movies directed by vetrimaran

Every Vetrimaaran Film Ranked

Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaaran belongs to one of those breeds of director whose tight scripts, apt casting, and realistic treatment of storyline has made fundamental changes to the very nature of mainstream filmmaking. His films are made for a multi-cultural audience and backed by the strength of their storytelling and sculpted dialogue, which has reinvigorated the art of popular cinema with a breath of fresh air.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films: Every Lijo Jose Pellissery Film Ranked

Each of the films is imbued with a powerful, coherent aesthetic that guides viewers through a dark matrix. At its best, it augments a captivating narrative and sinks viewers into a world of social realism of rural Tamil Nadu. Even urban reality is being depicted showcasing more fallible and life-like characters. The cinema of the carnivalesque with its larger-than-life characters, melodramatic orientation and highly romanticized canvas is something that does not whet his appetite for creativity.

With a filmography of five features and one short film as a director, he has earned his reputation as the most one of the most accessible filmmakers of the last decade. His style involves artistically thriving with a soothing pace lending itself to an atmospheric work filled with oneiric undertones. Some viewers may find his films brutal and gut wrenching as it gets; yet, despite its ruthless depiction, it’s also surprisingly heartwarming.

5. Polladhavan (2007)

Vetrimaaran’s debut feature film opens up with a gruesome and brutal fighting sequence and then using the device of flashback, the filmmaker takes us into the dynamic world of contemporary Chennai, where an educated young man, Prabhu ( Dhanush ) fight injustice and in the process is forced to unleash the animal within him.

Also, Read: Every Sriram Raghavan Film Ranked

The protagonist of the film is an uneducated youth who due to turn of events confronts his father (Murali) and an argument regarding the responsibilities of parents towards their offspring ensues. As a result of this conflict, Prabhu gets a hefty amount from his father and he uses the money to purchase a Bajaj Pulsar bike. This appears to be a wise investment because owning the vehicle enables him to get a job and earn respect in society. But the situation takes a drastic turn when a gang of anti-socials steals his bike. Thereafter the film presents the viewers with the transformation of resilience into power and its hold over the life of an individual’s struggle to maintain his position in the harsh reality of everyday life.

The plot of the film has similarities with Wang Xiaoshuai’s Bejing Bicycle (2001). But the well worked out mise-en-scenes of Polladhavan makes it an entertaining tale of a casual urban carefree person’s conversion into a person of genuine worth and true dignity. Polladhavan was remade in Kannada as Punda, in Telugu as Kurradu starring Varun Sandesh, in Sinhala as Pravegeya, in Bengali as Borbaad (2014) and in Hindi as Guns of Banaras (2020). But none of them could achieve the excellence earned by the original version.

4. Visaranai (2016)

Based on the Tamil novel Lock Up by M. Chandrakumar, Vetrimaaran’s third outing in its first half has such brutal scenes of police torture that one could genuinely feel the bestial act of police torture. The viewers are compelled to cringe as well as empathize with the plight of four helpless souls. The narrative of the film can be divided into two sections-before and after the intermission. Four migrant workers are falsely accused in a burglary case that has taken place at a rich and affluent man’s bungalow. The police beat these four characters in black and blue and want them to confess. Not able to withstand the pain they agree to accept the charges. Once they are produced in the court the narrative of the film takes a twist and the viewers are presented with one shocking surprise after the other.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films: Salt Of The Earth (1954) : A Landmark American Independent Cinema On The Working Class  

The filmmaker displays superb craftsmanship and commitment to an engaging dramatic tale that ends in a tragedy. The film subtly depicts that the characters in the film become a victim because of the system that protected the criminal over the accuser. It is a deeply troubling film that is devoid of cathartic and healing moments. Vetrimaaran does not feel hesitant in constructing the brutal scene with ease and he is neither afraid to carve out its own unique style.

The film had its world premiere at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Amnesty International Italia Award. Back home it had won three National Film Awards- Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing.

Watch Visaranai (2016) on Netflix

3. asuran (2019).

What becomes the last resort for a farmer who goes on the run with his family as he is compelled to protect his son, who has murdered a wealthy upper-caste landlord in a fit of vengeance? The reply should be to fight with the oppressing forces and reclaim his identity. That is exactly what Sivasaami (Dhanush) does to break away from the uncomfortable social status he has inherited. Based on the novel Vekkai by Poomani, Vetrimaaran’s screen adaptation is so watertight that every occurrence in the screenplay feels alluring.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films : Asuran (2019) Review: Rise, Asuran, Rise!

With Asuran Vetrimaaran continues his excellent cinematic flair as a director enhancing his commendable grasp on the tropes of mainstream cinema. The film also benefits from technical polish – the cinematography, background score and editing are all top-notch. Asuran too has gut-wrenching violence and prepares the viewer for the edge-of-seat tension. The narrative follows a rhythm where the plot is revealed without wasting much of the screen time. The film belongs to the genre of revenge saga told from the perspective of a lower caste protagonist.

