vetrimaran recommended books

• Free Shipping on orders above ₹ 500

• +91.9789009666 Call / WhatsApp
• Contact Leave us a message
• Visit Our Bookstore
• Family novels | குடும்ப நாவல்கள்
• Fantasy Novels | அதிபுனைவு நாவல்கள்
• Graphic Novel | கிராஃ பிக் நாவல்
• Historical Novels | சரித்திர நாவல்கள்
• Short Novel | குறுநாவல்
• French Translations | பிரஞ்சு மொழிபெயர்ப்புகள்
• Malaiyalam Translation | மலையாள மொழிபெயர்ப்பு
• Russian Translation | ரஷ்ய மொழிபெயர்ப்பு
• அறிவியல் புனைகதை
• கிராமியக் கதைகள்
• நாட்டுப்புறகதைகள்
• Culture | பண்பாடு
• Dalitism | தலித்தியம்
• Economics | பொருளாதாரம்
• Education | கல்வி
• Family - Relationship | குடும்பம் - உறவு
• Feminism | பெண்ணியம்
• Life Style | வாழ்க்கை முறை
• Nature - Environment | இயற்கை - சுற்றுச்சூழல்
• Parenting | குழந்தை வளர்ப்பு
• Science | அறிவியல்
• பகுத்தறிவு சிந்தனை | Rational Thinking
• Coloring Books
• குழந்தைகளுக்கான சிறந்த புத்தகங்கள்
• சித்திரக்கதை
• சிறுவர் கதை
• Politics | அரசியல்
• Combo Offers
• New Arrivals

Your shopping cart is empty!

வெற்றி மாறன்

• Let me explain
• Yen Endra Kelvi
• SUBSCRIBER ONLY
• Whats Your Ism?
• Pakka Politics
• NEWSLETTERS

A love for words: Writer Poomani on his books, translation, and film adaptations

In writer Poomani’s novels, the bird calls are loud. The warm earth too, you can feel beneath your feet. You can hear the sound of streams, sense the smooth swaying of crops tickled by the breeze and feel the heat rising from bare rocks. It is a world teeming with sights, sounds and smells, a vivid picture that he paints within the pages of his novels. To experience it, to see the world as Poomani sees it, is a pleasure impregnated by the pauses a reader takes to ingest the beauty and make it his/her own. But Poomani’s novels don’t just give us idyllic, rustic images. The stories are spun with threads of culture, history, traditions, folklore and familial bonds.

37 years after  Vekkai  was first published, Poomani’s second novel that came out when he was 35-years-old, the book is being translated into English by writer N Kalyan Raman and will be published as  Heat  by Juggernaut Publishers this May. Vekkai will also be reimagined into a feature length film by director Vetrimaaran starring Dhanush in the lead. Titled Asuran , the film went into production earlier this year. "Vetrimaaran visited me to request for permission. I was happy that they wanted to make a film out of it," he says.

Will he be contributing to its screenplay, we ask, given that he's already directed a film in 1998, Karuvelam Pookkal , for National Film Development Corporation of India? "Oh no, I don't want to. It's an ugly business," he says before moving on to talk more about his books.

His first,  Piragu , too will be translated into English by Dr Marx, English Professor at Pondicherry University, and published by Chennai-based Emerald Publishers around the same time as  Heat . Although Poomani expresses his excitement to see two of his books presented to non-Tamil readers for the first time, he adds that it's a "curse" that there aren't enough translators who take interest in doing such work.

Now at 72, Poomani will be introduced to a whole new generation and his world will open up to many outside Tamil Nadu and even India.  Vekkai (Heat) , is a coming-of-age novel set in the fertile karisal bhoomi (rain-fed lands) of Tamil Nadu and follows the story of Chidambaram, our 15-year-old protagonist whom circumstances render a killer. In many ways,  Vekkai’ s Chidambaram can be compared to Scout from Harper Lee’s  To Kill a Mocking Bird and Huck from Mark Twain's  Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

We see the world through his eyes, understand its many layers from the perspective of a young adult and pick up on life skills that can only come from being pushed into a fight for survival. There’s knowledge to remember and sights that linger between the real and the imagined, at the end of  Vekkai.

Chidambaram rages through the croplands and graveyards of the karisal bhoomi, wanders through thorn forests and steep slopes but this journey is a meticulously planned life primer for the young boy by his family, his father in particular. In travelling with him, the vekkai (heat) inside Chidambaram’s heart ignites the reader as well.

The novel is split into eight chapters for all the 8 days that Chidambaram is on the run with his father after an unintended murder. The narrative’s gradient is from a burning passion for revenge to an unsettling heaviness that comes from being on the constant run and finally it quivers with a heartache for all that has been lost but ends with hope.

In his Author’s Note, Poomani writes, “He was the killer; I was the one who went into hiding and roamed the forests”. Now, seated in front of us in his living room with its orange walls, he chuckles when we recall the line. “I wrote from my own personal experiences. I’ve roamed the forests in my childhood, I’ve herded cattle, I’ve raised dogs, cats and birds. I have a fondness, vaanjaiana anbu (a passionate love) for animals,” he says.

And this love for animals and nature in general is seen in his writing, a rare emotion that hasn’t been captured to its fullest by many writers, rues Poomani. “Writer Janakiraman did that so well. There’s a portion in one of his books where two men sit on the banks of Cauvery, munching on betel leaves and talking about life. You’d feel like you sat there along with them, rolling betel leaves for them,” he shares with a fondness for the craft.

Vekkai/Heat  is a truly gripping novel that grabs your attention right from the first chapter, and you can almost hear the building tempo of drum beats in between the lines. While the book does not openly discuss caste, told as it is from the perspective of a young boy, it makes it apparent that authority favours the one with power. The plight of the working class and those without land in the hands of the wealthy and the landed.

“This novel is not about caste. Because Chidambaram’s mind is beyond all that. He only knows and cares about his family and he is forced into picking up a weapon for the love of his family. He need not know the land owner’s name. He’s only Vaddakuran (the northerner) and the goon in his house is only Thadiyan (fat guy),” says Poomani.

In that sense, Poomani has only cared about writing stories that have never been told, overthrowing stereotypes, treading the craggy divide that splits people - religion, caste, class, gender, etc . “My first,  Piragu, is on the lives of the Arunthathiyars. No one before me had written about it. It was called a pioneering work. The novel’s very first - ‘adai chakilithayeli’ line shocked many at that time,” he laughs.

His next after  Vekkai  was  Neivethiyam  (1985) which told the story of a Brahmin widow, after which came  Vaaikkal  and then  Varappugal, both in 1995, that told the story of school children and teachers respectively.

Poomani’s biggest work,  Agnaadi, came out in 2012 and won him several awards including the Sahitya Akademi. The novel that explored the 'Sivakasi Kalavaram' (Sivakasi riots) and chronicled the lives of the Nadar community was the result of a back-breaking two-year research. “I started writing it soon after my retirement in 2005 and it took me seven years in total. There were written documents that told a story and I’ve heard of unwritten history from many. I wanted to write a story based on facts and so I spent several months combing through government archives for it. I read several religious texts to understand the happenings over 200 years ago,” he says.

In 2018 came  Kombai , a retelling of the Mahabaratha which focuses on its women. “The story that Krishna protected Draupadi is false. She was a brave woman who was capable of protecting herself. I wanted this story to be told, of the strong women from the epic who were far more interesting than its men.” This book, he tells us, was written with the help of a typist. “After  Agnaadi, my nerves got worse and I wasn’t able to write as well as I did. So  Kombai,  I wrote with my tongue,” he chuckles.

With his fountain of words still gurgling and vibrant, Poomani is now writing the story of Andal, the 7th century poet and saint. “Her  Nachiyar Tirumozhi  is so full of passion and beauty. They have suppressed it. No one talks about it, about Andal’s desires. My book will.” The writer also shares that this book will feature a myraid of characters like Ashwathaman from Mahabaratha , Buddha, Periazhvar, Ashoka, Kannagi and even Alexander the Great!

He puts in six hours every day, 11.00 am to 2.00 pm and then from 5.00 to 8.00 pm, writing with his tongue, as he puts it, from a small room with lavender coloured walls above his house in Kovilpatti.

On days when he’s under the weather, he cuts his work time by half, his wife tells us. Rosy, his tenant and typist, is seated next to him, her hands busy over the keyboard, digiitising the archives Poomani used for  Agnaadi ’s research. “It should be made available for everyone. We will make it into an e-book,” he explains.

And it is evident that this vigorous passion for writing, for telling untold stories, will not diminish in Poomani. In his own words, “The sound of a bell tied around with flowers, poomani, may not be loud. But it will ring nonetheless.” 

Related Stories

• ₹ 10 Lakh,1" data-value="Loan ₹ 10 Lakh">Loan ₹ 10 Lakh
• Games & Puzzles

• Entertainment
• Latest News
• Kolkata doctor rape case LIVE
• Shikhar Dhawan Retirement
• NEET PG 2024 Result Live
• Web Stories
• Mumbai News
• Bengaluru News
• Daily Digest

Why Vetrimaaran is the most interesting director in Tamil films today

Vetrimaaran is arguably among the most interesting filmmaker working in the tamil film industry. here’s documenting his rise and what it takes to be a talent like him..

His production house’s name, Grass Root Film Company, is a clear pointer to Vetrimaaran’s worldview. This Deepavali’s biggest release in Tamil Nadu is, arguably, Kodi (Flag), a political thriller he has produced that stars Dhanush in his first double role, as twin brothers. The twins may be identical but their natures are mutually exclusive. Refreshingly, Kodi casts Trisha as a feisty woman politico, giving Dhanush’s eponymous hero a run for his money.

“For a hero movie, it’s pretty decently written,” pronounces Baradwaj Rangan, film critic and associate editor at The Hindu. “There’s a conflict, there are surprises and even within a commercial film, it’s properly written and directed. It’s not some random moments strung together to get people whistling.”

The film’s premise is how politics and political interests shape communities and the quality of their life. In this case, it involves skullduggery surrounding a factory emitting toxic effluents. It could be happening not too far away from our backyards.

At the Oscars

Vetrimaaran himself, however, was conspicuous by his absence during Kodi’s promos. He has a bigger task on hand. Visaaranai (Interrogation), the part-docudrama, part-crime thriller he directed, is India’s official entry to the 89th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. So he is in the US persuading jurors take note of his film, which has some truly hairy torture scenes. The last Tamil film that made it to the Oscars was 16 years back: Hey Ram starring Kamal Haasan.

Usually, the choice of any film to represent the country at the Oscars polarises critics, but Visaaranai remains largely unchallenged. Rangan agrees. “Visaaranai was a fantastic film.”

