Known for his preference of working with newcomers, Susienthiran debuted with Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu in 2009. He then went on to make the critically-acclaimed Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (2011), and is now awaiting the release of his next film, Kennedy Club . These are four films that he watched as a child, and which remain etched in his memory.
Kadhalukku Mariyadhai (1997)
This film released during my teenage years. I think I was in Class XII. I had just started sprouting facial hair.
Vijay and Shalini in a still from ‘Kadhalukku Mariyadhai’
Kadhalukku Mariyadhai along with Kadhal Kottai were the two films in the romantic genre that will remain close to my heart because it was also during this time that I had a crush on a girl. It was a one-sided affair.
Whenever I listened to the background chorus for ‘Ennai Thaalatta Varuvalo’ song from the film, it was special. Even today, when I hear ‘thanna... thaaanana.. thannanaa’, I connect to those memories immediately.
Thalapathi (1991)
I remember how my brother and I went to watch Thalapathi.
Rajinikanth and Mammootty in a still from ‘Thalapathi’
We cycled to the local cinema together, and I remember us falling down and getting hurt. We were bleeding from our legs but we still caught the film. I think it was during the time of our village festival that it released. What struck me as odd was that the film was visually different. It had a dark mood feel throughout, and it was something that I had not experienced in cinema until then. It is also hard to understand aspects of film-making as a child but I remember thinking Thalapathi felt new.
Captain Prabhakaran (1991)
In my village in Oddanchatram, there were many Kamal Haasan and Vijayakanth fans.
Vijayakanth in a still from ‘Captain Prabhakaran’
So, I had to compulsorily watch Captain Prabhakaran several times. As a child, I loved action films. It was a film that had plenty of action sequences. I remember how they advertised the film at the cinema because people in my town wouldn’t go watch a movie if it only had songs. The line was ‘Sandai kaatchigalum, paadalgalum niraintha padam Captain Prabhakaran’ (a film with action sequences and songs).
Nayakan (1987)
This was the first film that I watched on TV using a video casette recorder.
Kamal Haasan in a still from ‘Nayakan’
The feeling was surreal because there were a lot of people who had come home to watch. It was as if the village had gathered to celebrate the occasion. Nayakan is perhaps the only film that would make me reflect in wonderment at any point in time. Many scenes in the film would leave you powerless. Such is its impact. Of course, when I developed more film-making knowledge, I was introduced to other great films. I could list out a few of them as well but Nayakan remains special for me.
(As told to Pradeep Kumar)