It’s one of those mainstream films that fulfill a social purpose, for it’s hard to imagine anyone viewing Asuran and not abhorring the evil practice of casteism in our country and how it voluntarily degrade human values and status. At the Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards, 2020, Vetrimaaran won the award for best director. The film had won two National Film Awards- Best Feature Film in Tamil and Best Actor.

Read the Complete Review of Asuran (2019) Here

Watch asuran (2019) on prime video , 2. vada chennai (2018).

A tale of criminal activities narrated in a non-linear pattern over the span of more than a decade is the perfect recipe for a crime sage. Vetrimaaran’s narrative takes the viewers on a journey that lasts for nearly a hundred and sixty-four hours and introduces them to the world of guilt, regret and vital decisions leading to loyalty turned into betrayal. The protagonist of the film Anbu (Dhanush) is an expert carrom player but his life gets entwined into the world of crime. He gets pulled into the vortex so deeply that penitence alludes to him after a point in time.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films : Top Tamil Movies of 2018 and Where To Watch Them

With a multiple cast the story of the film is set in the underbellies of North Chennai as the title of the film implies and the theme of the film is more nuanced than the conventional black-and-white morality tales where evil is punished by good at the end. The film blatantly showcases the graphic world of crime and violence, investigates the nature of friendship, the ethics of vigilantism, and the nature of unhappiness. Vetrimaaran delves deeply into the minds of his tortured characters and explores how the men and women he depicts grapple with moral codes and their emotions.

He further engages with many of the most basic questions about our humanity and how we relate to one another in a complex world. The stylistic elements in the film earn comparisons, bearing marked connections to several of Vetrimaaran’s other films. The film won the Best Film (People’s Choice Award) at the Pingyao International Film Festival, 2018. At the Filmfare Awards South, Dhanush won the trophy for the Best Actor.

Read the Complete Review of Vada Chennai (2018) Here

Watch vada chennai (2018) on disney hotstar, 1. aadukalam (2011).

As the roosters combat in the arena with each other, it becomes a fight of the egos of the individuals who own the fowl. So, when Karuppu’s rooster emerges victorious he not only earns a lot of money but also the enmity of his boss Periyasamy (V. I. S. Jayapalan) and Rathnasamy (Naren). And from then onwards the life of our protagonist will be filled with one hurdle after the other as the tale of loyalty, self-esteem, deception, and honor unfolds.

Related Read to Vetrimaaran Films : 10 Great Tamil Movies You Can Stream On Netflix Right Now

In his sophomore, Vetrimaaran presents a varied cultural pattern of rural Tamil Nadu and uses realism, tradition, and contemporaneity, soaked in local flavor within the narrative structure of his tightly structured screenplay. The conflicts introduced within the plot points create tension by employing smart conventions that are able to sustain the viewer’s anticipation. The editing pattern of the film creates a commendable pace and multi-layered visual design that heightens the impact of the film. Though the filmmaker has openly admitted that he was inspired by the dogfighting scene of Amores Perros (2000), Vetrimaaran has infused his own style and poise within the film, which is anything by blatant copy.

Despite having strong content and potential for box-office success, filmmakers from another region could not dare to remake the film until now. The reason being the milieu of the film is so rooted in the soil of Tamil Nadu and that makes it the best film in the oeuvre of Vetrimaaran’s impressive career. At the 58th National Film Awards, the film won five awards-Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Choreography and Special Jury Award for Acting.

Special Mention: Oor Iravu (2020)

Oor Iravu is a part of the Tamil anthology drama Paava Kadhaigal (2020). Owing to its shorter running time, I have included it in the category of special mention. On the surface level of its narrative, the film depicts the tale of a daughter Sumathi (Sai Pallavi) who had eloped from her village and now she has reunited with her father Janakiraman (Prakash Raj). But as the story of the film moves forward we discover the sensitivity and intricacies of the complex human psyche of individual characters within the film.

Also, Read: Paava Kadhaigal (2020) Netflix: Sinful Filmmaking under the Garb of Hard Hitting Social Drama

Vetrimaaran treated the film with a style that is bold and innovative with the choice of a subject in which the form and content merge into one. The pacing is not fast like his other films rather it is a slow study of how Sumathi’s drastic decision had impacted the lives of various members of his family. Vetrimaaran did not deviate from his usual style of narrative exploration but he has brought an understated rhythm to the unfolding of the events.

There is a kind of freshness in his approach and courage displayed in choosing to build a film around the brutal concept of associating the honor of the family with the sanctity of a woman. The film ends on a depressing note as we realize that such evil things are a reality and will continue to happen unless and until the evils of casteism are not obliterated from our society.

Watch Oor Iravu (2020) on Netflix

Vetrimaaran links : imdb , wikipedia, recommended posts.

Dipankar Sarkar is a freelance writer on various topics related to cinema. His articles have appeared in Scroll, The Hindu, Livemint, The Quint, The Tribune, Chandigarh, Upperstall, and vaguevisages.com amongst others.