It tells the story of innocent migrant labourers picked up and tortured by the police to extract a false confession for a fatal robbery at an influential man’s house. How the film, shot in 42 days on a Rs 2-crore budget and eventually wining three National Film Awards, got made is interesting. After his Aadukalam in 2011, Vetrimaaran had busied himself with his production ventures, Udhayam NH4, Poriyaalan and Kaaka Muttai. When he was prepared to shoot his next, the script he picked was Soodhadi, a story on gambling, proposing Dhanush in the lead role. However, the actor had to take time off to work in Balki’s Shamitabh, being shot in Mumbai.

Vetrimaaran was mooting a book adaptation when director Balu Mahendra’s assistant serendipitously presented him with Lock Up, a riveting, partly autobiographical book written by M Chandrakumar, a former autorickshaw driver. The book, which took five years to write and another four to publish, narrates his harrowing experience while in jail in (then) Andhra Pradesh.

“When I pitched the story to Dhanush, who later produced the film, I said I can only guarantee you a three-day weekend run at the box office. But it’s a low-budget venture; you’ll get your investment back,” Vetrimaaran laughs. “Dhanush was amused, but agreed to fund the project. [I thought] it’s the kind of film that would not bring in repeat audiences. I was proved wrong and it got a good three-week run.”

The author, Chandrakumar, was incarcerated for a fortnight way back in 1983. “Yet his experiences are relevant even today,” points out Vetrimaaran. “Visaaranai reflects a stark reality from which you cannot shut yourself out: that is its success. It was challenging to find the right kind of actors and locations. We employed real stuntmen who could exercise restraint while beating up the actors.”

“What was unique was that there were a lot of first-time actors in the film; that added rawness to it,” says K Hariharan, filmmaker and critic. “Actors like Samuthirakkani and Kishore were entirely on the sidelines. That made it an interesting watch.”

Astutely, the team decided to send it to international film fests right away, confident it would work with foreign audiences. Visaaranai premiered at the Orrizonti section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, a first for a Tamil film, and won the Amnesty International Italia Award. Crucially, the European audience was exposed to a hitherto unexplored form of Tamil cinema that dealt with grim reality in a non-dramatic but powerful way.

“Europeans have a different policing system. They found my narrative a bit harsh, though they were moved,” explains Vetrimaaran.

A rooted voice

It is Vetrimaaran’s preoccupation with sometimes gritty, sometimes heartwarming reality that makes this 41-year-old one of the best filmmakers of our times.

“The best thing about the regional filmmakers is that they bring in a very ‘native’ feel,” says Rangan. “Like if I watch Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat for instance, I find [elements] that remind me of Vetrimaaran. But that’s more because these filmmakers do these ‘rooted’ things very well. They give you the sense of the atmosphere, the rhythms of life in that particular environment, they take care to bring them alive.”

His critically acclaimed debut venture, Polladhavan (Ruthless Man) in 2007, followed a lower middle-class young man’s search for his stolen bike, an exercise that takes him through the seamy underworld. Four years later came Aadukalam (Arena), a Pongal release that raked in six National Film Awards. The cockfight arena was where love, ego, honour, friendship and betrayal were played out in the rustic backdrop of Madurai.

Says Manimaran, long-time friend and assistant, “Vetri used to like watching cockfights in the neighbourhood in our hometown. So he thought we could develop a story around them.”

There was no doubt about who would play the lead. “I wrote Aadukalam keeping Dhanush in mind,” says Vetrimaaran. “As an actor, he delivers exactly what I need and sometimes more. As a producer, he offers me complete freedom and does not interfere at all. He trusts me completely.”

Rangan explains the Vetrimaaran touch, “There is a world of difference in the way he uses the song and dance elements in Polladhavan and Aadukalam. They have become more organic and rooted; they’re not fantasy elements.”

“I personally prefer Aadukalam to Visaaranai, but it’s like comparing apples and oranges,” says Hariharan. “Aadukalam had a certain kind of warmth and spontaneity. Visaaranai, to me, looked rather staged.”

He explains, “Visaaranai’s [appeal across the world] is that for the first time in Tamil cinema, you see this kind of brute reality without the director taking recourse to a love story or family drama. It’s also interesting that a country like India allowed such a strongly critical film on the system. There’s no doubt that Vetrimaaran is a bold filmmaker.”

Vetrimaaran’s productive chemistry with Dhanush has paid rich dividends. The two went on to produce Kaaka Muttai (Crow’s Egg) in 2015, a subversive film poking fun at what is regarded as cool - pizzas, in this case. This little gem, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, tracks two brothers from a Chennai slum dying to taste a pizza. Directed by M Manikandan with wit, not once is the children’s dignity compromised. Their family struggles in a heartless and corrupt city and soon we find ourselves cheering for our little heroes. Kaaka Muttai pocketed two National Film Awards.

“There is a stamp of quality that people have begun to associate with Vetrimaaran, because even the films he produces are pretty decent,” says Rangan, adding that he looks for, and gets, that certain quality.

Vetrimaaran’s genius lies in shining a light on people we would not even glance at in our rat race. His films show us that ordinary people often lead extraordinary lives if only we stop to talk to them.

Smitten by cinema

Born in Cuddalore near Puducherry and raised in Ranipet, a suburban town in Vellore district, two and a half hours from Chennai, Vetrimaaran was smitten by cinema even as a child. His mother, a writer, ran a school in the area, while his father was a veterinarian. Friends remember him as a film buff who watched every movie that came to town.

“He would bunk classes and watch them, each three or four times. Then he would come to the school ground where we used to hang out until 7:30 in the evening and would retell the whole story to us. My friends and I have actually walked out of the theatre at times because the film was nowhere as good as his narration. He still has that quality,” says Manimaran, his assistant.

Vetrimaaran was in his second year of Masters in English Literature in 1999 when the now-deceased filmmaker Balu Mahendra was invited to judge a short film contest at the Loyola College, Chennai. Shortly afterwards, he attended a seminar conducted by the director and was inspired enough to assist him in Julie Ganapathy, Athu Oru Kanaa Kaalam and the television series Kadhai Neram.

Athu Oru Kanaa Kaalam cemented his friendship with the lead actor, Dhanush, whom he describes as his best friend. While still assisting Balu Mahendra, Vetrimaaran pitched the story of Desiya Nedunchalai, and the actor readily agreed to play the lead.

Recalls Manimaran, “Producers were not hard to come by because we had Dhanush. But a few had misgivings about how Vetri would handle the project as a newcomer. So we tossed aside that script, which I later made into Udhayam NH4.”

The initial years proved to be rough. “I was pitching different scripts to different people for three years and it was the sixth producer who okayed Polladhavan,” says Vetrimaaran on his directorial debut.

Adds Manimaran, who assisted him in the project, “After the film was edited, we were really scared to show it to the producer. We kept stalling the screening telling him it may not have come out as he expected. Finally, when he saw it, he was satisfied. We were relieved and gradually grew confident.”

Pushing for excellence

When Manimaran himself forayed into direction with Udhayam NH4 in 2013, Vetrimaaran returned the favour by stepping in as producer under his banner, Grass Root Film Company. As he puts it, “I want my production house to be a platform for good, interesting ideas. I can find a producer for my films, but others, who may be first-time filmmakers, might have innovative scripts that mainstream producers might not understand. Like Kaaka Muttai for instance.

“I produce films in partnership as I may not be able to afford the entire budget. Dhanush ends up co-producing some of them as our tastes are similar. None of my producers ever ask me for the budget. I always make sure it is within their means and I can give the desired returns.”

For someone who has been successful both commercially as critically, Vetrimaaran has directed only three films in nine years. “For me, every film is a learning process. After each, I take time to unlearn. Then I find new content, learn it completely and then execute it.”

Manimaran describes his working process thus, “Many directors make changes to the script on the spot. But Vetrimaaran is different because he pays attention to detail. He puts in a lot of effort, so there may be last-minute adjustments with lighting and locations. Unlike working with other directors, you need to be available 24 hours.”

Outside of work, the father of two, who met his wife Aarthi while at college, likes to race pigeons, pretty much like the characters he portrays. His rootedness has also led him to voice the germ of an idea: setting up an organic farm eventually.

Rangan describes grit as the definitive quality of Vetrimaaran’s films, and praises his skill in animating the atmosphere in terms of the integrity of the characters, the plot, and the texture. “The way he shapes the characters and writes them, you feel that these are not [just] individual people; you get a sense of where they come from, where they belong. [They’re] not just some random characters floating around.”

His fans are already talking about his fourth film, Vada Chennai (North Chennai), an ambitious gangster trilogy he has been planning since 2003. After undergoing several changes of scripts and stars, Dhanush, Vijay Sethupathi, Amala Paul and Samuthirakkani are among those confirmed on the project that is currently under way. Slated for release next year, Vada Chennai is also bound to have the by-now classic Vetrimaaran stamp.

(Published in arrangement with GRIST Media.)

• Terms of use
• Privacy policy
• Weather Today
• HT Newsletters
• Subscription
• Print Ad Rates
• Code of Ethics

• India vs Sri Lanka
• Live Cricket Score
• Cricket Teams
• Cricket Players
• ICC Rankings
• Cricket Schedule
• Shreyas Iyer
• Harshit Rana
• Kusal Mendis
• Ravi Bishnoi
• Rinku Singh
• Riyan Parag
• Washington Sundar
• Avishka Fernando
• Charith Asalanka
• Dasun Shanaka
• Khaleel Ahmed
• Pathum Nissanka
• Other Cities
• Income Tax Calculator
• Petrol Prices
• Diesel Prices
• Silver Rate
• Relationships
• Art and Culture
• Taylor Swift: A Primer
• Telugu Cinema
• Tamil Cinema
• Board Exams
• Exam Results
• Admission News
• Employment News
• Competitive Exams
• BBA Colleges
• Engineering Colleges
• Medical Colleges
• BCA Colleges
• Medical Exams
• Engineering Exams
• Love Horoscope
• Annual Horoscope
• Festival Calendar
• Compatibility Calculator
• Career Horoscope
• Manifestation
• The Economist Articles
• Lok Sabha States
• Lok Sabha Parties
• Lok Sabha Candidates
• Explainer Video
• On The Record
• Vikram Chandra Daily Wrap
• Entertainment Photos
• Lifestyle Photos
• News Photos
• Olympics 2024
• Olympics Medal Tally
• Other Sports
• EPL 2023-24
• ISL 2023-24
• Asian Games 2023
• Public Health
• Economic Policy
• International Affairs
• Climate Change
• Gender Equality
• future tech
• HT Friday Finance
• Explore Hindustan Times
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Subscription - Terms of Use

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 2

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 3

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 4

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 5

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 6

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 7

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 8

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 9

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 10

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 11

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ -12

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 13

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 14

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 15

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 16

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 17

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 18

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 19

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 20

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 21

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 22

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 23

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 24

மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 25

• மைல்ஸ் டு கோ - 1

படங்கள்: ஸ்டில் ராபர்ட்

அடர்ந்து இருள் படர்ந்து கிடக்குது காடு. செல்ல வேண்டும் பல காத தூரம்.' `மைல்ஸ் டு கோ... உன் வாழ்க்கையின் எந்த ஒரு சூழ்நிலையிலும் நீ மறக்கக் கூடாத மந்திரம் இது.

