Monsoon special: Rain and flood as characters in Tamil Cinema – F’day Spl. Article by Naveen

The monsoon rain holds a special place in Tamil cinema. It is a powerful narrative device, a harbinger of love, a catalyst for tragedy, and, sometimes, an actual accomplice to a crime. Let us take a look at some of the movies in which rain plays a crucial role.

1. ‘Mazhai’: 
The 2005 romantic action film ‘Mazhai’ elevates the monsoon to a metaphorical Cupid. The central romance between Arjun (Jayam Ravi) and Sailaja (Shriya Saran) is fundamentally linked to the downpour.

In this film, rain is the celestial element that repeatedly brings the lead pair together. They first meet on a rainy day at a railway station, and their subsequent chance encounters are all punctuated by a sudden shower.

This cinematic device is used to build a sense of fated love, suggesting that their union is blessed, or perhaps even ordained, by the rain itself.

 The constant presence of rain acts as a visual and thematic motif, symbolizing the pure, elemental force of their passion, going beyond mere background to become an emotional marker in their journey.

2. ‘Eeram’:

Director Arivazhagan’s crime thriller ‘Eeram’ offers a highly innovative and chilling use of the water element. In this cult classic, water transforms from a nurturing element into an eerie medium of supernatural terror and vengeance.

The film revolves around a murder mystery in an apartment complex, where water becomes the primary tool and signature of a vengeful spirit. The ghost of the deceased woman is shown to use any form of water—from a spilled glass to a running tap, and crucially, the heavy, constant rain—to carry out her revenge.

‘Eeram’ masterfully uses the cinematography to create an atmosphere of perpetual dampness and dread. The constant presence of rain, moisture, and dripping water is unsettling, as the spirit’s presence is foreshadowed by these “wet” cues.

Here, the rain is not an accidental element; it is a meticulously crafted, essential component of the horror genre, blurring the line between a natural phenomenon and a supernatural weapon.

3. ‘VIP 2’:

In the sequel, ‘VIP 2’, the theme of rain and flood serves a strikingly different purpose: a literal and symbolic climax to a corporate rivalry.

The film focuses on the conflict between the honest engineer Raghuvaran (Dhanush) and the formidable corporate tycoon Vasundhara (Kajol). The climax of their conflict takes place on a night of intense, torrential rain that floods the city and traps them together in Vasundhara’s high-rise office.

The flood in ‘VIP 2’ acts as the great leveler. Stripped of their professional titles and surrounded by the rising water, they are forced to confront each other as two stranded human beings.

The disaster effectively breaks down the walls of corporate pride and ego, forcing a genuine, human conversation. It is the external force that creates the isolated setting necessary for their reconciliation, leading to a change of heart for the antagonist.

4. ‘Comali’:

‘Comali’ uses the stark and painful memory of the 2015 Chennai Floods as a crucial plot device in its climax, shifting the film’s tone from comedy and nostalgia to emotional sincerity.

The film’s protagonist (Jayam Ravi), who has just woken up from a 16-year coma, is struggling to navigate the complexities and technological dependence of modern society. In the final act, he gets caught in a recreated flood situation (referencing the 2015 disaster) while rushing the antagonist’s pregnant wife to the hospital.

The flood scene in Comali is not about individual survival or revenge; it’s a commentary on enduring humanity. Despite the hero’s initial struggles to understand the “new world,” the shared experience of the disaster forces strangers to band together, helping to carry the pregnant woman through the waterlogged streets.

This moment of selfless, community-driven rescue allows the protagonist to realize that the fundamental human values—the “old world” values he missed—still persist, even amidst a technologically advanced society. The flood serves as the ultimate test, proving that empathy and communal spirit can rise above modern cynicism.