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Vetrimaaran

Producer, Writer, Director, Actor

Born September 4, 1975 in Cuddalore, Tamilnadu, India

Vetrimaaran is an Indian film director, screenwriter and film producer, who works in the Tamil film industry. Vetrimaaran made his directorial debut with the Polladhavan. His second feature film Aadukalam won six National Film Awards. He produces films under his production company, Grass Root Film Company. His movie Visaranai (2016) was selected as India's official entry to the Academy Awards.His film Asuran (2019) was named as the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

Filmography

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Aadukalam Naren

Aishwarya Rajesh

Samuthirakani

Andrea Jeremiah

Kishore Kumar G.

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Why Vetrimaaran is the most interesting director in Tamil films today

Vetrimaaran is arguably among the most interesting filmmaker working in the tamil film industry. here’s documenting his rise and what it takes to be a talent like him..

His production house’s name, Grass Root Film Company, is a clear pointer to Vetrimaaran’s worldview. This Deepavali’s biggest release in Tamil Nadu is, arguably, Kodi (Flag), a political thriller he has produced that stars Dhanush in his first double role, as twin brothers. The twins may be identical but their natures are mutually exclusive. Refreshingly, Kodi casts Trisha as a feisty woman politico, giving Dhanush’s eponymous hero a run for his money.

“For a hero movie, it’s pretty decently written,” pronounces Baradwaj Rangan, film critic and associate editor at The Hindu. “There’s a conflict, there are surprises and even within a commercial film, it’s properly written and directed. It’s not some random moments strung together to get people whistling.”

The film’s premise is how politics and political interests shape communities and the quality of their life. In this case, it involves skullduggery surrounding a factory emitting toxic effluents. It could be happening not too far away from our backyards.

At the Oscars

Vetrimaaran himself, however, was conspicuous by his absence during Kodi’s promos. He has a bigger task on hand. Visaaranai (Interrogation), the part-docudrama, part-crime thriller he directed, is India’s official entry to the 89th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. So he is in the US persuading jurors take note of his film, which has some truly hairy torture scenes. The last Tamil film that made it to the Oscars was 16 years back: Hey Ram starring Kamal Haasan.

Usually, the choice of any film to represent the country at the Oscars polarises critics, but Visaaranai remains largely unchallenged. Rangan agrees. “Visaaranai was a fantastic film.”

It tells the story of innocent migrant labourers picked up and tortured by the police to extract a false confession for a fatal robbery at an influential man’s house. How the film, shot in 42 days on a Rs 2-crore budget and eventually wining three National Film Awards, got made is interesting. After his Aadukalam in 2011, Vetrimaaran had busied himself with his production ventures, Udhayam NH4, Poriyaalan and Kaaka Muttai. When he was prepared to shoot his next, the script he picked was Soodhadi, a story on gambling, proposing Dhanush in the lead role. However, the actor had to take time off to work in Balki’s Shamitabh, being shot in Mumbai.

Vetrimaaran was mooting a book adaptation when director Balu Mahendra’s assistant serendipitously presented him with Lock Up, a riveting, partly autobiographical book written by M Chandrakumar, a former autorickshaw driver. The book, which took five years to write and another four to publish, narrates his harrowing experience while in jail in (then) Andhra Pradesh.

“When I pitched the story to Dhanush, who later produced the film, I said I can only guarantee you a three-day weekend run at the box office. But it’s a low-budget venture; you’ll get your investment back,” Vetrimaaran laughs. “Dhanush was amused, but agreed to fund the project. [I thought] it’s the kind of film that would not bring in repeat audiences. I was proved wrong and it got a good three-week run.”

The author, Chandrakumar, was incarcerated for a fortnight way back in 1983. “Yet his experiences are relevant even today,” points out Vetrimaaran. “Visaaranai reflects a stark reality from which you cannot shut yourself out: that is its success. It was challenging to find the right kind of actors and locations. We employed real stuntmen who could exercise restraint while beating up the actors.”

“What was unique was that there were a lot of first-time actors in the film; that added rawness to it,” says K Hariharan, filmmaker and critic. “Actors like Samuthirakkani and Kishore were entirely on the sidelines. That made it an interesting watch.”

Astutely, the team decided to send it to international film fests right away, confident it would work with foreign audiences. Visaaranai premiered at the Orrizonti section of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, a first for a Tamil film, and won the Amnesty International Italia Award. Crucially, the European audience was exposed to a hitherto unexplored form of Tamil cinema that dealt with grim reality in a non-dramatic but powerful way.

“Europeans have a different policing system. They found my narrative a bit harsh, though they were moved,” explains Vetrimaaran.

A rooted voice

It is Vetrimaaran’s preoccupation with sometimes gritty, sometimes heartwarming reality that makes this 41-year-old one of the best filmmakers of our times.

