Sorgavaasal

Sidharth Viswanath's 2024 Tamil film begins with an ordinary man being imprisoned and describes what happens inside the prison system. Its question is stated openly: does prison return people to society, or push them further into crime. RJ Balaji leads, an actor previously seen mostly in comedy and working here in an entirely different register. The director Selvaraghavan is also in the cast as a performer. The narrative rests on concrete ground in the prison conditions of Tamil Nadu in the eighties and nineties. Generically the film sits between crime thriller and social drama and does not always manage the transitions between them. The violence is harsh and frequent. Even so, it is among the few Tamil films to show the internal hierarchy of a prison and the workings of the guard system in detail. Who it's for: those who like prison films and Tamil cinema carrying a critique of the system. Who it's not for: anyone seeking a watch low in violence; the film holds on scenes of beating and torture.