‘நீ கடக்கவேண்டியது வெகுதூரம்’னு ராபர்ட் ஃப்ராஸ்ட் சொன்ன இந்த வாக்கியம் ஒருத்தரை உற்சாகப்படுத்தலாம்; ஆறுதல்படுத்தலாம்; பாராட்டலாம். உன் உச்சத்தை உடனே தொட்டுடாதே... `தொட்டுட்டோம்’னு நினைப்பு வந்துட்டாக்கூட, அதுக்கு அப்புறம் வளர்ச்சி இல்லை’னு ஒருநாள் சொன்னார் என் டைரக்டர். உண்மைதான். உச்சிக்குச் சென்றுவிட்டால், எல்லா பக்கங்களும் சரிவுதான். அதான் எப்பவும் நான் எனக்கே சொல்லிக்கொள்கிற மந்திரம்...  ‘மைல்ஸ் டு கோ’!

சைதாப்பேட்டை பக்கம் பேர்ன்பேட்டை என்ற இடத்தில், ஓர் ஒண்டிக்குடித்தன ரூமில் இருந்து பள்ளிக்குப் போய் வந்தப்பவும் நான் வெற்றி மாறன்தான். வெனிஸ் உலகத் திரைப்பட விழாவில் ‘விசாரணை’ படத்துக்காக விருது வாங்கினப்பவும் அதே வெற்றி மாறன்தான். பேர்ன்பேட்டைக்கும் வெனிஸ் விழாவுக்கும் நடுவில் நான் கடந்த மைல்கள்தான் இதுவரையிலான என் வாழ்க்கை. அப்படி நான் நினைச்ச, நடந்த, நடந்து கடந்த, கடக்க விரும்பும் மைல்களைப் பத்தி பேசலாம். இந்த முன்-பின் காலப் பயணத்தைப் பிரிக்கிற புள்ளியா இப்போ கண் முன்னால் நிற்பது ‘விசாரணை’!  ஆரம்பம் தற்செயலா நடந்ததுதான். ஒருநாள் தனுஷிடம் ‘தியேட்டர்ல மூணே மூணு நாள் ஓடுற ஒரு படம் இருக்கு. தயாரிக்கிறீங்களா?’னு கேட்டேன். ‘உலகத்துல எந்த டைரக்டரும் ஒரு தயாரிப்பாளரிடம் இப்படிச் சொல்லியிருக்க மாட்டாங்க’னு சிரிச்ச தனுஷ், என் மீதுள்ள நம்பிக்கையில் கதையைக்கூட கேட்காமல் அங்கேயே `ஆரம்பிச்சிடலாம்'னு சொன்னார்.

அந்த அளவுக்கு ‘விசாரணை’ மேல் எனக்கு நம்பிக்கை வரக் காரணமான மனிதர் சந்திரகுமார். ‘விசாரணை’யின் மூலக்கதையான ‘லாக்கப்’ நாவலை எழுதியவர். இந்த நாவலை எங்க டைரக்டரிடம் வொர்க் பண்ணின ஞானசம்பந்தன் என்கிற தங்கவேலவன்தான் படம் பண்ணலாம்னு என்னிடம் கொண்டுவந்து தந்தார். இப்ப அவரும் படம் பண்ணப்போறார். ‘உங்கள் நாவலைப் படமாக்குறேன்’னு நான் சொன்னதும், ‘அன்னைக்கு நாங்க அழுத அழுகை, அந்த நாலு சுவர் தாண்டி வெளிய கேட்டுடாதானு ஏங்கினோம். நாளைக்கு இந்த உலகமே அதைக் கேட்கப்போகுது தோழர்’னு சந்திரகுமார் சொன்ன வலி நிறைந்த அந்த வார்த்தைகள்தான் இந்தப் படைப்பின் ஆதாரம்.  ‘விசாரணை’ படத்தை உலகத் திரைப்பட விழாக்களுக்காக எடுக்கணும்னு முடிவுபண்ணினேன். அதனால்தான் தனுஷிடம் அப்படிக் கேட்டேன். திரைப்பட விழாக்கள் கலையை, திறமையை வெளிக்காட்டும் தளம் மட்டுமே கிடையாது; மாற்று சினிமாவுக்கான மாற்றுச் சந்தையையும் கண்டுபிடிக்கிற இடம். அந்த மார்க்கெட் நோக்கித்தான் ‘விசாரணை’ படத்தைக் கொண்டுபோக நினைச்சேன். அப்ப என் மனசுல வந்த முதல் விழா, கேன்ஸ் திரைப்பட விழா.

கோடம்பாக்கத்தில் இருக்கிற எல்லா சினிமாக்காரனுக்குமே ஒரு கர்வம் இருக்கும். முக்குல நின்னு கடன் சொல்லி ஒன் பை டு டீ குடிச்சாலும் ‘நாங்கள்லாம்...’ங்கிற மிதப்புல எப்பவும் இருப்போம். ஆனா, கேன்ஸ் நகர வீதிகளில் பத்து நாட்கள் நடந்தாப் போதும்.... அந்தக் கர்வத்தை எல்லாம் அடிச்சு நொறுக்கிடும். `சினிமா என்கிற கடல்ல ஒரு துளியாக்கூட இருக்க நமக்குத் தகுதி இருக்கா?’னு ஒரு நிதானம் வந்துடும். அப்படி ஓர் ஊர்; அப்படி ஒரு விழா. `சினிமாவுக்காக தமிழன் என்ன வேணும்னாலும் செய்வான்’னு சொல்வாங்க. ஆனா, அந்த ஊர் மக்கள் முன்பு நாமெல்லாம் ஒண்ணுமே இல்லை. காலையில் 9 மணி ஷோ. அந்த தியேட்டர்ல 1,500 பேர் படம் பார்க்கலாம். 7:30 மணிக்கு கிளம்பிப் போறேன். அன்னைக்கு லேசா மழை. எனக்கு முன் 2,000 பேர் குடையோடு நிக்கிறாங்க. சினிமாவுக்காக எதையும் தியாகம் செய்யத் தயாராயிருக்காங்க. அந்த ஊர் கல்லூரி மாணவர்கள், மாணவிகள் எல்லார்கிட்டயும் ஒரு ப்ளக்கார்டு இருக்கு. அதுல `வெளிய ரொம்பக் குளிரா இருக்கு.

ஒரு டிக்கெட் இருந்தா, நானும் உங்ககூட வந்து படம் பார்த்திடுவேன்’கிற வாசகங்கள். எக்ஸ்ட்ரா டிக்கெட்டைக்கூட ரசனையா கேட்கிறாங்க. சுத்தி எங்கே பார்த்தாலும் சினிமாதான். ஒரு ஹோட்டல்... `ஹில்டன்’னு நினைக்கிறேன். காரிடார்ல உட்காந்து சாப்பிடலாம். அங்கே ஒரு சேர்ல ஒரு நடிகையோட சிலை. அவங்க கேன்ஸ் வந்தபோது கடைசியா உட்கார்ந்து சாப்பிட்ட இடமாம் அது. அப்படி சினிமாவையும் சினிமாக்காரர்களையும் கொண்டாடுற இடம் கேன்ஸ். சினிமாவில் நானும் ஓர் அங்கமா இருக்கேன்னு பெருமையா உணரவெச்ச இடம். அந்தத் திரைப்பட விழாவுக்கு நம்ம படமும் போகணும் என்பதுதான் அப்போ எங்க கனவு.

`கேன்ஸ் பட விழாவுக்கு எந்த வெர்ஷனை அனுப்பலாம், எப்படி எடிட் பண்ணலாம்?’னு எடிட்டர் கிஷோரோட ஆபீஸ்ல பேசிட்டு இருந்தோம். அந்தச் சமயத்தில்தான் கிஷோர் மயங்கி விழுந்தார். ஹாஸ்பிட்டலுக்குத் தூக்கிட்டு ஓடினோம்.

அவரோட கடைசி மூச்சு, எண்ணம் எல்லாத்திலும் `விசாரணை' படம்தான் இருந்தது. ஒரு வாரப் போராட்டத்துக்குப் பிறகு, இனி அவர் இல்லை என்பதை ஜீரணிக்கவே எங்களுக்கு பல நாட்கள் ஆகிடுச்சு. அதுக்குள்ள கேன்ஸ் பட விழாவும் முடிஞ்சிருச்சு. அந்த வெர்ஷனை அனுராக் காஷ்யபுக்கு அனுப்பியிருந்தேன். அவர் படம் பார்த்துட்டு ‘இந்திய சினிமாவுக்கு ஒரு புதுத் திரைமொழி வரப்போகுது’ என்பதை இந்தப் படம் தெளிவா சொல்லுது’னு ‘விசாரணை’ படத்துக்குப் பெரிய மரியாதையை ஏற்படுத்திக்கொடுத்தார். அவர்தான் வெனிஸ் திரைப்பட விழாவுக்கு டி.வி.டி அனுப்பச் சொன்னார். `நானே நேர்ல போய் கொடுக்கிறேன்’னு கிளம்பிப் போயிட் டேன். `அந்தத் தேர்வாளர் தனியாத்தான் படம் பார்ப்பார்’னு சொன்னாங்க. எக்ஸாம் எழுதிட்டு முடிவுக்காகக் காத்திருக்கிற ஒரு சின்னப் பையன் மனநிலையில் நான் வெளியே காத்திருந்தேன். பொண்ணு பார்த்துட்டுப் போய் `லெட்டர் போடுறோம்’னு சொல்வாங்களே...  அந்த மாதிரி `மெயில் அனுப்புறேன்’னு சொல்லிட்டுக் கிளம்பிட்டார் அந்த மனுஷன்.

