‘Thevar Magan’ to ‘Paruthiveeran’: Six best rural cinema you need to watch

A lot of rural films have turned out to become successful ventures at the box office. More than the urban thrillers and love stories, there seems to be a liking for village-based stories among a particular set of audiences. Rural entertainers also have the advantage of catering to the B and C centers, unlike other films. Recently, Karthi-starrer ‘Kadai Kutty Singam’ became a huge hit at the box office. The film, directed by Pandiraj, has been celebrated by the audiences in villages and towns. Here’s a list of best rural hits of Tamil cinema.

Often regarded as one of Rajinikanth’s finest performances, ‘Murattu Kaalai’ was one of the earliest films that shot him to superstardom. Set in rural Tamil Nadu, the film saw Rajinikanth playing a character called Kaalaiyan, who was pitted against Jaishankar. Everything about the film became a pop-culture reference in films. In fact, Rajinikanth’s introduction song ‘Annanukku Jai’ is now being used as a title for the Dinesh-starrer. The dialogue “seeviduven” became one of the popular dialogues in the film. Upon its release in 1980, ‘Murattu Kaalai’ opened to fantastic reception and became a money spinner at the box office. Directed by SP Muthuraman, ‘Murattu Kaalai’ is often cited for one of the biggest hits of Rajinikanth.

‘Thevar Magan’ is arguably one of the best films written by Kamal Haasan, which went on to become one of the landmark films in the history of Tamil cinema. It marked the coming together of stalwarts such as Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Bharathan and Ilaiyaraaja. When it released in 1992, ‘Thevar Magan’, which makes a social commentary about casteism, became a phenomenal hit at the box office. In fact, it is often regarded as one of the best screenplays ever written in Tamil. Produced by Kamal Haasan himself, ‘Thevar Magan’ was officially chosen for India’s entry into the Oscars. However, it wasn’t nominated. In India, ‘Thevar Magan’ won five National Awards for Best Film, Best Supporting Actress, Best Playback Singer, Best Audiography and Special Mention for Sivaji Ganesan. The songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja became a smash hit as well. ‘Thevar Magan’ was screened at several international film festivals and has achieved a cult classic status.

After appearing in a series of commercial films, Kamal Haasan donned the director’s hat in ‘Virumaandi’, which is easily one of the best rural films ever. Known for its complex screenplay and intense characters, ‘Virumaandi’ is one film that captured the essence of village flavour. Ahead of its release, the film faced huge controversy from the then ruling government. However, it released 2004 to terrific reviews from critics. Playing the titular role, Haasan just stole the show. Set in Madurai, ‘Virumaandi’ opens the necessary debate of death penalty. Based on the Rashomon effect, ‘Virumaandi’ tells the story from two different perspectives. The film became a huge hit at the box office and was also screened at many international film festivals.

Unlike other actors, Kathi had a dream debut with ‘Paruthiveeran’. After working as an assistant director to Mani Ratnam, Karthi made his acting debut as a village rufflan in ‘Paruthiveeran’, which is regarded as one of the landmark films in the history of Tamil cinema. Set in a remote village in Tamil Nadu, it revolves around Paruthiveeran (Karthi), a carefree village rogue, who gets involved in a lot of troubles, and his lover Muthazhagu (Priyamani). The rest of the film is about the challenges faced by the couple, followed by a distributing climax that left the audience in teary-eyed. ‘Paruthiveeran’ opened to rave reviews from critics and was celebrated by audiences globally. It was screened at several national and international film festivals and won two National Awards -- Best Actress and Best Editing. The film saw a phenomenal response at the ticket window and completed a 200-day run at the box office.

Set in Madurai, ‘Subramaniapuram’ tells the story of a bunch of vagabonds who eventually become pawns in the game of money and power. Apart from the politics, ‘Subramaniapuram’ also focuses on friendship and loyalty, which also form the theme of the story. What’s surprising even today is how Sasikumar managed to create the ‘80s setting so beautifully in ‘Subramaniapuram’. In the sense that every character we meet is rooted, real and vulnerable in their own sense. Upon release, Sasikumar also won lots of appreciation for the earthy dialogues. The biggest strength of ‘Subramaniapuram’ was that it had actors playing rooted characters and not stars. Even today, Sasikumar is more popular for his role as Paraman, Jai as Azhagar and so on. On the 10th anniversary of ‘Subramaniapuram’, Anurag Kashyap revealed that the film inspired him to make ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’.

When Vetri Maaran made ‘Aadukalam’ in 2011, he was heavily influenced by a set of films and filmmakers. Strongly rooted in Madurai, the film depicts the rooster fighting culture. Dhanush plays the role of a rooster fighter Kaaru, who challenges his boss Pettaikaran in a life-changing cockfight. Upon its release, ‘Aadukalam’ created waves across the country and won six National Awards, sharing the record with Mani Ratnam’s ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’. Particularly, the critics appreciated how Vetri Maaran perfectly portrayed the Madurai lifestyle and the rooster portions. Dhanush won his first National Award for Best Actor. In fact, ‘Aadukalam’ became a game-changing film for Dhanush, and also became very successful at the box office.