Chennai 600028

Venkat Prabhu's 2007 Tamil film follows a group of young men playing street cricket in Chennai. The rivalry with a neighbouring team, friendships and first loves all take place on the same grounds. What distinguishes it is that most of the performers were unknown and the dialogue rests on actual Chennai slang. The songs, the lines and the match sequences felt immediately familiar to young audiences in the city and the film became an unexpected success. The narrative is loose and episodic; less a plot than one season with a group of friends. Venkat Prabhu established his manner in Tamil cinema with this film and made a sequel in later years. Who it's for: those who like friendship comedies and 2000s Tamil independent cinema. Who it's not for: viewers expecting room for women characters; the film stays almost entirely inside the male group.