Karthick Naren to Lokesh Kanagaraj: Promising young filmmakers of Tamil cinema

Vijay Kumar ('Uriyadi')

Vijay Kumar made a stunning debut with his political thriller ‘Uriyadi’, which talks about the rampant issue of casteism. Despite a limited release, ‘Uriyadi’ was regarded as one of the best films of 2016 and Vijay Kumar soon became an important name among the younger lot. The film is a whimsical take on caste politics that are still practised in Tamil Nadu. ‘Uriyadi’ also depicted how the college students become a victim of politics. ‘Uriyadi’ opened to positive reviews from critics and was lauded for its uncompromising screenplay and action scenes. Despite critical acclaim, the film failed to mint money at the box office. In fact, ‘Uriyadi’ got its recognition after the audience watched a pirated version of the film online. Recently, it was screened at the Institute of Politics of the University of Wrocław in Poland.

Karthick Naren made his directorial debut when he was just 21 with ‘Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru’, a detective thriller, that released in 2016. With no big names involved, the film was equally celebrated by both critics and audience. ‘Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru’ tracks the story of a police officer Deepak (Rahman), who recollects a mysterious case that he once solved. Karthick Naren was particularly appreciated for his mature writing. One of the major highlights was the climax twist that took the audiences by a surprise. ‘Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru’ was lauded by several celebrities including filmmakers Gautham Menon, Shankar and actors Simbu, Sivakarthikeyan and Rana Daggubati. The film completed 100 days in theatres and became extremely successful at the box office. Karthick Naren is currently busy with his second film ‘Naragasooran’, which is being produced by Gautham Menon.

‘Maanagaram’ is easily the best film that released last year. The film, which marked the debut of Lokesh Kanagaraj, opened to rave reviews and became a money spinner at the box office. The word hyperlink cinema came into existence after the stupendous success of the film. ‘Maanagaram’ tells the story of different people from various walks of lives and their experiences living in a metropolitan city like Chennai. Lokesh Kanagaraj’s tight screenplay left the audience at the edge of the seats throughout the film. ‘Maanagaram’ was well-received in the Telugu belt as well and actor Ramadoss’s performance was the major highlight of the film. Several celebrities like superstar Rajinikanth to Suriya appreciated Lokesh Kanagaraj and ‘Maanagaram’. Made on a small budget, the film fetched enough moolah for the producers. Lokesh Kanagaraj is currently working on his next, which will be bankrolled by Dream Warrior Pictures.

Much like Karthik Subbaraj and Balaji Mohan, Nithilan Swaminathan started his career after appearing on the television reality show ‘Nalaiya Iyakunar’. Before making his directorial debut with ‘Kurangu Bommai’, Nithilan Swaminathan has made several short films. Especially the short film ‘Punnagai Vaanginaal Kanne’ was appreciated by veteran actor Kamal Haasan. Last year, Nithilan Swaminathan’s ‘Kurangu Bommai’ won the hearts of the audience for its moving screenplay. Like ‘Maanagaram’, this film also opened to rave reviews. Veteran director Bharathiraja received immense praise for this performance in an important role. ‘Kurangu Bommai’ was selected to be screened at Chennai International Film Festival.

After being an erstwhile assistant to director Mysskin, Sree Ganesh made his directorial debut last year with ‘8 Thottakkal’, a crime thriller that opened to outstanding reviews. However, the film failed to get the attention it ought to deserve due to Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kaatru Veliyidai’, which released along with this one. The film, which is inspired by ‘Stray Dog’, is about an innocent cop who loses his pistol to a pickpocketer. ‘8 Thottakkal’ was highly cited for its procedural screenplay and MS Bhaskar’s stellar performance as the antagonist. With ‘8 Thottakkal’, Sree Ganesh managed to impress the audience and has established as one of the important filmmakers in Tamil cinema.

Produced by Karthik Subbaraj, ‘Meyaadha Maan’ was projected as Kollywood’s answer to the musical drama ‘La La Land’. Though ‘Meyaadha Maan’ clashed alongside Vijay’s ‘Mersal’, the film received wide critical acclaim and was appreciated for its slapstick humour. Set in North Chennai, ‘Meyaadha Maan’ is a simple love story between Murali (Vaibhav) and Madhu (Priya Bhavani Shankar). Rathna Kumar’s newness in the rom-com genre was a refreshing change, which was also praised by superstar Rajinikanth. Actress Indhuja Ravichandran won over the audiences after her role as Sudarvizhi in the film. One of the major highlights were the songs composed by Santhosh Narayanan and Pradeep Kumar.

Suresh Sangaiah made an impressive debut with ‘Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu’. Barring the strange title, what’s amusing about the film is that it presents a view from the eyes of a goat. Set in a remote village in Tamil Nadu, it was a tailor-made film for Vidharth. The story revolves around Vidharth and his family, who leave for a nearby temple to offer goat sacrifice. The critics particularly appreciated Suresh Sangaiah’s screenplay that added the necessary village flavours. ‘Oru Kidayin Karunai Manu’ saw a limited release across Tamil Nadu. However, the film has achieved its due recognition, thanks to positive word of mouth.