The recent success of the Tamil film Vaazhai is significant for not only Kollywood but other film industries in India as well. Vaazhai does very well what the Bengali industry is known for doing with so much passion for so long but is now overdoing it. The movie weds poetry with oppression and struggle, and delivers an epic story through the eyes of innocent children. This is more than just a children’s movie and it becomes clearer when we see the filmography of the director. Mari Selvaraj is known for movies with grim violence and angry protagonists like ‘Maamannan’ and ‘Karnan’. But Vaazhai does not have any of that, still manages to communicate the philosophy of Selvaraj.
We have seen a tendency of over-the-top violence and anger in Tamil films. And it will not be wrong to say that when it comes naturally with the flow of the plot, it contributes to make the movie better but when it becomes an easy trope, it is good to leave it. The Tamil film industry has many tropes that are good to let go now, and Vaazhai breaks away with many of them. It seems to be a good start as a filmmaker of Selvaraj’s stature comes up with a film like this.
The tremendous success of Vaazhai is indeed a trendsetter and let us see where this stands in the future of the Tamil film industry.