Chasing the elusive masterpiece: The soulful photography of K Jayaram

How do you paint a portrait of a man who has so many facets that you don't know where to start from? You let other people tell his story. More importantly, you let his work speak for itself. Though Mr. Jayaram seems quite reserved, his pictures speak volumes. In Insects to Infinity, director Mahesh Yoganand …

Daddy and Dancing Rose: A tale of two boxers

A small piece of fan fiction about two colourful characters from Pa. Ranjith's opus, Sarpatta Parambarai.

Nayattu: When the hunter becomes the hunted

A gripping thriller that makes you care for both sides of the chase

MAMI Young Critics Lab 2020: Day One

The Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) hosts the Mumbai Film Festival every year, an event that brings together filmmakers, film enthusiasts and critics all over the country together for a celebration of the medium. Events include interviews of film personalities regarding their art and craft, a screening of hand-picked movies and the Young Critics …

Meta-cinema – A case for “not-so-great” cinema

Originally published on Baradwaj Rangan's blog. Read the full article here. I wanted to insert “Bad cinema” or even “Terrible cinema” in the title of this piece but that would be going against the very spirit of what I’m about to say. It’s what Gautham Menon mentioned in an interview many days back that got …

Fly on the wall: My dad’s days with Rajiv Menon

A memoir of the time my father spent working on a film with Rajiv Menon... And the years since.

The maddening need for closure

This is an article on the psychological need for closure and why it is stronger in some people. Originally published here on Baradwaj Rangan's blog. Sometimes we want to know what could happen. Sometimes we want to know what happens next. When a friend recommended Spoorloos to me, he narrated a scene from the movie …

Missed Movies and their honest short film

Originally published on Baradwaj Rangan's blog. Read the full article here. The name Missed Movies caught my attention on YouTube one day. It brought up this image in my mind of silent library books that were gathering dust on the shelves. Books that were wedged between the bookshelf and flashy novels while a librarian tried …

Betray-Maaran: Exploring an insidious emotion

Originally published on Baradwaj Rangan's blog. Read the full article here. “I never felt like I didn’t have a father -” Slash. Pettaikaaran deftly slits his own throat as only one practiced in culling roosters can. He falls, dooming Karuppu to a life of running from the law. Aadukalam was the first Vetrimaaran movie I …

Ilaiyaraja’s functional music: Two scenes from Nayagan

Originally published on Film Companion. Read the full article here. Music is a primal force, and when coupled with the moving image, it makes cinema a different beast compared to the novel. There’s a story that you can go back and relate to your friends, sure, but there are also scenes etched in your mind …