Culture & Community

Culture & Community

Latest news from and about the homeland

Eelam dancers
An Eelam Tamil dance group who won first place at the World of Dance Switzerland Championships last year, will now be heading to the World Championships in LA. The dancers, all Swiss-born Eelam Tamils, included: Samjutha Sadanandarajan (27 years old), Rashmiyaa Navanesan (26 years old), Archana Sachchithananthamoorthy (26 years old), Shamya Vallipuram (26 years old), Rethuga Jeevakanthan (30…

Pathu Thala - Flawed but entertaining

Perhaps it is due to the subpar content being dished out by the star vehicles of Tamil cinema in recent times, but Obeli N. Krishna’s ‘Pathu Thala’ was surprisingly palatable. Starting out as an associate director to Gautham Vasudev Menon in the early part of his career, Krishna’s directorial debut, 2006’s ‘Sillunu Oru Kadhal,’ was mostly remembered for its great soundtrack and the buzz behind its real life lead pair. His latest offering strays from the romance genre, instead opting for a tried and tested masala gangster story. The film is a remake of the 2017 Kannada film ‘Mufti.’

Tamil Students Initiative International Women's Day Brunch

The Tamil Students Initiative held their inaugural International Women’s Day Brunch showcasing up-and-coming female performers at The Cottons in Shoreditch on 19th March 2023. The exclusively female event looked to celebrate and empower women. Featured acts included Mathura, Vinika Vara, Vyshna, Thanu and Kingston Tamil Society. 

The event was hosted by Shangavi - a talented model and dancer. Shangavi has participated in both Kings of Gaana and Mega Maalai 2023, as well as recently leading her first Bharathanatyam dance workshop with Queen Mary's Tamil society. 

Agilan - Shallow waters

 

 

 

Following N Kalyanakrishnan’s debut with 2015’s ‘Bhooloham,’ Jayam Ravi joins hands with the director once again for ‘Agilan.’ ‘Bhooloham’ was not particularly well received by critics or the audience, therefore one cannot help but wonder what drew Ravi back to Kalyanakrishnan. Perhaps it was because on paper the film has an interesting premise: an exploration of the world of smuggling in shipping. However, due to failures in almost every department, ‘Agilan’ leaves a lot to be desired.

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam - A masterfully crafted dream

Overall, ‘Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam’ is a film about duality: both a wonderful slice of life film and a philosophical work of magical realism. Equally importantly, it is a masterful display of fantastic filmmaking, both simple and brilliant.

Vaathi - A hastily prepared lesson

Despite a decent core concept, ‘Vaathi’ fails to land due to its contradictory internal thought process. If writer/director Venky Atluri had thought through the lesson he wished to teach, he would have understood that the standard formulaic ‘masala’ treatment would not work.

Michael - Style over substance

The style of the film outweighs the substance by a large margin. Despite the director’s incessant references to Hemingway novels, Bruce Lee films and Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, the film is outclassed by them all. When almost all the departments of a film fail miserably, there is only one person to blame - the director. ‘Michael’ crumbles under its own lofty ambitions, a hollow shell of a film which dissipates upon any scrutiny. 

Maatu Pongal celebrated in Jaffna

Maatu Pongal, a festival to give thanks to cattle for allowing farmers to cultivate and harvest their crops, was celebrated in Jaffna today. 

To mark the festival, cows were garlanded and fed pongal at Gnanavairavar temple and Tirunelveli market in Jaffna.

Raangi - On the wrong track

Overall, the core concept of ‘Raangi’ could have made for an enthralling and morally conflicting drama. Instead, Saravanan botches the delivery and presents a sloppy shell of a great film.