Naan Kadavul

Bala's 2009 Tamil film follows Rudran, abandoned as a child in Kasi. He grows up an aghori, believing he holds rights over death and rebirth, and when his father comes to take him back he cannot fit into that world. The film's second line concerns beggars. People deliberately maimed and put to work on the street live under the control of a gang; the narrative conveys that order not through pity but by showing it directly. The screenplay is adapted from a novel. Arya went through a severe physical transformation for the role; Pooja Umashankar plays a blind beggar. Bala's cinema is hard and uncompromising, and the close offers no comfort. Who it's for: those who follow the harsh strain of Tamil cinema. Who it's not for: viewers for whom disability, violence and death would sit heavily; the film shows them openly.