Kollywood movies in which rain played a major role – F’day Spl. Article by Naveen

Rain has always been an iconic and powerful symbol in Tamil cinema, often serving as a metaphor for emotional intensity, transformation, and the passage of time.

Whether in romantic ballads, tragic moments, or celebratory scenes, the rain becomes a dynamic character that enhances storytelling. It evokes deep feelings of longing, separation, and reunion, making it a crucial element in many Tamil films.

The visual aesthetics of rain—its sound, its rhythm, and the way it interacts with characters—create a poetic atmosphere, helping filmmakers convey complex emotions and themes.

Through its symbolic and sensory impact, rain has become a cinematic tool that deeply resonates with audiences, making it an enduring motif in Tamil film history.

Let us take a look at some of the movies in which rain played a major role.

‘Mazhai’:

Jayam Ravi, an unemployed youngster and Rahul Dev a powerful don both fall in love with Shriya at the same time on a rainy day at a railway station. Ravi keeps bumping into Shriya coincidentally every time it rains. This makes them both feel that it is perhaps the rain that keeps bringing them together, and they start to fall in love. Rahul Dev, on the other hand, takes the back-door route to get the girl, with the help of her father Kalabhavan Mani. After learning of the Ravi and Shriya’s love, Rahul and Kalabhavan Mani work up devious plans to break them up. What happens next forms the core plot of the movie.

‘Aayirathil Oruvan’:

Reema Sen, a government official, embarks on a journey to find Prathap Pothen, an archaeologist, who went to Vietnam to search for any existence of the prince of the Chola dynasty. Along with the army, and Prathap Pothen’s daughter Andrea, Reema Sen employs a group of porters headed by Karthi, to transport the baggage during the journey. Soon Reema Sen, Andrea and Karthi get separated from the others. Reema tells the Chola king Parthiban that she is the messenger sent from homeland. He suspects whether Reema is legitimate since none of her actions match ancestor’s description. The ancestors wrote that the messenger will be ill-treated, attacked following which there will be rain which will prove that he is the one. When Parthiban finds out that Reema has betrayed them, the Cholas attack Karthi in anger, following which it starts to rain revealing that Karthi is the true messenger.

‘VIP 2’:

Dhanush wins the Civil Engineer of the Year 2016 Award and is an executive member of his company now. Kajol, the chairman of a big construction company in South India, Vasundhara Constructions, witnesses the announcement of Raghuvaran’s victory at the Engineer of the Year 2016 Awards and finds out about him. She makes Raghuvaran a job offer, but he humbly refuses. After a certain turn around of events Prakash, a greedy businessman sends goons to kill Dhanush, but Raghuvaran beats them all up. He thinks that Kajol sent them and goes to her office room in her company’s main headquarters building. Unfortunately, the office is flooded due to a heavy downpour, and they are trapped on their floor. How this situation solves the dispute between the two forms the rest of the story.

‘Comaali’:

Jayam Ravi wakes up from coma and he has a difficult time adjusting to both his physical condition and the severe shock he encounters after so many years. Ravi just finds the people around him mechanical and losing their humanity, and so he preaches all through the film. With no proper education, all is lost for Ravi. He does find hope in the form of a small statue belonging to his family, but it is now with the villain, played by KS Ravikumar. Ravi devises a plan to prove that the statue belongs to him. But things do not go according to plan as there is heavy downpour on the day. How does the rain and following floods change the entire course of the movie forms the core plot.

‘Anbe Sivam’:

The film tells the story of Nallasivam and Anbarasu, two men of contrasting personalities who undertake an unexpected journey from Bhubaneswar to Chennai due to the incessant rains and flood in the city. The film begins with ad film-maker Anbarasu (R. Madhavan)- who prefers that his name is mentioned in the abbreviation of A. Aras rather than his full name, arriving at the Bhubaneswar airport in Orissa, India. He is about to board a flight back to Chennai for his own wedding. However, he learns at the airport that his flight is cancelled due to the bad weather in the state where heavy floods and torrential rain due to the wet season have affected air traffic. While waiting for further announcements, Aras watches a television news of a terrorist threat at an airport in Mumbai, making him suspicious when he sees a limping man carrying an old sack on his hands. He informs the authorities, who find out that the man only has a cucumber in that bag and nothing else. The man, a physically disabled man named Nallasivam a.k.a Nalla (Kamal Hassan) introduces himself to Aras and both of them get to know each other. The journey of these duo which is the result of the rain forms the main plot of the story.