“The best thing about the regional filmmakers is that they bring in a very ‘native’ feel,” says Rangan. “Like if I watch Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat for instance, I find [elements] that remind me of Vetrimaaran. But that’s more because these filmmakers do these ‘rooted’ things very well. They give you the sense of the atmosphere, the rhythms of life in that particular environment, they take care to bring them alive.”

His critically acclaimed debut venture, Polladhavan (Ruthless Man) in 2007, followed a lower middle-class young man’s search for his stolen bike, an exercise that takes him through the seamy underworld. Four years later came Aadukalam (Arena), a Pongal release that raked in six National Film Awards. The cockfight arena was where love, ego, honour, friendship and betrayal were played out in the rustic backdrop of Madurai.

Says Manimaran, long-time friend and assistant, “Vetri used to like watching cockfights in the neighbourhood in our hometown. So he thought we could develop a story around them.”

There was no doubt about who would play the lead. “I wrote Aadukalam keeping Dhanush in mind,” says Vetrimaaran. “As an actor, he delivers exactly what I need and sometimes more. As a producer, he offers me complete freedom and does not interfere at all. He trusts me completely.”

Rangan explains the Vetrimaaran touch, “There is a world of difference in the way he uses the song and dance elements in Polladhavan and Aadukalam. They have become more organic and rooted; they’re not fantasy elements.”

“I personally prefer Aadukalam to Visaaranai, but it’s like comparing apples and oranges,” says Hariharan. “Aadukalam had a certain kind of warmth and spontaneity. Visaaranai, to me, looked rather staged.”

He explains, “Visaaranai’s [appeal across the world] is that for the first time in Tamil cinema, you see this kind of brute reality without the director taking recourse to a love story or family drama. It’s also interesting that a country like India allowed such a strongly critical film on the system. There’s no doubt that Vetrimaaran is a bold filmmaker.”

Vetrimaaran’s productive chemistry with Dhanush has paid rich dividends. The two went on to produce Kaaka Muttai (Crow’s Egg) in 2015, a subversive film poking fun at what is regarded as cool - pizzas, in this case. This little gem, premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, tracks two brothers from a Chennai slum dying to taste a pizza. Directed by M Manikandan with wit, not once is the children’s dignity compromised. Their family struggles in a heartless and corrupt city and soon we find ourselves cheering for our little heroes. Kaaka Muttai pocketed two National Film Awards.

“There is a stamp of quality that people have begun to associate with Vetrimaaran, because even the films he produces are pretty decent,” says Rangan, adding that he looks for, and gets, that certain quality.

Vetrimaaran’s genius lies in shining a light on people we would not even glance at in our rat race. His films show us that ordinary people often lead extraordinary lives if only we stop to talk to them.

Smitten by cinema

Born in Cuddalore near Puducherry and raised in Ranipet, a suburban town in Vellore district, two and a half hours from Chennai, Vetrimaaran was smitten by cinema even as a child. His mother, a writer, ran a school in the area, while his father was a veterinarian. Friends remember him as a film buff who watched every movie that came to town.

“He would bunk classes and watch them, each three or four times. Then he would come to the school ground where we used to hang out until 7:30 in the evening and would retell the whole story to us. My friends and I have actually walked out of the theatre at times because the film was nowhere as good as his narration. He still has that quality,” says Manimaran, his assistant.

Vetrimaaran was in his second year of Masters in English Literature in 1999 when the now-deceased filmmaker Balu Mahendra was invited to judge a short film contest at the Loyola College, Chennai. Shortly afterwards, he attended a seminar conducted by the director and was inspired enough to assist him in Julie Ganapathy, Athu Oru Kanaa Kaalam and the television series Kadhai Neram.

Athu Oru Kanaa Kaalam cemented his friendship with the lead actor, Dhanush, whom he describes as his best friend. While still assisting Balu Mahendra, Vetrimaaran pitched the story of Desiya Nedunchalai, and the actor readily agreed to play the lead.

Recalls Manimaran, “Producers were not hard to come by because we had Dhanush. But a few had misgivings about how Vetri would handle the project as a newcomer. So we tossed aside that script, which I later made into Udhayam NH4.”

The initial years proved to be rough. “I was pitching different scripts to different people for three years and it was the sixth producer who okayed Polladhavan,” says Vetrimaaran on his directorial debut.

Adds Manimaran, who assisted him in the project, “After the film was edited, we were really scared to show it to the producer. We kept stalling the screening telling him it may not have come out as he expected. Finally, when he saw it, he was satisfied. We were relieved and gradually grew confident.”

Pushing for excellence

When Manimaran himself forayed into direction with Udhayam NH4 in 2013, Vetrimaaran returned the favour by stepping in as producer under his banner, Grass Root Film Company. As he puts it, “I want my production house to be a platform for good, interesting ideas. I can find a producer for my films, but others, who may be first-time filmmakers, might have innovative scripts that mainstream producers might not understand. Like Kaaka Muttai for instance.

“I produce films in partnership as I may not be able to afford the entire budget. Dhanush ends up co-producing some of them as our tastes are similar. None of my producers ever ask me for the budget. I always make sure it is within their means and I can give the desired returns.”

