Gunaa

Directed by Santhana Bharathi, Gunaa is a psychological romantic film and one of the greatest, most unforgettable movies from Tamil cinema in 1992. It stars Kamal Haasan, Rekha and Roshini (in her debut film). The movie is about a man named Guna, who has just been released from a mental institution, and he kidnaps an heiress named Rohini, because he is convinced that she is the reincarnation of the goddess Abhirami, and it’s his fate to marry her.

Gunaa, an asylum inmate, is possessed by a legend that Abhirami, a goddess, would wed him on a full moon day. After his psychiatric examination, his psychiatrist, Ganesh, approves his release. Gunaa's mother, Manonmani, operates a brothel and her brother-in-law, Chitappa, manages it. Rosy, a brothel girl, loves Gunaa and wants to marry him, but he rejects her. Gunaa, a lock-picking master, is often used for robberies by Chitappa's men. When Chitappa's men are apprehended, they escape with Gunaa in their car. A wounded survivor takes over the heiress's car and drives it into the ocean. CBI officer Ramaiah investigates her disappearance and alerts her guardian, Suresh Kumar (SK).

The heiress, Rohini, abhors Gunaa for his strange ways and runs away from home. She eventually agrees to his marriage offer. Gunaa hears Rohini has developed a fever and starts searching for a doctor. Inspector Moovendhar steals a gun and kidnaps the doctor to bring her to the cave. In retaliation, Moovendhar signs a shoot-on-sight order on Gunaa, and his family advises him against killing him.

Rohini gets married to Gunaa, but she gets the fever and she brings word to Inspector Moovendhar. Gunaa steals a gun to violently force the doctor into a cave, where they soon find themselves surrounded by cops. Moovendhar gives a shoot-at-sight order against Gunaa, and his family members, including Ganesh, Manonmani, Rosy, and Ramaiah, urge him not to murder Gunaa. Rohini tells Moovendhar that SK is good, and SK listens to his atrocities. Gunaa murders Rohini and upon his return, Rohini dies. Gunaa later informs his clan that humans will never understand his love for Abhirami and commits suicide by diving off the cliff along with Rohini's dead body.

Gunaa is one of the most iconic and influential films in Tamil cinema as it introduced a new world of melancholic romance and psychological thrill to the Tamil audience. It captures the intensity of a man who believes his beloved is a goddess, expressing devotion beyond human understanding. The unforgettable melody “Kanmani Anbodu Kadhalan” still lingers in the minds of music lovers to this date, firmly establishing the film as one of Kamal Haasan’s best cinematic triumphs.