எனக்கு பக்குனு ஆகிடுச்சு. அதுக்குள்ள சென்னையில் இருந்து உதவியாளர்கள் `என்ன ஆச்சு... என்ன ஆச்சு?’னு கேட்டுட்டே இருந்தாங்க. நானும் ‘அவ்ளோதான்டா... அடுத்த வேலையைப் பார்க்கலாம்’னு சொன்னேன். அடுத்த நாள் அனுராக் காஷ்யப்பின் தயாரிப்பாளர் குனித் மோங்காவிடம் பேசினப்ப, ‘படம் கொஞ்சம் லெங்த்தா இருக்கு’னு தேர்வாளர் சொன்னதா சொன்னார். உடனே 140 நிமிஷம் இருந்த படத்தை 95 நிமிஷத்துக்குக் குறைச்சு திரும்ப அனுப்பினேன். தேர்வாளரும் அவர் டீமும் படம் பார்த்துட்டு ‘இது நல்லா இருக்கு’னு சொன்னாங்க. சில நாட்கள் கழிச்சு, அவர் கால் பண்ணி `வெற்றி... உங்க படம் நல்ல படம். ஆனா, முதல் லிஸ்ட்ல உங்க படம் வரலை. பார்த்துட்டுச் சொல்றோம்’னு சொன்னார். ‘விசாரணை’ படம் எடுத்ததுக்கான நோக்கமே போயிடும் போலிருக்கே’னு நான் பதறிப்போய் அனுராக்கிட்ட சொன்னேன்.  `கவலைப்படாதீங்க வெற்றி.

உங்க படம் நிச்சயம் வரும்’னார். பிறகு எல்லாத்தையும் மறந்துட்டு மனைவிகூட ஒருநாள் வெளியே போயிருந்தேன். ரொம்ப நாட்கள் கழிச்சு அவங்ககூட டின்னர். அப்ப ஒரு மெயில். `விசாரணை’ வெனிஸ் விழாவுக்கு செலெக்ட் ஆகிருக்கிறதா தகவல் அனுப்பியிருந்தாங்க. `வெனிஸ் திரைப்பட விழாவில் போட்டிப் பிரிவுக்குத் தேர்வான முதல் தமிழ் சினிமா இதுதாம்மா!’னு மனைவிகிட்ட என் சந்தோஷத்தை ஷேர் பண்ணிக்கிறேன். அந்த விழாவுக்கு சந்திரகுமாரையும் கூட்டிட்டுப்போயிருந்தேன். மனசுக்குள் ஓர் ஆத்ம திருப்தி. வெனிஸ்லயே படம் பார்த்த இயக்குநர் ஏ.எல்.விஜய் சென்னைக்கு வந்ததும் ஒரு பிரஸ்மீட் வெச்சு, `விசாரணை' படம் தனக்குள் ஏற்படுத்தின பாதிப்பைச் சொன்னார். அடுத்து, நான் மணிரத்னம் சாருக்கு படத்தைக் காட்டணும்னு ஆசைப்பட்டேன். அவர் படம் பார்த்துட்டு, ‘கமர்ஷியல் படம் பார்த்துடுவேன். ஆர்ட் படங்கள் கொஞ்சம் மெதுவா இருக்கும். அதனால, யோசிப்பேன். `விசாரணை' அந்தக் குறைகூட இல்லாத கம்ப்ளீட் சினிமா’னு பாராட்டினார். ரஜினி சார் பார்த்துட்டு, ‘உங்களுக்கு நான் என்ன செய்யணும் வெற்றி சொல்லுங்க?’னு அவ்ளோ சந்தோஷப்பட்டார். படம் வந்த பிறகு, பத்திரிகைகள் பாராட்டுறதைவிட, ரிலீஸுக்கு முன்னரே விமர்சனம் வந்தா நல்லா இருக்கும்னு நினைச்சேன். அது ஒரு குருட்டுத் தைரியம்தான். ஒருவேளை அவங்களுக்குப் பிடிக்காமப்போனா, பாதிப்பாகிடும். தைரியமா பிரஸ் ஷோ போட்டேன். அவங்களும் படத்தை மிகச் சரியா கொண்டுபோய் மக்களிடம் சேர்த்தாங்க.

‘பொல்லாதவன்’ கமர்ஷியல் கதை. ஓடிடும்னு தெரியும். அதே டீம் சேர்ந்து `ஆடுகளம்’ பண்ணும்போது பெரிய எதிர்பார்ப்பு, பெரிய ஓப்பனிங் இருக்கும்னு தெரியும். `விசாரணை' படத்துக்குத்தான் நான் கொஞ்சம் பயந்தேன். ஆனா, மக்கள் கொடுத்த அங்கீகாரம் ரொம்பப் பெருசு. முதல் காட்சியில் ஆரம்பிச்ச கைதட்டல்கள் தொடர்ந்து கேட்டுட்டே இருக்கு. இந்தியாவில் கலாபூர்வமான, உயர்ந்த ரசனை கொண்டவர்கள் தமிழ் ரசிகர்கள்தான்னு நினைக்கிறேன். இப்பதான் சினிமாவில் நான் என் முதல் அடியையே எடுத்துவெச்சிருக்கேன். இன்னும் போகவேண்டியது வெகு தூரம்னாலும் நான் இங்கு வந்து சேர்ந்த பாதையும் நீளமானது. இந்தச் சமயத்துல அந்த நீளமான பாதையும், ‘இவ்வளவு பேர் பாராட்டும்போது இதைக் கேட்டு மகிழ சார் இல்லையே’ங்கிற எண்ணமும் ஒரு புள்ளியில் குவியும்போது அந்த நாள் நினைவுக்கு வருது.

டிசம்பர் 26, 1997... சாலிகிராமம் ஸ்டேட் பேங்க் காலனி, மூணாவது தெரு. வீட்டின் முதல் மாடி. பெரிய பூட்ஸ், இன் பண்ணின சட்டை, நிறைய வளர்ந்த சுருள்சுருளான முடி. லயோலா மாணவன் என்ற பெருமிதம், நிறைய சினிமா பார்த்ததால் வந்த ‘எல்லாம் தெரியும்’ என்ற மனோபாவத்துடன், ‘எக்ஸ்க்யூஸ் மீ’னு சத்தமாக் கூப்பிடுறேன். ஓய்வா எதையோ வாசிச்சிட்டு இருந்தவர் தலையைத் தூக்கி, ‘என்ன வேணும் உனக்கு?’ங்கிற மாதிரி பார்த்தார். ‘ஹலோ மிஸ்டர் பாலுமகேந்திரா. மை நேம் இஸ் வெற்றி மாறன். ஃபாதர் ராஜநாயகம் ஆஸ்க்டு டு மீட் யூ.’ ‘வெளியில போ... நாளைக்கு வா பார்க்கலாம்.’ அன்னைக்கு அதட்டி மிரட்டி ஓடவைத் தவர்தான், பின்னாட்களில் என் கர்வத்தை நீக்குவார்; சினிமா போதிப்பார்; அப்பாவைப் போல் அரவணைப்பார்; முரண்படுவார்; என்னைக் கண்டு மிரள்வார்னு அப்போ எனக்குத் தெரியாது!

- பயணிப்பேன்...

#VikatanGoodReadsChallenge

தொடர் படிச்சீங்களா... சுவாரஸ்யமாக இருந்ததா? சரி, இப்போ உங்களுக்கு அடுத்த சவால். இந்த தொடர் சம்பந்தமான #VikatanGoodReadsChallenge Quiz-ல கலந்துகிட்டு, சரியான பதில்களை சொல்லுங்க. சர்ப்ரைஸ் வெயிட்டிங்..!

Quiz-ல் கலந்துகொள்ள: http://bit.ly/homestaywithvikatan

• miles to go
• Miles To Go - VGR

Every Vetrimaaran Film Ranked

Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaaran belongs to one of those breeds of director whose tight scripts, apt casting, and realistic treatment of storyline has made fundamental changes to the very nature of mainstream filmmaking. His films are made for a multi-cultural audience and backed by the strength of their storytelling and sculpted dialogue, which has reinvigorated the art of popular cinema with a breath of fresh air.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films: Every Lijo Jose Pellissery Film Ranked

Each of the films is imbued with a powerful, coherent aesthetic that guides viewers through a dark matrix. At its best, it augments a captivating narrative and sinks viewers into a world of social realism of rural Tamil Nadu. Even urban reality is being depicted showcasing more fallible and life-like characters. The cinema of the carnivalesque with its larger-than-life characters, melodramatic orientation and highly romanticized canvas is something that does not whet his appetite for creativity.

With a filmography of five features and one short film as a director, he has earned his reputation as the most one of the most accessible filmmakers of the last decade. His style involves artistically thriving with a soothing pace lending itself to an atmospheric work filled with oneiric undertones. Some viewers may find his films brutal and gut wrenching as it gets; yet, despite its ruthless depiction, it’s also surprisingly heartwarming.

5. Polladhavan (2007)

Vetrimaaran’s debut feature film opens up with a gruesome and brutal fighting sequence and then using the device of flashback, the filmmaker takes us into the dynamic world of contemporary Chennai, where an educated young man, Prabhu ( Dhanush ) fight injustice and in the process is forced to unleash the animal within him.

Also, Read: Every Sriram Raghavan Film Ranked

The protagonist of the film is an uneducated youth who due to turn of events confronts his father (Murali) and an argument regarding the responsibilities of parents towards their offspring ensues. As a result of this conflict, Prabhu gets a hefty amount from his father and he uses the money to purchase a Bajaj Pulsar bike. This appears to be a wise investment because owning the vehicle enables him to get a job and earn respect in society. But the situation takes a drastic turn when a gang of anti-socials steals his bike. Thereafter the film presents the viewers with the transformation of resilience into power and its hold over the life of an individual’s struggle to maintain his position in the harsh reality of everyday life.

The plot of the film has similarities with Wang Xiaoshuai’s Bejing Bicycle (2001). But the well worked out mise-en-scenes of Polladhavan makes it an entertaining tale of a casual urban carefree person’s conversion into a person of genuine worth and true dignity. Polladhavan was remade in Kannada as Punda, in Telugu as Kurradu starring Varun Sandesh, in Sinhala as Pravegeya, in Bengali as Borbaad (2014) and in Hindi as Guns of Banaras (2020). But none of them could achieve the excellence earned by the original version.

