An angry young man enters Tamil Cinema in 1977 and is determined to change its dynamics. Whom should he begin with other than Kamal Haasan, the man who's acting from the age of 5 and is in an urge to rewrite rules? 

16 Vayathinile:

Here is a challenge. Try finding a hero who would accept a movie that focuses more on the female lead and shows him in a sympathetic "Chappani" role, when he is on top form in cinema at the age of 23 with rising stardom. The name is Kamal Haasan. There is no doubt that Kamal was the first choice for Bharathiraja while writing 16 Vayathinile script. Chappani is innocent and somewhere his braveness was hidden which is later brought out by Mayil (played by Sridevi). Kamal didn't show any variety for this character. Shocked? He LIVED as Chappani and there is not a single scene where you could see him 'acting'. When Chappani becomes Gopalakrishnan, Tamil Cinema moved forward by miles. In your first movie, to conceive a scene where the hero is in a semi-nude getup, you need a director like Bharathiraja and to perform in that scene without any hesitation, you need a hero like Kamal Haasan. Boldness at its peak.

Sigappu Rojakkal:

Bharathiraja loves challenges. After his first two films, when he was branded as a director who could make only "village-based" films, he came up with a surprise called 'Sigappu Rojakkal' which was a "city-based" thriller, totally different from his earlier projects. And when a director wants to break his own rules and give a different color to his career, there is a Kamal Haasan with a thirst to support that experiment. Watch Sigappu Rojakkal right now if you haven't. The making of this thriller with an ultra-stylish Kamal Haasan and the fascinating Ilayaraaja BGM gives you a feel as if you are watching a Hollywood film. The movie is as realistic as possible without any dramatized dialogues or performances. The Kamal-Bharathiraja duo is bolder this time by making the hero a psychopath and a victim of sex, which you could have never imagined at the time when the film was released. Watch out for Kamal's performance in the "Nothing Nothing Nothing" sequence.

Tik Tik Tik:

The late 70s and early 80s had Kamal Haasan and Bharathiraja joining hands and delighting the audience for every 2 years. 'Tik Tik Tik' is a 1981 crime thriller that didn't resemble the combo's previous films at all, as expected. Kamal is a photographer here and like all his films, he chose not to act but be an actual photographer. Bharathiraja showcased Kamal in his finest charm. The suspense element is maintained throughout the film and Kamal holds the screen for most of its runtime. Ilayaraaja, as usual, shines here with 3 extraordinary numbers which were very modern then with a perfect blend of carnatic and western music and an extensive background score that requires more of his efforts than other films. Latha Rajinikanth was introduced as a playback singer in this film with the song 'Netru Indha Neram'. Actress Madhavi appeared very stylish and sexy in this film (which is a rarity) and the glamor of all the heroines was exhibited aesthetically.

Oru Kaidhiyin Diary:

After a short gap, the successful duo collaborated once again in an action film titled 'Oru Kaidhiyin Diary' that tells the story of David, an innocent villager who is affected by his idol politician and seeks revenge. With the story written by K. Bhagyaraj, it is Bharathiraja's tight screenplay that makes the proceedings interesting. The film is rich in commercial values and songs like "ABC Nee Vaasi" were chartbusters. After 16 Vayathinile, this film had more for Kamal Haasan as an actor to emote. The notorious duo had spoken a lot of politics directly in this film, for the first time in their combination. The dialogues were sharp and with Kamal delivering them on the screen, they looked more spiny. 

It is without a doubt a dream combo with 4 straight blockbusters but what's to be noted here is the little and subtle nuances left by them in all their films that make us love and analyze their partnership even today.