Paava Kadhaigal’s Thangam
A comparison of Sudha Kongara's short film with Shaan Karuppasamy's short story that it is adapted from.
A gun, some blood, and Mysskin
I write on Mysskin’s film Onaayum Aattukkuttiyum and translate passages from the filmmaker’s book about the film.
Lakshmi Talkies and Whistling Samosas
A taste of Isai’s poems that observe life through the lens of Tamil cinema.
An old man and a solitary man: Thoughts on Bharathiraja’s OM & Parthiban’s Oththa Seruppu
My thoughts on Bharathiraja’s OM and Parthiban’s Oththa Seruppu, screened at Singapore South Asian International Film Festival.
The Amateurishness of Super Deluxe
After watching Super Deluxe, there were only two words I wanted to tell Thiagarajan Kumararaja, “Grow up.” Here’s why.
Kaala and Pa Ranjith the artist
In this article I argue that Pa Ranjith’s filmography is never lacking in form, even if such complaints abound.
The Chennai of Tamil Cinema
I wonder why we seem to be seeing the same few stories over and over, when there are several more unfolding at any given moment in Chennai.
5 Filmmaking Tropes of Mysskin
Shanmugha Raja was so impressed by the character of Prince Myshkin in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot that when he began his film career, he decided to rechristen himself as Mysskin.
Thupparivaalan: A Journey of cold Logic into the warm world of Emotions
Mysskin daubs a criminal investigation with generous splashes of philosophy.
Vikram Vedha: playing carrom without a board
Some filmmakers are happy performing superficial gimmicks and manage to fool a section of the audience that there’s some depth to their work. Karthik Subbaraj demonstrated this in Iraivi. Now it’s Pushkar-Gayathri’s turn in Vikram Vedha.