Saani Kaayidham

Arun Matheswaran's 2022 Tamil film follows Ponni, a police constable from an oppressed caste, and her half-brother going after the men who destroyed her family. She was raped and her husband and child burned alive; from there the story becomes a chain of revenge. What makes it interesting is refusing to present revenge as satisfaction: each killing empties Ponni a little more and the violence is never aestheticised. Caste is the direct ground of the story and the film does not hide it. Keerthy Suresh's performance is counted the hardest of her career. The violence is extremely graphic and some scenes are unbearable. Who it's for: viewers interested in Tamil revenge films and cinema that treats caste. Who it's not for: anyone avoiding graphic violence, sexual violence and the death of a child, or wanting a hopeful close.