‘Putham Pudhu Kalai’. ‘Soorarai Pottru’. And now ‘Paava Kadhaigal’. Sudha Kongara has been a part of all three hit films as their director and each film has received good reviews (to put it mildly). Granted ‘Putham Pudhu Kalai’ and ‘Paava Kadhaigal’ are both anthologies and she was only part of a short story each, but both short films were well liked (loved!!) and ‘Soorarai Pottru’ can be safely called India’s best movie of the year (Some people might contest and say ‘Dil Bechara’).
Sudha primarily works as a director and script writer in the Tamil film Industry. She also has experience working as an assistant director for seven years under directing legend Mani Ratnam. She is well known for directing dramas and thrillers and her films usually touch social issues, no matter the project. So it was a surprise when we saw the very first short film of ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ titled ‘Ilamai Idho Idho’ was a love story set during the Covid-19 lockdown. And she nailed it. But the surprising thing was that the short film was so good, despite it not being her main forte. It was a pleasant surprise and we are glad that Sudha is “broadening her horizons”.
The subject matter she tackled in the short film ‘Thangam’ from the anthology ‘Paava Kadhaigal’ was a lot more like the films she likes to tackle and that film too was amazing. The short film explores two main sensitive subject matters – transphobia and inter-religion marriage. Kalidas Jayaram, the actor she had previously worked with in Putham Pudhu Kaalai, portrays a transgender person and does an excellent job. The film features a unique love triangle and explores it through society’s (granted, a more ignorant society’s) eyes.
‘Soorarai Pottru’ needs no introduction. The film is based on the true events from the life of Simplifly Deccan founder G. R. Gopinath. Surya, who portrays the main protagonist is brilliant in this film and so is the actor Urvashi, who is having a brilliant year herself, but Sudha Kongara’s brilliant (invisible) touch can be “seen” in the film.
2020 has been a rough year for many, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic. But Sudha Kongara has somehow managed to make it her year through these films and she has become a household name by the end of it. What is more, all of her films were released on OTTs, and they have become some of India’s best films of the year. We wish her luck and hope to see more of her films, both on the big screen and on OTTs, in the future.
‘Putham Pudhu Kalai’, ‘Soorarai Pottru’ is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. ‘Paava Kadhaigal’ is currently running on Netflix.
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