Alaipayudhe is one of Mani Ratnam’s finest films and certainly among the greatest love stories ever told. Karthik and Shakthi played by Madhavan and Shalini captured our hearts with their love story which had its fair share of romance and heartache. It made even the most hardened cynics reach for their hankies as the lovers were almost torn apart when they found themselves tossed unceremoniously into the pressure cooker which is the real world but fortunately, true love triumphs over all adversity and all is well.