For someone who has been successful both commercially as critically, Vetrimaaran has directed only three films in nine years. “For me, every film is a learning process. After each, I take time to unlearn. Then I find new content, learn it completely and then execute it.”

Manimaran describes his working process thus, “Many directors make changes to the script on the spot. But Vetrimaaran is different because he pays attention to detail. He puts in a lot of effort, so there may be last-minute adjustments with lighting and locations. Unlike working with other directors, you need to be available 24 hours.”

Outside of work, the father of two, who met his wife Aarthi while at college, likes to race pigeons, pretty much like the characters he portrays. His rootedness has also led him to voice the germ of an idea: setting up an organic farm eventually.

Rangan describes grit as the definitive quality of Vetrimaaran’s films, and praises his skill in animating the atmosphere in terms of the integrity of the characters, the plot, and the texture. “The way he shapes the characters and writes them, you feel that these are not [just] individual people; you get a sense of where they come from, where they belong. [They’re] not just some random characters floating around.”

His fans are already talking about his fourth film, Vada Chennai (North Chennai), an ambitious gangster trilogy he has been planning since 2003. After undergoing several changes of scripts and stars, Dhanush, Vijay Sethupathi, Amala Paul and Samuthirakkani are among those confirmed on the project that is currently under way. Slated for release next year, Vada Chennai is also bound to have the by-now classic Vetrimaaran stamp.

(Published in arrangement with GRIST Media.)

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Viduthalai: part i.

2023 ‘விடுதலை: பாகம் I’ Directed by Vetrimaaran

Kumaresan, a police constable, gets recruited for an operation implanted to capture Perumal Vaathiyar, who leads a separatist group dedicated to fighting against the authorities for committing atrocities against innocent village women in the name of police interrogations.

Soori Bhavani Sre Chetan Gautham Vasudev Menon Rajiv Menon Ilavarasu Munnar Ramesh Vijay Sethupathi Balaji Sakthivel Saravana Subbiah Tamizh Aryan Sardar Satya Manimegalai S. Chandran Bala Hasan Pavel Navageethan Thendral Raghunathan Sundareswaran CVC R. Ganesh Gurung Asuran Krishna R. Velraj Appukutty Surya Vijay Sethupathi

Director Director

Vetrimaaran

Co-Directors Co-Directors

Still Robert A. Jagadeesan

Additional Directing Add. Directing

R. S. Durai Senthilkumar Manimaran Tamizh Mathi Maran

Producers Producers

Elred Kumar V Manikandan

Executive Producer Exec. Producer

Writers writers.

Vetrimaaran R. S. Durai Senthilkumar Manimaran Mathi Maran

Original Writer Original Writer

Editor editor, cinematography cinematography, art direction art direction, visual effects visual effects.

Harihara Suthan

Stunts Stunts

Peter Hein Stunt Silva

Choreography Choreography

Baba Baskar

Composer Composer

Ilaiyaraaja

Songs Songs

Ilaiyaraaja Suka

Sound Sound

T. Udayakumar

R S Infotainment Grassroot Film Company

Alternative Titles

విడుదల : పార్ట్ 1, విడుదల: పార్ట్ 1, Viduthalai Partie 1

Crime Thriller Action

Crime, drugs and gangsters Intense violence and sexual transgression Violent crime and drugs Bollywood emotional dramas Show All…

Releases by Date

30 mar 2023, 31 mar 2023, releases by country.

• Theatrical A

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Popular reviews

Review by Anurag Kashyap 9

Very powerful film, superb performances across board , the best opening shot I’ve seen in the longest time .. looking forward to part 2 .. Vetrimaran is our best .

Review by Michael James ★★★★ 6

Another immersive socio political period drama from Vetrimaaran. His craftsmanship and control over layered storytelling is simply stupendous. The police brutality, custodial violence and systemic oppression is portrayed in a disturbingly hard hitting manner. How media turn into a PR machine to the system for delivering manipulated incidents through social narratives were well depicted. The lead character perfectly resonates the common man dilemma, as he gets caught in between the struggle. The opening single shot sequence sets the tone straight away. And along with the final 20 minutes, they are two standout impact sequences.

Based upon a power struggle conflict between government and revolutionary activist groups, the first part sets up its world, emotional landscape and conflicts effectively with enough question…

Review by Barry Egan 2002 ★★★★ 1

Vetrimaaran, in glorious form once again, shows cop violence in its most brutal form yet, with Soori as the honest, powerless cop holding the narrative together. Absolutely not for the faint-hearted. Must-watch!

The opening sequence, a continuous shot, was extraordinary for the way the camera covered the entire location for a long duration, and also heartbreaking showing the loss of human lives. Vetrimaaran, from this sequence, tells the viewer, "Be prepared to get mind fucked". The scene reminded me of 'Atonement''s superb Dunkirk sequence. We then see Soori's introduction. Vetrimaaran, in an interview, said that he cast Soori due to his innocent looks. Although I thought a couple of lines were delivered as if he were a comedian, Soori, as…

Review by jack ★★★★★

vetrimaaran stop winning challenge

Review by Alicecharles ★★★★★

If someone had told me back that I would shout at the top of my lungs for a firing scene by Soori, i would have called it a joke but OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK !!!!!!

