Asuran

A village in Tamil Nadu. Sivasami is an old farmer: quiet, avoiding conflict, accepting humiliation. A wealthy family wants his land and applies pressure when they cannot get it. His elder son opposes them and is killed. His younger son Chidambaram takes revenge and is hunted. The father goes on the run with him. As they run the narrative goes back and opens Sivasami's youth; he was not always this man. Vetrimaaran directs. Dhanush plays Sivasami. The source is Poomani's novel Vekkai. Dhanush plays both the old father and his younger self, and the difference between the two carries the film. The subject is caste and land. The violence in the village is not a personal feud; it is the result of a hundred year order about who may own land, and the film says so directly. The section in the past is the centre. Only there does it become clear why Sivasami stays silent, and the film's argument comes from it: violence does not end when it is answered with violence. Vetrimaaran is known for hard films on social ground and this is his most widely seen work. It was a large commercial success and brought Dhanush a national award. Who it is for: viewers who follow Tamil cinema and drama that treats caste. Who it is not for: the violence is heavy, it is long, and in the last section the narrative leans on a speech.