Mookuthi Amman

This 2020 Tamil film, co-directed by RJ Balaji and NJ Saravanan, follows a television reporter who has spent years trying to expose a fraudulent godman. He has the evidence but cannot get it broadcast. Then the goddess Mookuthi Amman appears to him and decides to help. The film treats religion comically without targeting belief itself; the target is those who turn belief into a business. The goddess speaks like an ordinary person, complains and stays at the reporter's house. That tone requires a balance rarely attempted in Tamil cinema. Nayanthara plays the goddess and RJ Balaji the reporter. It was released straight to a streaming platform during the pandemic. The humour turns into direct message at points, and in the final section the film openly preaches, which drew the most criticism. Who it's for: those who like Tamil fantasy comedy. Who it's not for: viewers uncomfortable with religious subjects handled comically; the film does it throughout.