M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi

Mohan Raja's 2004 Tamil film follows Kumaran, who lives with his mother and trains in kickboxing. His father left the family years earlier. After his mother's death Kumaran learns who his father is and goes to confront him. The film places the mother and son relationship at its centre and those passages make up the first half. In the second the reckoning with the father comes forward and the tone hardens. Nadhiya as the mother and Prakash Raj as the father form the emotional frame. The production is a remake of a Telugu film, and Mohan Raja was known for such adaptations in this period. The narrative leans openly on melodrama; the music is heavy and the scenes are held long. It is among Asin's early films. Who it's for: those who like family-centred Tamil melodrama. Who it's not for: viewers looking for restraint; the film keeps its emotional pitch high to the end.