In our second article to synopsize on of our tributes, we take a look at the movies we managed to review as part of our tribute to Tamil cinema, in chronological order
1. Donkey in a Brahmin Village (John Abraham, 1977)
Although it is now seen as one of the pioneering works of the South Indian New Wave, “Donkey in a Brahmin Village” was banned in Tamil Nadu in order to preserve the fragile sentiments of the Brahmin community who were unwilling to be presented with evidence of their own crimes. Fortunately, time has proven that Abraham's work is a vital piece of cinematic genius. He combines flashes of surrealism and mythological meditations to rightly indict those who have used their privilege to oppress and destroy, burning all of us in the flames of revolution. (Swapnil Dhruv Bose)
2. Nayakan (Mani Ratnam, 1987)
In our recent tribute to Tamil cinema, the most significant issues emerging from the particular industry can be summarized in these three: Rather long duration, usually more than 2.5 hours, which is occasionally prolonged by unnecessary music video sequences, and a tendency to over-dramatize or over-comedicize situations. Mani Ratnam, however, manages to avoid all these reefs. For starters, the story is exquisite, with him excellently adapting the main premises of “The Godfather” (the second movie in the trilogy in particular) in the setting of Bombay, coming up with a true crime epic that retains interest from beginning to end, despite its 145 minutes. Furthermore, the music video scenes here are organically placed within the narrative, adding to the story, while also functioning as a great transition for the many fast-forwards in the life of Velu, with the tomato-fight one being a testament to the fact. Lastly, although the film is dramatic in its base, with the tragedies that follow Velu coming one after the other, Ratnam's steady hand does not allow the narrative to become melodramatic, with the calamities also being an organic part of the story. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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3. Pudhupettai (Selvaraghavan, 2006)
“Pudhupettai includes some of inherent faults of both Tamil cinema and Dhanush's acting, but the story, the tension, and the technical prowess overshadow any fault, resulting in an audiovisual extravaganza and a truly great crime movie. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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4. 13B (Vikram K. Kumar, 2009)
A generally creepy Tamil-lensed psychological genre effort, “13B” comes off with a lot to like that manages to overcome its few minor flaws which hold this one down. Viewers who appreciate this kind of setup or are curious about its origin and execution will be well-advised to check this out. (Don Anelli)
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5. I Am God (Bala, 2009)
Bala directs a film that uses Rudran's story as a base in order to present the shocking truths about the beggars in the area, who are exploited to the highest degree, even having to be tortured in order to appear more grotesque and thus earn more money by begging. Bala creates a truly onerous setting in this environment, with the movie occasionally functioning as a freak show, in a much more grotesque fashion than the concept has been presented in international cinema. The director also makes a point of highlighting that these people are loyal to each other and are able, occasionally, to laugh and have a good time, although the fact that they are being exploited and even sold as commodities eventually takes over. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
6. Aayirathil Oruvan (Selvaraghavan, 2010)
The true highlight of the movie however, are its action scenes, with the combination of Ramji's cinematography, Kola Bhaskar's editing, G.V. Prakash Kumar's music, the stunts and action choreography, and the overall job done in the SFX resulting in a series of truly memorable scenes that do have anything to be jealous of similar Hollywood blockbusters. The fast forward moments could be less, but they are essentially unimportant in front of the overall extravaganza found here. Furthermore, the number of action scenes is equally impressive, showcasing the level of work Selvaraghan and his crew put into them, which is essentially, what makes the film retain interest from beginning to end, despite its rather long duration. The music video scenes are not missing once more, and truth be told, a number of them are completely unnecessary, but as a vehicle for Reema Sen to impress in yet another way, work quite well. Lastly, the rather fast pace works quite well for the overall aesthetics. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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7. Vagabond (2013) by Bala
Chezhiyan's cinematography is another of the film's best assets, with him portraying scenes of incredible beauty, both in the village, the savanna of the trip and the plantation, despite the horrible events that take place there. His technique of using tinted colors to the point that the movie seems like a black-and-white film, at times, suits the general aesthetics quite nicely, and stresses the fact that the story takes place in the past. Along with G. V. Prakash Kumar's music, which, as is one of the tendencies in Indian film, highlights the feelings of the characters and extends the story, functioning as a sort of narration, “Vagabond” frequently appears as an impressive music video, with the combination of image and sound capturing the circumstances to perfection. Kishore Te and L.V. K. Das's editing allows the film to flow smoothly and in a relatively fast speed, despite its melodramatic nature. In that fashion, the production appears much smaller than its 126 minutes would suggest. “Vagabond” is a film filled with a number of traits, and a great introduction to the Tamil Nadu cinema that definitely deserves a watch. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
8. Interrogation (Vetrimaaran, 2015)
Even if the transition between the two parts is not exactly ideal (initially the director had announced that the film would be an experimental one lasting just 60 minutes), “Interrogation” emerges as an impressive movie, that highlights its deeply political comments in the most eloquent fashion, while offering equal amounts of entertainment. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
9. Baahubali: The Beginning (S.S. Rajamouli, 2015)
Evidently, “Baahubali” is not the film that will make you think. However, it delivers in one other, very important aspect of cinema, and that is pure entertainment. In that fashion, you will not find many films better than this one, as you will be impressed, laugh, and spend 158 minutes without even realizing it. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
10. Si3 (Hari, 2017)
“Si3” could have been a fun-only film of the highest level, much like HK action comedies used to be, but in the end, the excessiveness that characterizes all of its aspects ends up harming even the entertainment factor here. Definitely deserves a partial watch, however, as a number of individual scenes are bound to make any viewer laugh, even if not for the same reasons. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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