Tamil Nadu's Real Raconteur

A man who makes the ordinary seem extraordinary, the passion and power of Vetrimaaran survive the system.

- Suhanin Singh

Tamil film maker vetrimaran's aam aadmi heroes don't stand a chance in front of Thalaivar. Whether it's his swagger or super powers. They are more likely to run from goons than take them head on. “I can’t write about someone who is unlike me in all senses—physically, emotionally and socially,” says Vetrimaaran on a phone interview from Chennai. He elaborates on how his hero thinks, “If he is confront­ed with two guys, he will fight. If there are four, he will negotiate; but if there are ten, he will run away.” That may make him a loser in the eyes of those accustomed to larger­ than­ life heroes typical of Kollywood hits but Vetrimaaran’s protagonist is practical, an ordinary man who lives on the fringes and struggles with routine issues.

Making the ordinary extraordi­nary is something Vetrimaaran does rather well. He has directed three films in 10 years. Two of them— Aadukalam (2011) and Visaranai (2015)—have collectively won nine national awards, including a best director for Vetrimaaran. Visaranai, his last, was recently chosen as India’s entry in the foreign language category at the Oscars. An adaptation of auto driver M. Chandrakumar’s book, Lock-Up, which details his agonising experience as an inmate and sheds light on the nexus between police and politics, Visaranai is a visceral watch largely due to Vetrimaaran’s no-holds-barred look at the atrocities committed in jail and the sharp editing of the late Kishore Te.