Mahanati (2018)

In 1980 a young journalist, Madhuravani, is handed what looks like a dull assignment: a story on the actress Savitri, who has been lying in a coma. As she digs into the past, the film opens out into Savitri's life: a spirited girl who learned dance, went to Madras to act, became a star of Telugu and Tamil cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, and fell in love with fellow star Gemini Ganesan. Keerthy Suresh's performance as Savitri won her the National Film Award for Best Actress, and the film also won the National Awards for Best Telugu Feature Film and Best Costume Design. Released simultaneously in Tamil as Nadigaiyar Thilagam, it is prized for its loving recreation of the golden age of South Indian studios.