Sudhir Srinivasan

Sema: A comedy that’s largely offensive, occasionally funny

A girl our hero, Kuzhanthai (GV Prakash), is supposed to find repulsive is dark-skinned and named Karunkuzhali. In truth, the actual actor is very decent-looking, but that doesn’t stop Yogi Babu, playing Kuzhanthai’s friend, from referencing ‘aduppu kari’ when talking about her appearance.

Kaali: Bizarre writing in a film that tests your patience

“It’s a bizarre choice, because in these flashback narratives, Kaali’s actually trying to unearth the truth about the identity of his parents. So, you have the very uncomfortable visual of seeing the character — playing his likely father — romancing his mother. It’s just… bizarre.”

Bhaskar Oru Rascal: Arvind Swami and the jokes almost make this remake work

“Arvind Swami totally sells the brutishness of Bhaskar, and his lack of manners — which makes for a recurring joke. The film’s strength is the largely innocent brand of humour it peddles, and you realise this never more than in the final act when the jokes all but disappear, and the film turns tedious.”

Nadigaiyar Thilagam: A well-made biopic that’s more in love with its subject than I’d have liked

“Nag Ashwin couldn’t have made it clearer that Nadigaiyar Thilagam deems Savitri to be an angel descended from above, and a hapless victim of her circumstances. She’s shown to be a munificent spirit who can scarcely come to terms with the dark world she’s inhabiting — one full of ungrateful people and opportunists.”

Iruttu Arayil Murattu Kuththu: An uninventive adult comedy that mistakes sexual references for humour

“Simply because it’s an adult film, a woman walks around with a shirt captioned ‘orgasm’. Men walk around with underwear that bear the image of a banana. It’s a mark of deep sexual repression in our society that the theatre resounded with laughter at these silly references.”