Thevar Magan

Directed by Bharathan and written and produced by Kamal Haasan, this 1992 Tamil film is among the most cited examples of the rural epic tradition in Tamil cinema. Saktivelu, educated in London, wants to open a chain of restaurants in Chennai, while his father expects him to stay in the village and help its people. That tension between father and son is drawn into a conflict that quickly becomes a blood feud between castes. The patriarch played by Sivaji Ganesan returned him to the centre late in his career, and the film won five National Film Awards, including a special jury prize for Ganesan, best supporting actress for Revathi, and best feature film for Haasan as producer. Its treatment of caste violence is contested: while criticising it, the film also frames the rural feudal order as an honourable tradition. It was remade in Hindi as Virasat. Who it's for: viewers interested in Tamil rural drama, the meeting of Kamal Haasan and Sivaji Ganesan, and 1990s Indian cinema. Who it's not for: anyone troubled by the romanticising of the caste order, or unprepared for the harshness of the violence.