4. Visaranai (2016)

Based on the Tamil novel Lock Up by M. Chandrakumar, Vetrimaaran’s third outing in its first half has such brutal scenes of police torture that one could genuinely feel the bestial act of police torture. The viewers are compelled to cringe as well as empathize with the plight of four helpless souls. The narrative of the film can be divided into two sections-before and after the intermission. Four migrant workers are falsely accused in a burglary case that has taken place at a rich and affluent man’s bungalow. The police beat these four characters in black and blue and want them to confess. Not able to withstand the pain they agree to accept the charges. Once they are produced in the court the narrative of the film takes a twist and the viewers are presented with one shocking surprise after the other.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films: Salt Of The Earth (1954) : A Landmark American Independent Cinema On The Working Class  

The filmmaker displays superb craftsmanship and commitment to an engaging dramatic tale that ends in a tragedy. The film subtly depicts that the characters in the film become a victim because of the system that protected the criminal over the accuser. It is a deeply troubling film that is devoid of cathartic and healing moments. Vetrimaaran does not feel hesitant in constructing the brutal scene with ease and he is neither afraid to carve out its own unique style.

The film had its world premiere at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Amnesty International Italia Award. Back home it had won three National Film Awards- Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing.

Watch Visaranai (2016) on Netflix

3. asuran (2019).

What becomes the last resort for a farmer who goes on the run with his family as he is compelled to protect his son, who has murdered a wealthy upper-caste landlord in a fit of vengeance? The reply should be to fight with the oppressing forces and reclaim his identity. That is exactly what Sivasaami (Dhanush) does to break away from the uncomfortable social status he has inherited. Based on the novel Vekkai by Poomani, Vetrimaaran’s screen adaptation is so watertight that every occurrence in the screenplay feels alluring.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films : Asuran (2019) Review: Rise, Asuran, Rise!

With Asuran Vetrimaaran continues his excellent cinematic flair as a director enhancing his commendable grasp on the tropes of mainstream cinema. The film also benefits from technical polish – the cinematography, background score and editing are all top-notch. Asuran too has gut-wrenching violence and prepares the viewer for the edge-of-seat tension. The narrative follows a rhythm where the plot is revealed without wasting much of the screen time. The film belongs to the genre of revenge saga told from the perspective of a lower caste protagonist.

It’s one of those mainstream films that fulfill a social purpose, for it’s hard to imagine anyone viewing Asuran and not abhorring the evil practice of casteism in our country and how it voluntarily degrade human values and status. At the Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards, 2020, Vetrimaaran won the award for best director. The film had won two National Film Awards- Best Feature Film in Tamil and Best Actor.

Read the Complete Review of Asuran (2019) Here

Watch asuran (2019) on prime video , 2. vada chennai (2018).

A tale of criminal activities narrated in a non-linear pattern over the span of more than a decade is the perfect recipe for a crime sage. Vetrimaaran’s narrative takes the viewers on a journey that lasts for nearly a hundred and sixty-four hours and introduces them to the world of guilt, regret and vital decisions leading to loyalty turned into betrayal. The protagonist of the film Anbu (Dhanush) is an expert carrom player but his life gets entwined into the world of crime. He gets pulled into the vortex so deeply that penitence alludes to him after a point in time.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films : Top Tamil Movies of 2018 and Where To Watch Them

With a multiple cast the story of the film is set in the underbellies of North Chennai as the title of the film implies and the theme of the film is more nuanced than the conventional black-and-white morality tales where evil is punished by good at the end. The film blatantly showcases the graphic world of crime and violence, investigates the nature of friendship, the ethics of vigilantism, and the nature of unhappiness. Vetrimaaran delves deeply into the minds of his tortured characters and explores how the men and women he depicts grapple with moral codes and their emotions.

He further engages with many of the most basic questions about our humanity and how we relate to one another in a complex world. The stylistic elements in the film earn comparisons, bearing marked connections to several of Vetrimaaran’s other films. The film won the Best Film (People’s Choice Award) at the Pingyao International Film Festival, 2018. At the Filmfare Awards South, Dhanush won the trophy for the Best Actor.

Read the Complete Review of Vada Chennai (2018) Here

Watch vada chennai (2018) on disney hotstar, 1. aadukalam (2011).

As the roosters combat in the arena with each other, it becomes a fight of the egos of the individuals who own the fowl. So, when Karuppu’s rooster emerges victorious he not only earns a lot of money but also the enmity of his boss Periyasamy (V. I. S. Jayapalan) and Rathnasamy (Naren). And from then onwards the life of our protagonist will be filled with one hurdle after the other as the tale of loyalty, self-esteem, deception, and honor unfolds.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films : 10 Great Tamil Movies You Can Stream On Netflix Right Now

In his sophomore, Vetrimaaran presents a varied cultural pattern of rural Tamil Nadu and uses realism, tradition, and contemporaneity, soaked in local flavor within the narrative structure of his tightly structured screenplay. The conflicts introduced within the plot points create tension by employing smart conventions that are able to sustain the viewer’s anticipation. The editing pattern of the film creates a commendable pace and multi-layered visual design that heightens the impact of the film. Though the filmmaker has openly admitted that he was inspired by the dogfighting scene of Amores Perros (2000), Vetrimaaran has infused his own style and poise within the film, which is anything by blatant copy.

Despite having strong content and potential for box-office success, filmmakers from another region could not dare to remake the film until now. The reason being the milieu of the film is so rooted in the soil of Tamil Nadu and that makes it the best film in the oeuvre of Vetrimaaran’s impressive career. At the 58th National Film Awards, the film won five awards-Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Special Jury Award for Acting.

Special Mention: Oor Iravu (2020)

Oor Iravu is a part of the Tamil anthology drama Paava Kadhaigal (2020). Owing to its shorter running time, I have included it in the category of special mention. On the surface level of its narrative, the film depicts the tale of a daughter Sumathi (Sai Pallavi) who had eloped from her village and now she has reunited with her father Janakiraman (Prakash Raj). But as the story of the film moves forward we discover the sensitivity and intricacies of the complex human psyche of individual characters within the film.

Also, Read: Paava Kadhaigal (2020) Netflix: Sinful Filmmaking under the Garb of Hard Hitting Social Drama

Vetrimaaran treated the film with a style that is bold and innovative with the choice of a subject in which the form and content merge into one. The pacing is not fast like his other films rather it is a slow study of how Sumathi’s drastic decision had impacted the lives of various members of his family. Vetrimaaran did not deviate from his usual style of narrative exploration but he has brought an understated rhythm to the unfolding of the events.

There is a kind of freshness in his approach and courage displayed in choosing to build a film around the brutal concept of associating the honor of the family with the sanctity of a woman. The film ends on a depressing note as we realize that such evil things are a reality and will continue to happen unless and until the evils of casteism are not obliterated from our society.

Watch Oor Iravu (2020) on Netflix

Vetrimaaran links : imdb , wikipedia, trending right now.

Dipankar Sarkar is a freelance writer on various topics related to cinema. His articles have appeared in Scroll, The Hindu, Livemint, The Quint, The Tribune, Chandigarh, Upperstall, and vaguevisages.com amongst others.

Similar Posts

Sujo (2024) ‘Sundance’ Movie Review: A piercing coming-of-age drama about identity and the repercussions of cartel violence 

The Country Club (2023) Movie Review: So Unfunny That It Will Make You Re-think the Pleasure of Summer Vacation Comedies

La Pecera (The Fishbowl, 2023): ‘Sundance’ Review – A sensible drama that treads the fine line between comfort and pain

Operation Romeo (2022) Review: A Weak Adaptation Of An Impressive Malayalam Thriller

Martyrs Lane (2021) Movie Ending, Explained: What Happens to Sarah and Rachel?

New Trailer for ‘Shadow’: Zhang Yimou Brings Back His Traditional “Hero” Charm

Vetrimaaran

IMDbPro Starmeter See rank

• Contact info
• 20 wins & 12 nominations

• Writer (as Vetri Maaran)

• In Production
• Pre-production

• producer (as Vetri Maaran)

• screenplay (as Vetri Maaran)

• original story (as Vetri Maaran)

• Director (as Vetri Maaran)
• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Vetri Maaran
• September 4 , 1975
• Cuddalore, Tamilnadu, India
• Poonthendral
• Parents V Chitravel

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

• International
• Today’s Paper
• Join WhatsApp Channel
• Movie Reviews
• Tamil Cinema
• Telugu Cinema

On Vetri Maaran’s 46th birthday, his five tips for becoming a filmmaker

So how does Vetri Maaran strike a fine balance between art and commerce? Hear it from the man himself.

National Award-winning filmmaker Vetri Maaran, who is celebrating his 46th birthday on Saturday, is one of the new formidable voices in Tamil cinema. A disciple of iconic director Balu Mahendra, Vetri Maaran has succeeded where his mentor didn’t. While Balu Mahendra was a revered filmmaker who made some high-quality movies, he doesn’t have many box office hits to his credits. However, Vetri Maaran is one of the most commercially successful filmmakers today.

Vetri Maaran’s last film Asuran, starring his regular star Dhanush , had grossed a whopping Rs 100 crore at the box office. It is no mean feat for a filmmaker who usually makes emotionally heavy movies, which don’t follow the established grammar of commercial cinema.

Write, write, write

“Filmmaking is writing. Keep writing scripts over and over again. I have the liberty to make a movie without writing. But, I am not sure how long I can keep doing that. It is like Sehwag hitting sixes without footwork. If you lose the form, you can’t gain it back. So, we should play like Dravid. If you have your basics right, even when you are out of form, you can still deliver what you aspire for. Everybody should write. People tell me that they get stuck in the middle and can’t complete their scripts. Somehow, you should finish the script you start. The most gratifying feeling for a scriptwriter is when that person writes ‘The End’ on the script. Right or wrong, finish the script. And you should rewrite the story at least 10 times and share it with your friends for their opinion. Write, re-write, and forget. Do something else, go back to the script and write again. Writing is the alpha and omega (of filmmaking).”

Finding great stories

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by @chai_with_cinema

Vetri Maaran has shown a great interest in adapting Tamil literature for the big screen. His landmark films such as Visaranai and Asuran were based on Tamil novels. His upcoming films Viduthalai and Vaadivaasal are also based on existing literary materials. “Writing and cinema are two different mediums. Not all great novels have become great movies. But, some average novels have been turned into great movies. We should see whether a novel has a cinematic quality. For me, the main goal is to understand the world a novelist has created and convey the intentions of the novel in the same way as intended by the author.”

Job-satisfaction is important

“Balu Mahendra sir used to tell me that the only thing in our control is to make a movie to the best of our ability. But, the commercial success of the film is an accident. I give my 100 percent in everything I do and I also make my team do the same while making a movie. If the audience connects to the film, we are happy with it. But, we should always have full satisfaction in the job we have done.”