Review by cinema_made ★★★★ 2

The mere mention of Vetrimaran is a hypetrain for his film and Vetrimaran easily surpasses that. After a long wait, Viduthalai arrives as a special and scintillating film, that only Vetrimaran has guts to make. The film is the journey of the constable recruit, who in turn becomes rooted in the violent conflict between the police and the revolutionaries. As all the paths come together, there’s more tension and revelance of truth, that makes the character meet dark ends and change their mindsets.

Right from the start, Vetrimaaran channels the film with a strong dose of realism and raw filmmaking that keeps us in the center of the action at all times. This is definitely not a film for the…

Review by Arjun Rajput ★★★★

Vijay Sethupathi in an interrogation scene is cinema. Can't wait for the next part.

Review by joelmathew ★★★ 5

Definitely the most underwhelming Vetrimaaran film so far... although I don't know if its really fair to call it a "film" because only half the story has been told. The whole story of Vada Chennai has also not been told yet but the first film still holds on its own, this however just felt like the first half of a movie...

Also felt it was one of his weaker films technically. Vetri na is known for working on his films till literally the day before it releases. He was making dubbing corrections and changes for Vada Chennai and Asuran few days before release and this one was also no different I heard. But this time it kind of backfired. Some…

Review by Kibriya⚡ ★★★★ 9

Viduthalai was gut wrenching and gory as expected with powerful performance by Soori.  The electrifying one shot opening scene was terrific 🥵. Bring me part 2 and Vijay Sethupathi bringing fire on the screen 🔥

Cinematic parallels - Kumaresan and Desmond Doss from Hacksaw Ridge 

Vetrimaaran the real Polladhavan !

2023 Ranked Vetrimaaran Ranked

Review by Deepak Chazhoor ★★★★½ 5

Watched FDFS.

Soori is a revelation here; easily his career best yet. Vijay Sethupathi, with his terrific screen presence and powerhouse potential as an actor, makes every scene he’s featured in, though few and far between, his own. The long takes are fantastic. Ilaiyaraaja’s work here is among his finest of late; “ Kaattumalli ” is an instant favorite. Overall, yet another great work, with its focus on its hard-hitting politics and unapologetic commentary about police brutality searing as ever, from one of the greatest filmmakers of our time. Vetrimaaran never disappoints. Can’t wait for  Part II .

Review by sydney ★★★★★ 1

don't feel great about the gratuitous violence against women and how it's used here, it's not done especially offensively here but it is always frustrating to see it used as a shortcut to underline just how evil someone is and cliche to have women characters exist only as tools to move the male lead along. that said it's an incredible film, cried more than once, it's beautiful and soul crushing and i both can't wait to see the conclusion and am dreading it

Review by Jaisri Nandhini ★★★★

Love it when police brutality is ripped off of it's sugar coating Onscreen! Let's wait for the part 2!

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Watch Polladhavan Tamil Movie Online

Starring dhanush, director vetrimaran, music by g.v.prakash kumar, watch it in hd.

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Vetri Maaran: A vital link between Tamil cinema and literature 

On his birthday, let's take a look at how vetri maaran is sustaining the trend of film adaptations in tamil cinema.

Tamil filmmakers have seldom recognized the untapped potential of Tamil literature. The argument that Tamil cinema is too ‘masala’ for it to borrow from literature doesn’t hold water because Tamil literature doesn’t just have ‘serious’ and ‘deep’ books. It has a humongous repository of pulp fiction. For every intense work like Pa Singaram’s Puyalilae Oru Thoni, there’s one gripping page-turner like Sujatha’s Ratham Orae Niram or Rajkumar’s Kaatrin Niram Karuppu. Thus, it is dumbfounding when stars complain about the paucity of good stories from filmmakers.

However, novel adaptations in Tamil are not entirely nonexistent. It is an age-old phenomenon. Films like Jayakanthan’s Unnaipol Oruvan (which received a National Award in 1965), Rajinikanth ’s Priya (1978), Karaiyellam Shenbagapoo (1981), and Kamal Haasan ’s Vikram (1986) are some of the notable examples. Yet, these are just flashes in the pan. A sustained trend of film adaptations hasn’t happened in contemporary Tamil cinema. But filmmaker Vetri Maaran seems to be giving some hope.

The National Award-winning filmmaker has so far directed five feature films of which two are adaptations of Tamil novels. His upcoming films Viduthalai and Vaadivasal are also based on Tamil literary works, which makes Vetri Maaran, a vital link between Tamil literature and cinema. Not just that, he has also cracked the formula of using serious literature for making commercial films.

