From ‘Kaala’ to ‘Madharasi’: Kollywood movies that touched upon North and South perspectives – F’day Spl. Article by Naveen

Sivakarthikeyan’s movie with director A R Murugadoss has been titled ‘Madharasi’.

In a recent interview, the director shared the reason behind choosing this name. The story begins in North India and is told from the perspective of North Indian characters.

He also mentioned that the movie explores how North Indians perceive South Indians.

There are quite a few movies which have touched up on the concept of the  North Indians and South Indians. Let us take a look at some of the movies.

‘Ayothi’: 

 

When a family, under the care of patriarch Yashpal, travels from the north to Rameshwaram, his actions inadvertently cause the death of his wife Anju Asrani, leaving their two children Preethi Asrani and Advaith Vinod in pain and distress. How Sasikumar gets involved in this and what happens next forms the core plot of the movie. Directed by Manthira Moorthy, the movie talks about humanity and also explores about the cultural differences between the north and the south.

‘Abhiyum Naanum’:

The movie revolves around Prakash Raj and his daughter Trisha. His daughter is fiercely independent and likes to do things on her own terms. That makes it tough for Prakash Raj since he wants to protect her from the outside world. Directed by Radha Mohan, the movie is basically about how a father grows as a child grows. However, there is also a portion where the daughter falls in love with a Punjabi guy and how the father reacts and deals with it.

‘Kaala’:

Kaala (aka) Karikaalan is a representative of the people living in Dharavi, a big slum in Mumbai. When a political leader tries to grab the land they are living in, Kaala rises to the occasion and takes his people on a journey to resist the politician’s plans, like a true leader. Directed by Pa Ranjith, this movie explores the way in which Dharavi Tamils are treated.

‘Kaaki Sattai’:

Sivakarthikeyan is an honest constable who does not like the corruption, prevailing within the police force. At one point of time, Sivakarthikeyan explodes at his higher official Prabhu who challenges him to expose a sensitive case. Interestingly Sivakarthikeyan, along with his girlfriend Sri Divya comes across an underworld organ trade run by a powerful don Durai Vijay Raaz who is backed by political leaders and a Police commissioner. The movie talks about the plight of the migrant workers and how they are exploited for organ trade.

‘Ramana’:

Directed by Ramana, starring Vijayakanth in the lead role, the movie is about corruption and an organisation’s fight against it. Things get heated up when a Punjabi is introduced as a top cop to nab the organisation’s leader. The dialogues during the investigation scene of the organisation’s members are evergreen. Especially when the Yugi Sethu character says ‘We are not emotional fools’.