Vyjayanthimala Meanwhile her career as leading lady began to take off and she appeared in many Tamil and Malayalam movies, quite a few hailed as classics, including `Madurai Veeran,' `Amaradeepam' (1956), and `Vanjikottai Valiban' with Gemini Ganesan (1958) and `Mannadhi Mannan' known for its lilting music. The highlight of `Vanjikottai Valiban,' was the scintillating and enthralling `dance duel' between Padmini and Vyjayanthimala, which has come to be regarded as one of the best dance sequences in Indian cinema. One of her finest Tamil movies, a major box-office success was `Thangapadhumai' (1959), a brilliant adaptation of the Kannagi epic by A.S.A.Sami who directed the movie. Her spirited delivery of jaw-breaking dialogue, recalled Pasupuleti Kannamba's classic `Kannagi,' was a masterpiece in movie acting. According to Sami, Padmini virtually scored hands down over the hero Sivaji Ganesan. He recalled that while the climax sequence was being shot, Padmini worked on her dialogue not even taking a break for lunch. "I have rarely seen such devotion among the numerous actresses I've directed in my long career," said Sami.