Literature and Vetri Maaran

The relationship between literature and Vetri Maaran should have begun way early in his childhood as his mom Megala Chitravel is a noted Tamil novelist. On top of that, the director also studied English literature at Loyola College, Chennai . When he wanted to work with his mentor, prolific filmmaker Balu Mahendra, it was his knowledge of literature that aided him to get the opportunity. In an interview with Tamil magazine Anandha Vikatan, Vetri Maaran shared that Balu Mahendra asked him to come up with a synopsis for a novel as part of his interview process for the assistant director role. Though only his third film, Visaaranai (National Award-winning film and official Indian entry to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film) turned out to be his first adaptation, one can see that his tryst with written words has been an integral part of his journey.

Making literature mainstream

One of the criticisms against Asuran, Vetri Maaran’s film adaptation of Poomani’s Vekkai (Heat), is that the story was commercialised and unfaithful to the source material. Yet, his mainstream treatment of the novel is what contributed to the film’s commercial success. Vetri Maaran gave a ‘Baasha’ twist to Poomani’s novel, which turned the layered novel into a story of an underdog.

Vekkai is about Sivasamy and his 15-year-old son Chidambaram, who are on the run from the police after the latter kills an upper caste man Vadakooran to avenge the murder of his elder brother. As the dad and son spend around eight days in the forest hiding, the story of oppression and caste politics unfolds. The novel is devoid of heroism and deals with everyday people and their excruciating pain. Vetri Maaran made a significant change in his film by making Sivasamy the ‘hero’ of the film, while in the book, Chidambaram is the ‘protagonist’. Also, Dhanush ’s Sivasamy is an entirely different person from the one we find in Poomani’s book. In addition, the entire backstory of Sivasamy, which depicts him as a rebellious young man, is absent in the novel. This made Dhanush’s Sivasamy a familiar trope of mainstream cinema – a man with a violent past. This vital change made the film accessible to all sections of the audience.

However, critics of Vetri Maaran are also not wrong. A faithful remake of the film aided by Vetri’s brilliant cinematic language would have yielded a far better cinema, but it would have been a gamble when it comes to the business aspect of the film. One should only look at Vetri Maaran’s attempts as a small step in the right direction.

Challenges ahead with Vaadivasal

I am looking forward to seeing what he does with CS Chellapa’s novella Vaadivasal. The story of the novel doesn’t have enough meat for a typical Tamil feature film as it is just a story of events happening in one day at a Jallikattu event. A guy named Picchi arrives at a neighbouring village for the jallikattu event. He wants to tame the frightening bull named Kaari, which killed Picchi’s father years ago. That’s all there is to the story of the novella. Yet, it stands as a brilliant literary piece for its dialect and the depiction of caste politics in the sport of jallikattu. It would make up for a great cinema if Vetri Maaran recreates everything faithfully on screen.

Yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if the director opts for an entire flashback portion for Picchi’s father (Reports, already suggest that Suriya is playing a dual role in the film).  Despite the commercialisation, such adaptations continue to sustain the importance of literature. I mean without the film adaptations, the mainstream would have remained unaware of these literary gems.

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Viduthalai: Part 1

A police officer is recruited to capture the leader of a separatist group. A police officer is recruited to capture the leader of a separatist group. A police officer is recruited to capture the leader of a separatist group.

• Vetrimaaran
• Vijay Sethupathi
• Bhavani Sre
• 71 User reviews
• 11 Critic reviews

• Constable Kumaresan

• Perumal 'Vaathiyaar'

• Tamilarasi alias Paapa
• Head Constable Chandran
• V. Ragavendar

• Ila. Ilavarasu
• Tamilarasi's Paternal Grandmother

• Sunil Menon

• A. Subramaniyan
• (as Rajeev Menon)
• Photojournalist

• Sub-Inspector 'Chow Chow' Ramasamy
• Sub-Inspector Velmurugan
• Collector of Arumapuri District
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia It's inspired from a poem of Lyrist Na.Muthukumar.
• Goofs The film is set in the late 1980s. However, when Kumaresan is introduced by Head Constable Chandran to a tea-selling undercover militant, the SBI bank's new board design---introduced after 2017, is shown. Also, near the bank, an Activa (introduced in India in the 2000s) is parked.
• Connections Features Maithili Ennai Kathali (1986)

User reviews 71

• Rajit_thebingewatcher
• Jul 12, 2023
• How long is Viduthalai: Part 1? Powered by Alexa
• March 31, 2023 (United States)
• Official Zee 5
• Viduthalai Part 1
• Grass Root Film Company
• RS Infotainment
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 30 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Digital

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Director Vetrimaaran clears the air about his film with Vijay

Visual Stories

Ilaiyaraaja's Music Is Like My Mother's Love: Director Vetrimaran

P aying glowing tributes to music director Ilaiyaraaja, who is considered to be one of the greatest music directors the country has seen, ace director Vetrimaran on Wednesday said, "I have only one thing to say about Raaja sir's music. It is like my mother's love. It is constant. It never changes. Whatever changes around us at different stages in life, the feelings that his music stirs in us remains the same."

