Padayappa's mum WAY more evil than Neelambari!!!
Context is everything! Since we are subjected to the story from Padayappa's point of view, we don't see anything besides the black and white nature of the characters. But just like in real life - people are shades of grey!
1. Neelambari - for instance, is spoilt (not necessarily HER fault but anyway) and was led to believe that her arrogance is an accepted norm because she, herself is above everything and everyone.
- We see this evidenced in her telling Padayappa that so many men were waiting for her hand and foot but she thought they were below her. When he rejects her, he becomes even more desirable to her because he is unattainable and here - her affection turns to obsession.
- And thus, she feels (possibly for the first time in her life) that sting of rejection. And it hurts! So she throws a temper tantrum and thought that had won her, her object of affection.
Up until this point, she hasn't harmed anyone yet. Yes, she manipulates a situation to get her parents to do her bidding but she hasn't turned violent yet!
2. Then, because Lakshmi (Padayappa's mum) embarrasses her dad in front of everyone, he hangs himself.( Now, we may argue on whether what Lakshmi did was right or wrong, but let's ignore that for now.)
- Neelambari is traumatized when she sees her father's suicide. But here, she's already feeling emotionally fragile from "losing" to a mere servant and so she snaps. We witness her dancing in rage!
- With all this rage inside her, she needs to avenge her father's death. (No judgement from me - hell, I would want vengeance too!) I mean, you could say that he brought it on himself with his greed but even that is no reason to strip a man of his dignity. (I blame Lakshmi!) Anyway, only then, does Neelambari turn violent.
Now, on to Lakshmi...
Yes, her brother and his son did cause her daughter heart break but Nassar turned out to be a complete douche anyway, so they should've considered it a blessing in disguise. But she was responsible of practically murdering her brother. That was taking things too far...!
She did it so cold heartedly too. She pretended to be happy about seeing him and led him to believe that his daughter was getting engaged and then tore off her mask. She happily claimed that - he - her brother, her own flesh and blood, should KILL himself for what he did.
Now, you may say, "But Neelambari tried to kill Padayappa and Vasnudara many times."
But she didn't succeed...did she?! That makes a whole world of difference.
Sure, Neelambari screams, yells, rages over everything but you have to admit that, she only turns vicious and violent AFTER her father's death. I do think that her psyche just snapped because, the people are the most arrogant have the most fragile mind.
But Lakshmi coolly, cruelly, jabbed the metaphorical knife into his heart. She had it all rehearsed, she said the words , knowing they would drive him to suicide and it does. Then, the next scene after his death, she just pretends that it didn't happen!
I'm sorry...but those that rage and scream with murder may seem like the shiniest villain than those that coolly take a knife out of the blue and stab you in the back but these people are the more evil villain.