Location, location, location

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Movie maniacs (@movie.maniacss)

In Vetri Maaran’s films, the location is a character in itself. And having a clear idea about the geography of the film and establishing it at the very beginning is key to a strong narration. “I can’t tell a story without establishing the geography of the story first. For example, I would have established the geography of the village in Aadukalam when Dhanush and his friends try to escape from the police raid at the beginning of the film.”

When you become a filmmaker

Vetri Maaran believes that a person stops experiencing his life as it is the moment he becomes a filmmaker. After he or she writes her first draft, everything and everyone becomes just an idea for the script. “Learn, experience, and debate. Watch a film, argue over it and repeat. The moment you start writing a script, you are closing yourself from life’s experiences. The End you put in the first script is also the end to your life’s experiences. From then on everything becomes a source to your script. My wife used to tell me, that ‘I won’t cry, because you will turn it into a scene in your film.’ Even before she points it out, I would have kept it as a scene in the film.”

The latest government data from Rajasthan reveals a slight rise in overall crime, including an increase in rapes and gangrapes, but a decrease in crimes against women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes. The Congress state president has accused the BJP government of not addressing the issue, while the BJP claims to have made improvements since taking office.

More Entertainment

Best of Express

Aug 24: Latest News

• 01 Asian migrants, including Indians, trapped for weeks in Brazilian airport limbo
• 02 Express News Quiz: Stree 2, SEBI, Chandrayaan-3 & immortality
• 03 School education, WCD depts part of new committee to ensure safety of girls
• 04 Man held for sexually assaulting two-year old girl in Mumbai: Cops
• 05 After Badlapur incident: Maharashtra education minister suspends Mumbai, Thane education officers
• Elections 2024
• Political Pulse
• Entertainment
• Movie Review
• Newsletters
• Web Stories
• 🇮🇳 I-Day SALE
• Express Shorts
• Mini Crossword
• Health & Wellness

Vetrimaaran Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Education, Height, Weight, Movies List, Career, Profession, Net Worth

Vetrimaaran Wiki and Biography: The movie won three awards at the 72nd Venice Film Festival. It won two Filmfare South Awards and the Amnesty International Italia Award.

Vetrimaaran Wiki: Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Education, Height, Weight, Movies List, Career, Profession, Net Worth

Vetrimaaran Biography

Vetrimaaran education.

Vetrimaaran went to Loyola College in Chennai and got a degree. After that, he wanted to work as a director. As part of his English literature degree at Loyola, he took a class on how to make TV shows. His final project for that class was a short movie. As the movie was being made, he became interested in how movies are made. Then, he went to a seminar that Loyola professor Balu Mahendra gave while he was there. Vetrimaaran was so impressed by the director with a lot of experience that he decided to learn from him. Balu Mahendra then made the decision to make him an important assistant.

Vetrimaaran Early Life

Vetrimaaran was born in the city of Cuddalore in 1975. Dr. V. Chitravel, his father, was a veterinarian, and Megala Chitravel, his mother, is a well-known author. Sister makes up his older sibling. He finally decided to live in Ranipet. He gets married to Aarthi, a classmate from Loyola University Maryland with whom he fell in love while they were still in school. Vetrimaaran is married and has won four National Awards and one Film Fare Award. He is the father of Poonthendrel and Kadiravan. He was the director of the movie Polladhavan, which got a lot of good reviews when it came out.

Vetrimaaran Career

Polladhavan, the movie he directed, was a hit when it came out. Since the movie came out in 2007, Vetrimaran has kept making high-quality films for the Kollywood market. Surya makes a quick appearance in the children of Viduthalai Vijay Sethupathi. Vaadi Vaasal is the full name of the next movie by Vertimaaran. Suriya worked out with a bull in a video that went viral. He did this to get ready for his next movie, Vaadi Vaasal.

Vetrimaran helped the filmmaker Balu Mahendra at first. Balu Mahendra would ask Vetrimaran to read between forty and fifty novels a week so that he could help him choose the best books. He told Dhanush about a story he had written called Desiya Nedunchaalai 47, which was the result of his work. However, the movie had many problems. Later, “Polladavan,” which made more money at the box office than “Alagiya Thamizh Magan” and “Vel,” two movies with “Victorious” stars Suriya and Vijay, was chosen.

Besides being a good filmmaker, he is also a good producer. Some of the movies he has made have been nominated for and won Oscars. “Aadukalam,” his second great movie, won him his first national award. With the success of Visaaranai, his third film as a director, both critically and financially, he has gotten a lot of praise and nominations, including one for an Academy Award. Vetrimaran and Dhanush have worked together again on a new film called “Vada Chennai.” The much-anticipated movie starring Suriya Vaadivasal is currently in post-production, and Viduthalai, which stars Vijay Sethupathi and Soori, will be out very soon. The movie is being made right now.

• K. Selvaraghavan Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Education, Height, Weight, Movies List, Career, Profession, Net Worth
• Bala Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Education, Height, Weight, Movies List, Career, Profession, Net Worth
• Mysskin Wiki, Biography, Age, Wife, Family, Education, Height, Weight, Movies List, Career, Profession, Net Worth

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Power List 2024
• Cannes 2024
• In-Depth Stories
• Web Stories
• Oscars 2024
• FC Wrap 2023
• Film Festivals
• FC Adda 2023
• Companion Zone
• Best Indian Films Forever List
• FC Front Row
• FC Disruptors
• Mental Health & Wellness

Anurag Kashyap Lists The Movies, Books and Filmmakers That Have Influenced Him The Most

A peek into Anurag Kashyap 's DVD collection will tell you that he's a bonafide film geek. Ever since he decided to chase films as a career, he has educated himself on the art form by watching and learning from filmmakers from across the globe. He's worked hard on this education by going to great lengths to find DVDs, books on films and screenplays. We asked Kashyap to trace his love for the movies – right from the storytellers who impacted him in his formative years to the ones he's learning from now.

The Angry Young Man

My love for Amitabh Bachchan started with Zanjeer which affected me deeply as a child. The idea of a man against the system had a major impact on me. Even in Kaala Patthar , this guilt Bachchan carries with him was intriguing and I loved that he was not a superhero. In Zanjeer , he was in the system and had to fight it. These themes have stayed with me for so long.

N Chandra and Nana Patekar

I was a big fan of N Chandra's Ankush and later I saw Tezaab and Pratighaat that I loved. Through N Chandra's films I started my Nana Patekar phase. He became the second on-screen hero that I became a fan of. I watched Parinda for him and it led me to my third obsession – Anil Kapoor. In his Meri Jung , I once again found the anti-hero that I was obsessed with – the man who didn't fit in.

Japanese and Italian Cinema

Around 1991-92, a friend called Sumit Sinha introduced me to the world of theatre. Together we would visit various cultural centres to watch movies. It was during this time that I ended up watching a lot of Japanese movies. One of the first great films I saw was the 1965 movie, A Fugitive from the Past , by Tomu Uchida. It's about a thief on the run who meets a geisha and that becomes his undoing.

From then on, I went on to watch more world cinema. In 1993 at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) I saw the Italian films Bicycle Thieves , The Roof and The Children Are Watching Us -all by Vitoirio De Sica. The Roof is the hardest to find. I looked for it for years and much later I found the DVD in Australia.

Movies from literature

While growing up I had read Crime and Punishment in Hindi and was hugely impacted by Dostoevsky. Later when I started going to the embassy to see films, I watched War and Peace for the first time. When I decided to get into movies, I started consuming films like a mad man and I discovered so many of them through their books. I remember watching To Kill A Mockingbird and Shoot the Piano Player . I picked films that were adapted from literature and then went back to the book. Then later I reversed the process – I started reading the books first and observing how they were adapted to film. This is when I read Crime and Punishment for the first time in English. I also read James M Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice and found all the movie versions of the book. That's how I also discovered Double Indemnity .

When I moved to Bombay, I spent a lot of time at Lotus House Books in Bandra. It had a lot of cinema-related books and they used to publish screenplays by Faber and Faber. They were the only ones who had the screenplay of Shoot the Piano Player . This place was introduced to me by Sridhar Raghavan, who was like my teacher. He had a vast knowledge of cinema.

Pulp Fiction and Fun

The 1994 IFFI was in Mumbai and that's where I saw Pulp Fiction . It totally blew my mind. There was also this strange Canadian film called Fun . It's a lesser-known film that no one talks about. This film is told through flashbacks and I remember it had a very unique structure that I borrowed for my films Paanch and Last Train to Mahakali .

Battle of Algiers

I had read most of James Ellroy's books. LA Cnfidential was a thick book and the film blew my mind because it wasn't what I had imagined it to be. Curtis Hanson threw out a lot of stuff from the book. He invented Rollo Tomasi to keep it together. Around the same time, I saw Govind Nihalani's Drohkaal . Then I found out it was loosely inspired by The Battle of Algiers so I made sure to see it. The influence of that film was very visible in Black Friday , you'll see. It taught me how to tell a story of something that actually happened. How to replay a sequence of events by being a fly on the wall.

Martin Scorsese

Somewhere during 1995, thanks to Sriram Raghavan, I made my major discovery – Martin Scorsese. Films like Taxi Driver and Raging Bull brought me back to my favourite themes of alienation and being an outsider in a city. At that time, I was also very affected by Bombay. I would walk around the street and live with those characters in my head. This was Scorsese's first phase.

His second was Goodfellas and Casino . The Sharon Stone character in Casino changed the way I wrote women. Indian women in films don't have flaws, don't make mistakes and you believed it. This challenged my notion of how I saw women. I started seeing women as fully fleshed-out people, like my male characters.

Oliver Stone

Slowly I started getting interested in the politics of cinema. I was curious about world history and what was happening around me. That's when my Oliver Stone phase started with JFK , Nixon and Born on the Fourth of July .

Pink Floyd – The Wall

Another film I keep going back to is Alan Parker's Pink Floyd – The Wall . He took the entire Roger Waters album and turned it into a movie. The film has non-stop music. I had the VHS, LD and DVD of the film and now I'm waiting for the Blu-ray.

The Yakuza Papers

When I liked a filmmaker, I consumed everything about them, including their interviews. I remember that in one of his interviews, Martin Scorsese spoke about the series The Yakuza Papers by Japanese filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku and how it impacted him. That's when I tried watching it. I saw this as prep for Black Friday . It was hard to find and now I make others watch it. It simplified filmmaking for me.

Korean Cinema

I went through a major love affair with Korean cinema. It started with Park Chan-wook's films like Sympathy for Mr Vengeance and Old Boy . Then came Memories of Murder by Bong Joon Ho. I just loved the fearlessness in their filmmaking. I remember reading that in Korea, you're not allowed to carry guns so people carry knives and swords… everything becomes a weapon and therefore there is violence. So that one one sequence in Old Boy when the guy comes out of the elevator and kills people was very impactful. From Memories of Murder , I learnt the idea of telling a story that doesn't have a resolution in the end. It changed the way we saw serial killer movies. Without this film, there would be no David Fincher's Zodiac .

