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.”

Triples series review: A Crazy-long, mirthless romcom

“The problem is—and it’s a big one—the dialogues are mirthless, the situations generic and predictable. Pampers get thrown into handbags, there are sexual innuendoes concerning shoes and socks, digs are aimed at the RCB cricket team, and there are even car chases and convenient coincidences to spice up proceedings… but this web-series never amounts to anything more than mundane chatter between cardboard characters.”