Annamalai

Suresh Krissna's 1992 Tamil film follows the childhood friendship between Annaamalai, a milkman, and Ashok, son of a hotel-owning family, turning to enmity when Ashok's father intervenes. It is a remake of the 1987 Hindi film Khudgarz, itself adapted from Jeffrey Archer's novel Kane and Abel. Class sits at the centre: the poor man's rise is written not as a success story but as a journey of settling accounts. Rajinikanth's performance here is counted among the films that consolidated his mainstream identity, and the lines and the walk are part of that identity. Deva's music was one of the period's most popular albums. It runs long and the second half slides into melodrama. Who it's for: viewers who like Rajinikanth's films and Tamil cinema of the nineties. Who it's not for: anyone wanting measured storytelling, or who dislikes hero-centred construction.