maestro K Vishwanath depicts the tale of of Balakrishna Bhagwathar, a dancer (brilliantly portrayed by Kamal Hassan), who goes to lengths to learn the various Indian classical dances.
Whats most intersting about the movie is the way the director, Vishwanath, deals with the emotions of the poor and struggling dancer and an up and coming dancer.Wish people out of India could also see this movie..
A hit movie based on classical dance is something unimaginable.
But was pulled off by K.
Everyone wanted to become a classical dancer after this.
And it couldn't have been possible without Kamalhassan and Jayaprada.
Even if we take away the dance, the movie had a strong emotional line.
All the minor actors perfectly complimented the main theme.
The scene where Kamalhassan dying mother gives her poor son some money will bring tears to Gabbar Singh's eyes.
Mounamelaoye is the sexiest song ever.
But not one bit of nudity or, for that matter, not even a touch.
Another highlight was SPB sister- in the role of a rookie dancer.
Who can forget the short fat comic wannabe photographer.
That 'well' dance had out heart in our mouth.
Will he fall?If you ever need a perfect entertainer, this is the one..
Excellent Music and Movie.
K Viswanadh direction, Ilaiyaraaja Music, Kamalhaasan acting and dance performances are fabulous and no single point i can ignore to highlight in the movie.It is the stage for Kumari Shailaja(S.P.Balasubramniam's sister) to perform.
It is her widowed mother's desire to cherish her dream of seeing an art(Classical Indian Dance) not die with the prodigal Balakrishna(Kamal Haasan).Balakrishna who is battling for life wants shailaja to become a great dancer, which he could not with so much talent that got buried in his trials and tribulations and that transformed him into a cynical drunkard columnist.The sadhana starts in the Hospital with the song, made me cry while watching the movie.
Super Duper ever green movie as well as music..
Awesome art...Beautiful framing ....
Its the movie which shows ...ART never dies...its only the people who are the players in art...
One of the movie which shows ...world is the stage and art is our work...
To Die in art is our Heaven ...BeautifulLovely...emotional...Art of an Artist...Awesome movie...
In my POV ...And We are not here to judge movies and We are here to watch...Take good and leave bad from them...You can leave happily forever...The Start Of love for people in cinema is the CHANGE and key to worlds good...I am reviewing this movie or rating any other movie because i love to watch good movies...
i love to make or work for any good movie i like or love and only for people and for my GURU'S...and i m no one to rate or review any other movie...
I thank IMDb who created an opportunity to enjoy movies...
Every single person has his own Point Of View ...
and every single person should have their own view do-not include others in Your P.O. view...
Enjoy Movies ...Be a fan of a movie Not a star or an actor...We are here to make movies till our Death and and We are born to do it...Salute every Filmmaker who wants to change this world with Good films.....
A Brilliant Movie for ever!.
A great and a brilliant movie, i love you Kamal and you are my favorite actor, i guess no one in the world can be compared to Kamal Hassan, he does anything for a movie, he grows beard, shaves his head, a true actor in all the ways.......i love the way he enacts crying scenes in a movie, one really gets tears watching his emotion scenes.
He is only the THE greatest actor and very splendidly shows his talent in this movie, HAT'S off to Kamal Hassan.....!!!
Love you Kamal....!
Love K.
Love K.
Vishwanath too for giving us such a wonderful movie....!
Hat's of to the director K.
Vishwanath too for Sagara Sangamam and Swathi Muthyam for extracting the talent from Kamal.....GREAT Director.......!
Watch this movie......!
A+++ and very very highly recommended movie for ALL........!.
Bravo!!!!.
One the best movies that you could come across in Indian film industry...I saw this movie in Tamil.
And I can see this movie all day long.All these just for the music and the acting of Kamal Hasan.Though I am not a great fan of Kamal, I do like his approach to whatever project he takes.
He devotes 100% to that and learn what he is going to do before he does.
Think no actor in the world can do this(at least not throughout their career).
And this applies for this movies too.
His Dance, his expression and the Music.
Its still fresh in the minds of people after almost 3 decades.Altogether a great movie and a must see film...
Masterpiece.
SagaraSangamam in Telugu and Salangai Oli in Tamil is a Masterpiece of Kamal Hassan and the director K.
Vishwanath.
Vishwanath.
Comparing Sagarasangaman to the present day film, there is nothing in the present day film, How the present day film is explained the sagarasangamam film in a scene, Yes sagarasangamam is a masterpiece and world class film that kamalHassan have proved his talent in the film.
The songs in the film is also a great and gives a feel to the heart thanks to the writer and singers of the songs in both Telugu and tamil.
Thanks to jayaprada, sarathbabu and others Thanks to the producer also Thanks to Kamal and Director.
Looking for the great films like this again..
Brilliant movie, brilliant performances, great music.
This is an excellent movie that showcases one of the ancient dance forms of India, Bharatnatyam.
The story revolves around a great, multi-skilled dancer (Kamal Hasan) whose life has seen many so many personal tragedies that he has become an incorrigible alcoholic.
A tough critic, he earns the enemity of many and the grudging respect of a few with his ruthless critique of other dance exponents who don't quite get their steps right.
Through a twist of fate, he ends up teaching his skills to the daughter of the girl he loved, but lost, in his younger years.
In the end, even as his disciple performs her maiden exposition ("arangetram" in Tamil) in public, he is dying, coughing up blood.
As he witnesses his disciple present a flawless exposition, he is also deeply satisfied that finally he had seen his skills passed on to someone who would illumine the ancient tradition more than he ever could.
He could never achieve respect for the treasures he possessed, but realizes that he has lived his dream through his unlikely disciple, and fulfilled his life's mission moments before his death.
His dying declaration is "art never dies."The first thing that strikes you about the film is the sheer intensity of performance by the main protagonist, played by Kamal Hasan.
He is a trained dancer, and his fluid, graceful Bharatnaytam is a pleasure to watch.
Years younger than his age on the screen, Kamal has delivered a stunning performance as an old diseased man whose mastery over dance still lingers in the winter of his life.The music pieces include a mix of Indian classical and modern with a sombre and brooding tone.
The devotionals accompanying the dance pieces are still evergreen favorites in Southern India.
The movie is still remembered as a fine example of an Indian classical dance form.
Kamal's performance had been critically acclaimed then and respected even today.A movie worth watching for anybody interested in Indian dance and music forms and how sublime they can be, even in a movie format..
Great performance.Great Movie.
One of the best telugu movies of all time,excellent performance by Kamal Hasan as an Indian classical dancer who fails to make it big & takes to alcohol.Jayaprada plays the role of an admirer who helps him to get into a big classical event ,Kamal falls in love with her ,not knowing that she is already married but living alone.Once he gets to know this ,he leaves her gets depressed & takes to alcohol.Jayaprada reunites with her husband & goes abroad.Years later her daughter also becomes a classical dancer ,but is arrogant and unwilling to learn & accept criticism from the likes of Kamal who now works for a newspaper as an art critic.Jayaprada comes to know about Kamal ,is depressed about his current state & offers him medical treatment.Kamal dies at the end .after Jaya's daughter embraces him as her real 'Guru'.
,Can watch it for Kamal's performance alone .The way he dances professionally you can mistake him for a renowned classical dancer.Excellent music as well.One of the few Indian cinemas in 1980s which still stands today as a classic.