After Black Friday got banned and Gulaal got stuck, I saw a film called Head-on by Fatih Akin. This film changed everything for me. It took me back to Godard's Breathless . No one else sees the connect but me. Head-on took my depression away. It inspired a scene in Dev D , which I showed Fatih Akin and we became great friends after that.

Tamil Cinema

This started in 2004. I remember the first film I saw of Dhanush didn't even have subtitles. Then I saw Bala's Sethu , Vetrimaran's Aadukalam and Selvaraghavan's Kaadhal Kondein . I found the strange influence of Korean cinema on what they were making – people using weapons that were self-made and produced from what was available. I liked the way they designed violence and made guns look cool.

Kitchen sink movies

In 2008, when I went to England for the first time, I saw a bunch of movies like Look Back in Anger and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, which were about average working-class people. These films made me think a lot about my father and how he used to go to work everyday. This led me to Ken Loach's cinema, which is also about working-class people and their struggles.

I discovered him very late. I had only seen Psycho and some of his other popular stuff. But my real discovery only happened when I saw his silent movies and observed the subject matters he dealt with. Shadow of a Doubt was about the relationship between an uncle and niece that borders on incest. I was blown away by his ability to create something that makes you so uncomfortable.

Paul Thomas Anderson

My favourite film of this century has to be There Will Be Blood. I saw it in LA at the Dome and since then, he's become my new favourite filmmaker.

(As told to Mohini Chaudhuri)

Related Stories

Every Vetrimaaran Movie Ranked and Where to Watch Them

Published on.

Shaurya Singh Thapa

Official JustWatch writer

Known for his gritty crime dramas, underdog heroes, and numerous collaborations with actor Dhanush , Vetrimaaran has established himself as one of Tamil film industry’s leading directors.

If you wish to know more about the Asuran and Vidhuthalai director’s filmography, we have got you covered with a complete streaming guide that leads you to all of Vetrimaaran’s movies and information you need on where to stream them online.

Which Vetrimaaran movies should I watch first? 

The best way to watch Vetrimaaran’s movies is in the same order as their release date, as this sequence would show how the director has only improved in his craft with every passing movie. Vetrimaaran made his directorial debut in 2007 with the action thriller Polladhavan . Dhanush played the lead character, a man whose fate changes after he buys a bike and later gets it stolen. Opening to rave reviews for Dhanush’s acting and Vetrimaaran’s directing, the movie spawned numerous remakes in other languages and popularised the Bajaj Pulsar (the bike featured in the movie) among Tamil youths.

The director and actor joined forces again for the drama Aadukalam . The 2011 hit found Dhanush’s protagonist embroiled in an unattainable romance and a rooster-fighting business. The movie earned Vetrimaaran a National Award for Best Director and Best Screenplay.

While Vetrimaaran’s first two movies addressed social themes like an economic class divide, his political themes got more evident in his third film: a police thriller titled Visaranai (also released as Interrogation). The gruelling social drama revolves around the fates of two men who are forced to confess to a crime after they are locked up by the cops. The film won a National Award for Best Tamil Film and also opened much debate and discourse over the ethics of the police force in Tamil Nadu.

Visaranai’s success opened the avenues for more ambitious projects like the period gangster epic Vada Chennai , yet again starring regular collaborator Dhanush. The movie charts an underdog’s journey between rival criminal factions in a fishing community in ‘70s-era South Chennai. Vada Chennai ended on a nail biting cliffhanger, teasing the possibility of a sequel that fans still await.

With Dhanush already starring in several anti-caste dramas, Vetrimaaran cast him again in Asuran. Addressing the oppression faced by marginalised castes, Asuran starred Dhanush as a hot-headed lower-caste youth who kills an oppressive upper-caste landlord. The ensuing chaos made for a violent, powerful, and relevant watch. As is the case with many Vetrimaaran films, Asuran also earned the National Award for Best Tamil Film. 

Why is Vidhuthalai Part 1 Vetrimaaran’s best movie to watch? 

Intending to direct a two-part saga next, Vetrimaaran directed Vidhuthalai Part 1 . Set in the 1980s and inspired by real-life politics of the era, Viduthalai explores the conflict between the police and a separatist group. However, neither side is good or bad as Vetrimaaran’s story explores the morally grey areas of the policemen and their atrocities as well. Boasting impressive performances by Vijay Sethupathi and Soori, Vidhuthalai is a gripping political thriller.

Where can I watch the best Vetrimaaran movies online? 

Below you can find the latest streaming information for every Vetrimaaran movie. This includes every offer for viewers in India today.

Viduthalai: Part I

Kumaresan, a police constable, gets recruited for an operation implanted to capture Perumal Vaathiyar, who leads a separatist group dedicated to fighting against the authorities for committing atrocities against innocent village women in the name of police interrogations.

Vada Chennai

A young carrom player in North Chennai becomes a reluctant participant in a war between two feuding gangsters.

The teenage son of a farmer from an underprivileged caste kills a rich, upper caste landlord. How the pacifist farmer saves his hot-blooded son is the rest of the story.

Pandi and his friends, immigrant workers in Andhra Pradesh, are picked up by cops for a crime they never committed. And thus begins their nightmare, where they become pawns in a vicious game where the voiceless are strangled by those with power.

Pettaikaaran is famous in his town for an impeccable track record of successes in rooster fights. When one of his aides, Karuppu, goes against his word in a fight, it leads to an enmity between them.

Polladhavan

Prabhu is dejected when he learns that his bike has been stolen. He decides to find the people who stole the bike, but lands in trouble when he realises that his bike has been used to transport drugs.

August 24, 2024

Vetrimaaran Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Children, Family, Caste, Wiki & More

Updated On : October 7, 2019

Vetrimaaran

Film director.

Vetrimaaran Photos

Vetrimaaran popularity on social media, short biography.

National Award Winner, Ace Tamil Film Director, Vetrimaaran was born on 4th September 1975 in a small town called Cuddalore in Tamilnadu, India. The Grim Movie maker has made India proud with his Film Visaranai becoming the official entry at Oscars in Foreign Film Category.

Vetrimaaran Complete Bio & Career

Vetrimaaran popular videos.

Vetrimaaran Family, Relatives and Other Relations

He was born to Dr. V. Chitravel and Megala Chitravel . Vetrimaaran is married to Aarthi who is working as a General Manager in a Multinational company. The couple is blessed with 2 children including a daughter named Poonthendral .

Life's Important Dates Of Vetrimaaran

• LIFE EVENTS
• FAMILY EVENTS

Body Measurements

Personal Info

Shocking / Interesting Facts & Secrets About Vetrimaaran

• After Asuran, he will be shooting for a movie based on Kota Neelima's much acclaimed novel 'Shoes Of The Dead' . He announced this film in 2016 but is yet to start shooting.
• Vetrimaaran also launched his own production house called the Grass Root Film Company in the year 2012.
• He is someone who believes in quality rather than quantity as he has directed just 5 films thus far in his 12 years long career.

Vetrimaaran Age, Birthday Facts and Birthday Countdown

48 years, 11months, 20 days old age Vetrimaaran will turn 49 on 04 September, 2024. Only 10 days, 7 hours,9 minutes has left for his next birthday.

Birthday Calendar

Recommended for you.

Sangeeta Sornalingam (Vijay's Wife) Biography, Age, Family, Husband, Children, Facts, Wiki & More

Parmish Verma Wiki, Age, Height, Girlfriend, Family, Biography & More

Krishna Priya (Atlee's Wife) Biography, Age, Children, Family, Facts, Height, Weight, Wiki & More

Rashmika Mandanna Biography, Age, Height, Weight, Partner, Family, WIki & More

Deepika Chikhalia Biography, Age, Husband, Children, Family, Caste, Wiki & More

Advertisement

Subscriber-only Newsletter

Read Like the Wind

New york is huge. these books help cut it down to size..

A starry group biography focused on a single Brooklyn Heights brownstone; a novel centered on one Upper West Side block.

• Share full article

By Leah Greenblatt

Dear readers,

I have a sprightly white-haired neighbor who has lived in the garden apartment next door since Lyndon B. Johnson was president, more or less, and most days you will find her out there on her little patch of tulips and concrete, holding court in two languages. (The better gossip, I deeply suspect, is in Polish.)

I love her consistency, and I also love how specific her territory is. Whatever’s going on beyond this block: not her business. Her purview is strictly whatever falls between the co-op, the cosmetic dentist and the mosque. That chic spot on the corner serving “contemporary Americana with a flair for sustainability”? She knew it when it was a French bistro and before that, a deli selling glorious pre-Ozempic piles of kielbasa and goulash.

Which brings me to the picks in this week’s newsletter, both of which zoom in on chunks of urban real estate so finely parsed you could probably cover them with a large tarp. These books, like the lady next door, are living histories: loyal keepers of their own neighborhood flames, and other goulash ghosts of old New York.

“February House,” by Sherill Tippins

Nonfiction, 2005

The subtitle of this book — “The Story of W.H. Auden, Carson McCullers, Jane and Paul Bowles, Benjamin Britten, and Gypsy Rose Lee Under One Roof in Brooklyn” — makes it sound like some kind of mid 20th-century celebrity Mad Libs, or the Paris Review version of fantasy football. But there really was a house at 7 Middagh Street in Brooklyn Heights where, for a few short years in the 1940s, some of the most brilliant and eccentric artists of the era converged to share a dish rack.

The mastermind was a youngish man called George Davis, who had been the vaunted fiction editor of Harper’s Bazaar (he published the likes of John Cheever, Colette and Gertrude Stein) and was, more important, an excellent social connector. When he learned that one of his favorite writers, a gawky girl named Carson who’d just made a splash with her debut novel, “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter,” was wilting in her fifth-floor West Village walk-up — and that two starry British exports, the poet W.H. Auden and the composer Benjamin Britten, were also desperate for cheaper digs — he took it upon himself to rent a former boardinghouse across the East River for $75 a month.

The four-story brownstone had a marble fireplace and charming gingerbread trim; it was also a wreck. Davis fixed what he could and filled the rooms, and the result was mostly pandemonium, particularly when the burlesque superstar Gypsy Rose Lee moved in. But canonical stuff was also made on site; one awed visitor said (in Tippins’s paraphrase) that it was ”like opening a door to find an entire generation of Western culture hidden away in this rickety old Brooklyn parlor.”

