“Three directors who made strong debuts this year—P Virumandi, RDM, and Desingh Periyasamy—come together for this special year-end conversation, as they discuss struggles, inspirations, and future plans”
Author: Sudhir Srinivasan
Tamil cinema in a year of tumult
“How long this year has been, and how short its filmography. Tamil films came out in a trickle this year—largely those that were either made for OTT platforms or those that couldn’t afford to wait for theatres to be opened again—and yet, there were still some good films, some useful patterns…”
Oru Pakka Kathai Movie Review: A fairly enjoyable modern interpretation of virgin birth
“It turns out that there’s a fantastic modern interpretation in there somewhere, an idea that is the genesis of Balaji Tharaneetharan’s Oru Pakka Kathai. The film is wonderfully unpredictable for the most part, and I enjoyed that Balaji desists from going the usual sentimental route in handling the uncomfortable topic of an unmarried middle-class girl finding that she’s pregnant.”
‘There’s no greater gift to a filmmaker than the gift of freedom’
“What we were going for with this character is a man who is on the cusp of reformation but is wrongly influenced by an evil advisor. I see this film as tracking the transformation of this father character from a confused casteist leader into an understanding, apologetic father.”
Netflix’s Paava Kadhaigal Review: Vetrimaaran leaves you a teary mess in this fairly engaging anthology
“For one, they are all about conflicted parents frightened of social persecution, parents who are not above considering murder. All of these films speak of the pressure of a big, bad system and how it influences individuals to do that which they would otherwise shudder to even consider.”
Sudhir Srinivasan 