Thamizh Talkies: Cinema for the soul

If you had to watch only one film this week, which genre would you pick? Action, romantic drama or feel-good cinema? Action is a preferred genre as it brings in both young and middle-aged men in large numbers, and if the film turns out to be intriguing enough (like Vikram), families and women also pour in. Producers generally prefer to make action masala films as it is expected to satisfy the A, B and C centres, but I wonder if those classifications exist today—and it’s certainly not easy to execute a good action entertainer either. The ‘simple’ is the hardest to recreate in cinema. ‘Feel-good’ cinema is an abstract genre that makers shy away from narrating because most producers or actors find it tough to have the confidence that a subtle, emotional scene will be silently applauded by a cross-section of audiences. How does one ‘narrate’ finer qualities like grace and kindness, which Dhanush’s latest film has in heaps? This and the fact that Thiruchitrambalam is not preachy (because we have a tendency to misunderstand good advice FROM a character as goodness IN a character) is what’s making this film break the action film trend and win big at the box-office. 

Well done, Dhanush! For delivering a super-hit where other actors also move the story forward and where the girl takes the lead. Only actors with enormous talent and confidence will take on a simple, low-key role for a theatrical release and turn it into a box-office hit. Our cinema across India is hero-driven, save for a few important filmmakers or heroines whose names carry as much weight in the business of a film as the hero’s. It’s one thing to have a big banner like Sun Pictures and a star like Dhanush, but it’s another thing to understand that a film is an ensemble effort and bring in the best possible cast and have an A-list crew to execute abstract emotions. 

Prakash Raj who is having a dream run with stand-out roles which he makes outstanding with his presence and performance, along with Nitya Menen and Bharathiraja, provide a uniform level of good acting that holds our attention and makes us laugh and cry, thus bringing the abstract to life. Good writing and a good cast is half of making a good film. Good camera, music and editing makes up the rest. If Vikram brought in a repeat audience for its action thrills and star-power, Thiruchitrambalam is bringing in families and friends for a repeat watch because the scenes play out like moments from our own lives! This used to be an art-house cinema trope in the 80s, where the camera would not remain static and there would be moments for a character to pause and reflect before saying anything—silence would also mean something onscreen. Today, this constitutes good cinema, thankfully! The success of Mithran Jawahar’s film will give producers and actors more courage to back relationship stories. Tamil cinema can now see a re-entry of the ‘feel-good’.

Simple life stories need not be relegated to a direct OTT release or smaller screens or lesser screen time when they are made as well as Thiruchitrambalam. This one film is testimony that a story of friendship and family can make the cash register ring with as much noise (if not more) as a single hero bashing up ten goons in one go. Kudos to Dhanush, Nitya Menen, and Mithran Jawahar for breaking many a cliche and mainly for the graceful portrayal of the kind of girl who gets the hero, for the kindness a family needs to hold onto each other and for not belittling the other leading ladies in the name of hailing the hero’s broken heart.