In resurrecting this arrangement, Tippins intersperses deep dives into the residents’ various creative endeavors and the lurking menace of World War II with tales of sexual swashbuckling, wild parties and delightfully petty feuds. The cameos are casually bananas: Salvador Dalí, Albert Einstein, George Balanchine. (Anaïs Nin is the one who bestowed the house’s nickname, after the birthday month many residents happened to share.)

It’s all smartly and sympathetically told, if inevitably not quite as sparkly as its subjects. But then Tippins will drop some gem, like this cheerful update on one Middagh alumnus, a monkey belonging to a short-stay circus family: “Joe the chimp found work at Harper’s Bazaar almost immediately, as it turned out, modeling piqué hats for spring.”

Read if you like: “The Sullivanians,” by Alexander Stille, faulty plumbing, sherry in your breakfast coffee. Available from: A Mariner Books paperback, or the share shelf at assorted Brooklyn communes.

“The Princess of 72nd Street,” by Elaine Kraf

Fiction, 1979

“Attacks of radiance” are what the narrator of Kraf’s groovy, glimmering novel calls the manic episodes that sometimes overtake her. Her fingers turn to flower petals and her head is full of bells; more often than not, she is compelled to take her clothes off. (The radiance cannot be smothered by convention, or pants.)

Officially, her name is Ellen, and she is trained as a portrait painter. In her mind, though, she is Princess Esmeralda surveying her tiny kingdom on the Upper West Side — benevolent ruler of all the late-night jazzbos, tweedy psychoanalysts and shifty watermelon salesmen who populate her stretch of Bagel Noshes, gay bars and bookstores.

When the radiance comes, it is not always welcomed by her friends and lovers, many of whom seem a lot less sane than she is; most episodes end forcibly at Bellevue Hospital or St. Vincent’s with “an injection of something to make me stop bothering everyone with my happiness.” But in between and even in the midst of an attack, she is a fount of lucid, high-flying thoughts on morality, marriage — she tried it once, with a moody egomaniac from art school — and the rules of modern (that is, circa 1979) dating.

Kraf died in 2013 and never found much mainstream success in her lifetime, though “Princess” has just gotten a snazzy hardback reissue with an introduction by the novelist Melissa Broder and a new, Gatsby-esque cover . It really deserves to be read — not just for the nitty-gritty New York of it all but for her wry, confiding voice, which is funny, disarming and frequently ruthless; woe to the couple who tries to drag Esmerelda to a suburban barbecue. Most books about madness are either instructive or enervating, long harrowing marches into hearts of darkness. This one feels more like a dance.

Read if you like: Body paint, synesthesia, men who wear scarab pinky rings. Available from: The Modern Library reissue, or the waiting room at Bellevue.

Why don’t you …

Dive into a different kind of New York underground via Sarah Schulman’s bleakly beautiful 1995 novel “Rat Bohemia”?

Say goodbye to the corn-dogs-and-diesel glory of a city summer with Bruce Gilden’s great photo book “Coney Island”?

Try to parse the dense dis-and-dat Brooklynese of Thomas Wolfe’s classic 1935 short story “Only the Dead Know Brooklyn” ? Or, you know, fuggedaboutit.

Thank you for being a subscriber

Plunge further into books at The New York Times or our reading recommendations .

If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here . Browse all of our subscriber-only newsletters here .

Friendly reminder: check your local library for books! Many libraries allow you to reserve copies online.

Explore More in Books

Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

100 Best Books of the 21st Century:  As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics  and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.

‘A Lot of Us Are Gone’:  Nationwide protests over racial inequality led publishing houses to pledge that they would recruit more people of color. The departure of prominent Black editors and executives has led some to question publishers’ commitment to diversify .

The Pentagon’s U.F.O. Hunt:  Luis Elizondo made headlines when he resigned after running a shadowy Pentagon program investigating U.F.O.s. In a new memoir , he asserts that a government-run program has retrieved technology and biological remains of nonhuman origin from U.F.O. crashes.

The Essential Shel Silverstein:  He was irreverent, absurdist and ahead of his time. Here’s the best of the best by the groovy pied piper who made poetry fun .

The Book Review Podcast:  Each week, top authors and critics talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

• Entertainment

"He Will Be Deeply Missed": Vetrimaran Pays Tribute to Vetri Duraisamy

The news of Vetri Duraisamy's tragic passing struck a chord with many on February 4th. While traveling with friends in Himachal Pradesh, an accident in Kinnaur claimed his life, leaving a void in the hearts of those who knew him.

A search operation involving various teams, including the SDRF, NDRF, ITBP, and local police, recovered his body on Monday after a post-mortem examination. Divers located him three kilometers from the accident site.

Numerous political leaders and film personalities joined in grieving Vetri's sudden demise. Director Vetrimaran, a close friend and collaborator, organized a condolence meeting at his educational institution, IIFC, to honor his memory.

Sharing their profound connection, Vetrimaran acknowledged, "Vetri often said he learned cinema from me, but in reality, he taught me just as much. One thing we deeply shared was our love for nature and its creatures."

"He was an explorer, driven by a thirst for knowledge and adventure. For the past decade, he was my constant companion. Whether it was sourcing props for my films, musical instruments for our home, or simply finding joy in nature, he was always there, enthusiastic and supportive," Vetrimaran fondly recalled.

"Vetri's belief in supporting others led him to readily embrace the vision of IIFC. Without his unwavering support, the institute wouldn't be what it is today. He also actively contributed to his father's Humanities Foundation, demonstrating his genuine desire to help others," Vetrimaran continued.

He further highlighted Vetri's passion for wildlife photography, stating, "Vetri's curiosity and passion radiated through his award-winning wildlife photography. His recent expeditions to Africa for gorillas and the Arctic for polar bears showcased his dedication to capturing nature's wonders. Tragically, his life was cut short while pursuing his dream of photographing the elusive snow leopard."

"His infectious smile and genuine kindness extended not only to humans but to all living beings. His absence leaves an unfillable void. Life throws these unimaginable challenges at us. He had just completed his first film and was brimming with potential when this tragedy struck," Vetrimaran said with a heavy heart.

"To honor his memory, we plan to initiate awards at IIFC. One award will be dedicated to the first Tamil filmmaker, and another to wildlife photography, both bearing his name. We will share further details soon," he announced.

"Life brings us many people, some fleeting, others leaving an indelible mark. Vetri Duraisamy was the latter. His absence leaves a profound emptiness, but his memory will continue to inspire us," Vetrimaran concluded solemnly.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website

• Biggest New Books
• Non-Fiction
• All Categories
• First Readers Club Daily Giveaway
• How It Works

The Best Reviewed Books of the Week

Featuring elif shafak, audre lorde, moon unit zappa, and more.

• Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Elif Shafak’s There Are Rivers in the Sky , Alexis Pauline Gumbs’ Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde , and Moon Unit Zapa’s Earth to Moon all feature among the best reviewed books of the week.

1. There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (Knopf)

7 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Mixed • 2 Pan

“The risk with multiple overlapping narratives is that the reader can become more invested in one. The pace of the longer descriptive passages is slower than the character-driven sections, but no less forceful or imaginative … This novel moves between continents, centuries, cultures and communities with intelligence and ease. Shafak raises big ideas around artefacts and ownership of cultural heritage and handles them with care … A tribute to the power of language.”

–Henrietta McKervey ( The Irish Times )

2. Sacrificial Animals by Kailee Pedersen (St. Martin’s Press)

4 Rave • 2 Positive

“Pedersen maintains a sense of doom, building suspense and expectation … Pedersen weaves eerie sentences together from archaic language, and the novel builds with a gruesome, anxious energy as the author reveals its connection to Chinese mythology … The novel’s final pages are a wild frenzy of beauty, vengeance and viscera.”

–Heather Scott Partington ( The Los Angeles Times )

3. The Volcano Daughters by Gina María Balibrera (Pantheon)

2 Rave • 3 Positive • 1 Mixed

“This is an epic story, a remarkable achievement for a writer making her first foray into the literary landscape. Balibrera demonstrates a fearlessness that is rare … This is not a perfect novel. Deep into the story, too many minor characters are introduced with flourish, never to reappear. The end seems hurried, as if the Furies had suddenly been released and couldn’t decide which direction to go. But these are mere blots on a richly drawn canvas. Mainly, what emerges triumphantly from Balibrera’s pages is a gifted new storyteller with a nose for history and a prodigious imagination.”

–Marie Arana ( The New York Times Book Review )

1. Survival Is a Promise: The Eternal Life of Audre Lorde by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)

5 Rave • 3 Positive

“An unabashed celebration of Lorde … There is no room for Lorde’s flaws in this book; she is a goddess, an avatar, an icon. As an entry point into Lorde’s poetry, though, Gumbs’s persuasive close readings create a virtuous circle, shining a light on how the life generated the poems, which now elucidate that life … Gumbs honors Lorde’s desire for an expansive legacy.”

–Ayten Tartici ( The New York Times Book Review )

2. Earth to Moon: A Memoir by Moon Unit Zappa (Dey Street Books)

3 Rave • 4 Positive • 1 Mixed

“For such a thoroughly dispiriting saga, Earth to Moon is somehow an unconscionably entertaining read. This is in no small part thanks to the prose … She emerges to claim her own narrative at last. And what a narrative it is.”

–Nick Duerden ( The Guardian )

3. The Slow Road North: How I Found Peace in an Improbable Country by Rosie Schaap (Mariner)

4 Rave Read an excerpt from The Slow Road North here

“Schaap’s prose is characterized by well-crafted, even sublime sentences, erudite literary references and sharp, dark humor … Vivid … A patient book, exceptional when Schaap shows us what brings joy to her life after so many years of grief. You’ll find a fortifying dose of grace in these pages.”

–Ann Neumann ( The New York Times Book Review )

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Get the Book Marks Bulletin

Email address:

• Categories Fiction Fantasy Graphic Novels Historical Horror Literary Literature in Translation Mystery, Crime, & Thriller Poetry Romance Speculative Story Collections Non-Fiction Art Biography Criticism Culture Essays Film & TV Graphic Nonfiction Health History Investigative Journalism Memoir Music Nature Politics Religion Science Social Sciences Sports Technology Travel True Crime

August 19 – 23, 2024

• Mat Messerschmidt considers Nietzsche and our crisis of masculinity . 
• Mark Haddon on writing with long COVID brain fog .
• Camille Ralphs considers Chaucer’s infinite interpretability .
• “Spend a morning walking around the Bronx with Ian Frazier .
• Nneka M. Okona remembers Toni Morrison through her food .