Arunachalam

Sundar C's 1997 Tamil film follows Arunachalam, the son of a leading village elder, who learns the truth about his own past and has his life changed entirely by it. Rajinikanth stars, and the film sits at his commercial peak in the nineties. The narrative uses comedy, action and family drama in turn. The structure familiar from Rajinikanth's films applies here too: the star's entrance, his lines and the fight scenes stand in front of the story. The film does not disguise this, and the audience comes for exactly that. Soundarya and Rambha take the women's roles. What is most remembered is the music; the songs composed by Deva were among the most played of their moment. The narrative logic is thin and moves on coincidence. Who it's for: those who love Rajinikanth's films and nineties mainstream Tamil cinema. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a coherent script and realistic characters; the film is built entirely around its star.