The recently released Neelira (A Long Night), by filmmaker Someetharan, opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews. The film discusses the life of Sri Lankan Tamils when the IPKF turned rogue and began attacking them, along with the Sri Lankan army. In spite of being at the centre of the maelstrom, the film takes its sweet time to show what the Eelam Tamils are as a people rather than the one-note trepidatious characterisation. "It is important to show people have a life and they live it, despite the pressing crisis. You have a boy picking up a CD deck, the bride smiling as she checks how the jimikki kammal suits her, and people boozing before the wedding. They are all aware that they are at war from more than one side. It is a universal experience to take a breather to do what you love, no matter even if the world is ending," begins Someetharan.

Speaking about the depiction of the Tamils being ardent fans of Vijayakant and the political reading between the lines, Someetharan says that Vijayakant's films and songs made Tamils believe that they could achieve independence from Sri Lanka. "Aabavanan sir (Oomai Vizhigal writer) once said that the song 'Tholvi Nilai Ena Ninaithal' was dedicated to Tamils reeling under the oppression of the Sri Lankan government. It is not an understatement to say that Arjun sir and Vijayakant sir were nothing less than Rajinikanth sir and Kamal sir to the Tamils in Sri Lanka. More than us enjoying his films, his rebellious roles would motivate us to keep pursuing our dream of an independent state," he adds.

The actors in Neelira had to stay cold and stoic, and yet, showcase the inner turmoil of the characters. "Most of these actors have not lived in a war situation. So I shot certain portions where they behave like how ordinary people behave, in a cheerful way, ahead of the wedding. I scheduled the IPKF barging inside the house later, giving the actors time to engage with the screenplay and immerse themselves in their characters. The rest of the work in extracting the performance lies in delivering some intense and politically-charged lines," states Someetharan.

The filmmaker candidly admits without a basic understanding of the Sri Lankan Tamil crisis, it is hard to get involved with Neelira. However, he believes that the film could still be treated as a survival thriller. "You can also watch the film, and ask yourself why all this is happening, and how long has this been happening?"

Someetharan, who based this film from one of the many harrowing incidents he witnessed as a child, says that he picked this particular storyline to show how all three parties are fighting a war reluctantly. "Our people garlanded the IPKF soldiers when they landed in Sri Lanka, unaware that they would turn against us. We (Tamils) still view India as our 'Big Brother'. I wanted to capture the betrayal that shocked the Tamils, the perplexity of the Indian soldiers themselves, as they too did not plan on fighting the Tamils, and the Tamil rebels, many of whom were trained in India, fighting the IPKF. I wanted to capture the futility of this circle made up of the three parties with this film," he signs off.