Moondram Pirai (Third Phase of the Moon)/1983: Kamal Haasan, Sridevi, Smitha, Poornam Viswanathan and others. Directed by Balu Mahendra

Director Balu Mahendra started out as a cinematographer. His mastery of that craft is never more evident than in this love story of a man who comes across a young amnesiac girl and nurses her back to mental health.

The film ended with a wrenching twist that still gets women sobbing and men clearing unidentified lumps from their throats.

The film won Kamal the first of his three National Awards for acting. He was to reprise his role in the Hindi remake, Sadma.

Sridevi must have felt badly used not to collect a similar bauble for what is easily one of the best performances of her career.

Trivia alert: The song Kanne Kalaimaane was the last composition of the doyen of Tamil lyricists, ‘Kavignar’ Kannadasan, before his death.