One of Kollywood’s most celebrated directors, Vetrimaaran turns 46 today. He is also a screenwriter and film producer, who’s works are predominantly in the Tamil film industry. The director often credits his success to Dhanush, with whom he has had multiple blockbusters, including his debut film ‘Polladhavan’ in 2007. Vetrimaaran, who earlier worked as an assistant to director Balu Mahendra, says that Dhanush had faith in him right from his first film. During the span of his career, the director has won 5 National Film Awards and 2 Filmfare Awards. His last directorial was ‘Oor Iravu’, a short film for the 2020 Netflix anthology ‘Paava Kadhaigal’, that deals with different stories of honour killing. Here is a list of 4 of his best films, that are luckily on OTT, so do check them out right away!
1. Aadukalam (Jio Cinema, MX Player)
This 2011 action-drama not only got huge commercial success, but also critical acclaim, fetching 6 National awards, including best actor and director, thereby sharing the record with 2002’s ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’, for the most National Film Awards won by a Tamil film. Also winning 6 Filmfare awards, the basic plotline of the film revolves around Madurai’s bloodsport of cock-fights, blended with a pinch of love, betrayal, and drama. With an IMDb rating of 8.1, this film should definitely be on your watchlist.
2. Visaranai (Netflix)
This 2015 crime thriller film written and directed by Vetrimaaran, is based on the novel ‘Lock Up’ by M. Chandrakumar. The film features Dinesh, Anandhi, Samuthirakani, Aadukalam Murugadoss and Kishore in lead roles and deals with the lives of four labourers tortured by the police to confess to a theft they have not committed. With an IMDb rating of 8.5, it was also selected as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.
3. Vada Chennai (Hotstar)
Another Vetri Maaran genius, this 2018 period gangster movie is the first installment of a planned Trilogy series. The film stars Dhanush in the lead, with Ameer, Andrea Jeremiah and Aishwarya Rajesh in important roles and scores an 8.5 on the IMDb meter. The plot centers around a proficient carrom player who sets foot in the world of crime and joins forces with local gangsters to settle their feuds. With time, this film achieved a cult classic status among audiences and remains a memorable one.
4. Asuran (Amazon Prime Video)
Just like the previous ones, this 2019 film too, got a phenomenal response from audiences and critics alike, and was remade in Telugu as ‘Narappa’. The story is based on the real-life ‘Kilvenmani’ massacre and inspired by Tamil novelist, Poomani’s ‘Vekkai’. The plot revolves around an aged farmer on the run with his family, compelled to protect his son, who in a fit of vengeance murders a wealthy, upper-caste landlord. The film has an IMDb rating of 8.5 and was among the 10 Indian films to be screened at the 78th Golden Globe Awards, under the Best Foreign Film category. It also won the National award for Best Feature Film and Dhanush too, won for Best Actor.
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