In this page, you’ll find the work I’ve loved doing and I’m proud of. This is really the work I want you to see. 🙂
Manikandan, Inconspicuous Yet Striking
Inspired by the adulation his mother was getting for her effervescent performances in front of family, Manikandan took to mimicry. He has come a long way since.
Remembering Crazy Mohan: A breath of fresh laughs
The cascade of witticisms that gushed out from Crazy Mohan’s pen washed away any misconceptions about either life or death being a matter of life and death.
The old woman and the city
Seema Moses’ Bangalore was very different from today’s chaotic traffic nightmare. The matriarch of one of its last Jewish families is unimpressed by what she sees.
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Like Thiruchitrambalam, Dhanush’s Velai Illa Pattadhaari shows family’s role in individual’s self-discovery
The ordinary, drama-free, supportive family is a rarity in Tamil cinema — one that Velai Illa Pattadhaari does remarkably well.
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Gulu Gulu movie review: Rathna Kumar films ode to cruelty of life with kindness
‘Gulu Gulu’ is the journey of Google (Santhanam), an orphan/refugee who can not resist helping people at even grave personal costs.
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Best Tamil Films Of 2021
If the worst of 2021 are defined by their disregard for the audience’s intelligence, the best brought with them one thing: Surprise.
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Nithya Menen On Co-Producing Skylab, ‘Packaged Cinema’ And The Future She Wants To Create
“Just hearing the narration of Skylab gave me hope. I felt that in a world where there are stories like this, I will be fine,” says the actor.
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Manikandan, Inconspicuous Yet Striking
Inspired by the adulation his mother was getting for her effervescent performances in front of family, Manikandan took to mimicry. He has come a long way since.
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Susi Ganeshan – Leena Manimekalai Case History, Explained
For over three years, Leena Manimekalai has been running pillar to post defending herself in a criminal defamation case that the director filed against her for speaking up.
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Sarpatta Parambarai movie review: Arya, Pa Ranjith create a layered drama that captures rhythms of the sports genre
Pa Ranjith straddles his roles as a storyteller and an anthropologist with precision. This film certainly packs a punch.
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With unapologetic entertainers, KV Anand rescued audience from drudgery of everyday life
There are only two ways to read KV Anand’s work — you either suspend the last shred of disbelief and let yourself have a ball or be the pedant who stays dissatisfied. There is nothing in between.
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We’ve All Laughed At Yogi Babu, the Tamil Comedian. It’s Time to Applaud for Yogi Babu, the Actor
Since his debut in 2009, Tamil comedian Yogi Babu has built for himself a filmography most of which relied disproportionately on jibes about his appearance. This is why 2021 is an important year for him. In Mandela and Karnan, he explores roles he’s never done before and seals his place as an actor who can…
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Oru Pakka Kadhai movie review: Balaji Tharaneetharan offers one of the sharpest critiques of modern Tamil society
The biggest success of Oru Pakka Kathai is the adamant normalcy with which it treats everything.
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Meera Chopra vs Jr NTR Fans: Why Does Love For A Male Film Star Often Manifest Itself As Hatred For Women?
“Telugu films r best agree or die (sic)”, someone told me early last month, promptly ending that tweet with a skull emoji.
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Susi Ganesan’s Cross-Examination In His ‘MeToo’ Defamation Case Against Leena Manimekalai; Notes From The Court Room
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How Vadivelu’s comedy gave Tamil people a language of mockery and memes
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Serial Chiller: Marmadesam—Tamil’s truly captivating nostalgia TV is coming episode-by-episode to YouTube
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‘Game Over’ Review: Taapsee Pannu’s Genre-Bending Tamil Film Is On Point
Pannu turns in a spectacular performance as Swapna, a gamer suffering from PTSD after what seems to be a sexual assault. Standing up as the end credits for Game Over rolled, I recognised that I had a rather visceral reaction to the genre-bending film featuring Taapsee Pannu and Vinodhini — even as my heart was…
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Remembering Crazy Mohan: A breath of fresh laughs
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Why do angry young Tamil heroes love to cross-dress so much?
By me. Published on February 28, 2017, The Ladies Finger This line of thought — an actor’s credentials depending on his ability to play a woman — is a Tamil film staple, a residue of Tamil cinema’s history in stage-drama. Since then, even the most riotous of heroes have worn female clothing and acted as…
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The old woman and the city
By me. Published in April 2014, Fountain Ink Magazine Seema Moses’ Bangalore was very different from the chaotic, traffic-stricken city it is today. The matriarch of one of Bangalore’s last Jewish families, she saw the city change over the decades. Read the story at Fountain Ink.