Speaking at an event organised to announce a biopic on the legendary music director, Vetrimaran, who has worked with Ilaiyaraaja for his films, observed, "Working with Raaja sir is neat, smooth and friendly. I use the term 'friendly' because he treats me as an equal. When he composed the music for his first film, I was just a one-year old."

Also Read: What You Think, You Become: Actor Dhanush On Playing Ilaiyaraaja In His Biopic

Giving out details of a conversation that they had while Ilaiyaraaja was scoring music for his film, Vetrimaran said, "When he watched my film, he asked me, 'May I give a suggestion?' He did not have to ask me that. When I said he could, he told me a couple of statements and then stopped to ask, 'Am I on the right track?' I told him he was. He then asked, 'Should I continue with my suggestion?' I said 'Yes'. He said he was making the suggestion as a music director but it was left to me as a director to do what I thought was best. The reason I say this is to make you aware of the space that he gives to directors while working with them."

Stating that he was producing director Gopi Nainar's second film called Manushi, Vetrimaran said Ilaiyaraaja was scoring the music for this film too.

He went on to share a couple of incidents that had happened while working with Ilaiyaraaja on this film.

"The first one is to show the distance he keeps between the projects he has worked on as a composer and his personal likes, dislikes and preferences," said Vetrimaran

"Manushi has a line right at its end. It is a statement that is right opposite to the belief that Raaja sir holds. I was a little anxious as to how he would react to it and asked him to see it," explained Vetrimaran.

"Raaja sir nonchalantly replied, 'You mean the last part? That we can do.' He then didn't say anthing but came up with a beautiful piece of music for that portion (despite it having an idea that was against his belief). His music's power was such that it changed the film into a human story," he added.

Vetrimaran said, "If you are going to make a film on the life of Raaja sir, it is a big documentation of a nation. The forty plus years of his working period on music plus the forty years before he came to that point of becoming a composer will have to be told."

He added,"We are encapsulating this period as a part of the nation's history. Because film music pieces are bookmarks of life."

Explaining what he meant by that, Vetrimaran said, "When I hear a song from Devar Magan, it reminds me of the time when I went to a theatre in Vellore with my friend despite suffering from Jaundice. I went to watch it without my mom's knowledge. So, the song serves as a bookmark to that incident in my life. Raaja sir's music is there in the personal history of people's lives. So, when his life is being made into a film, it is, in a way, a portion of our own films being made. So, this film will be a film of anybody and everybody who has grown up listening to Tamil film music. It is a gift to Arun Matheswaran and a challenge for Dhanush."

Legend of Zelda movie director teases "awesome idea" and says he wants to create something "serious and cool, but fun and whimsical"

Exclusive: Wes Ball talks to Total Film about his vision for The Legend of Zelda movie

A live-action Legend of Zelda movie is on the way from Wes Ball and, now, The Maze Runner director has outlined his exciting vision for the upcoming Nintendo project.

"I have this awesome idea," Ball tells Total Film in our new issue out on Thursday March 28, which features The Fall Guy on the cover . "I’ve been thinking about it for a long freakin’ time, of how cool a Zelda movie would be... I want to fulfil people’s greatest desires. I know it’s important, this [Zelda] franchise, to people and I want it to be a serious movie. A real movie that can give people an escape."

Ball even points to that escapism ("I want to live in that world," he says) as the driving force behind The Legend of Zelda movie. 

"That’s the thing I want to try to create – it’s got to feel like something real. Something serious and cool, but fun and whimsical."

The Zelda movie, announced in November in a joint partnership between Nintendo and Sony Pictures , will bring to life a video game franchise that's thrived for almost 40 years.

Often focusing on the tunic-clad Link in his battle against series villain Ganon (or other evildoers), the series has sold over 150 million copies. Its most recent entry, Tears of the Kingdom , was among the highest-selling games of 2023.

• Pre-order The Fall Guy issue of Total Film

Before he gets to grip with the Hero of Time, Wes Ball's new movie Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is released on May 10. And you can read more about it and a whole lot else besides in the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, March 28.

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Pre-order the issue here to bag your copy, or click here to subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive. You’ll get every issue before it's in stores, and you’ll get subscriber-exclusive covers. 

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

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'American Society of Magical Negroes' cast and director say not to judge the film by its trailer

A social media backlash was not the response that writer and director Kobi Libii and his cast expected when the trailer to his debut feature, “The American Society of Magical Negroes,” dropped back in December. Perhaps false assumptions best sum up some of the response, as in the case of one viewer who said they expected a Black “Harry Potter” adaptation and felt blindsided.

Libii’s film is instead a satire examining the “magical negro” trope, a term Spike Lee is credited with coining decades ago to call out Hollywood’s tendency to spotlight Black characters in supporting roles that cater to white main characters.

Until recently, Black satirical films were a relative rarity on Hollywood’s biggest screen. With writer and director Cord Jefferson grabbing an Oscar win for best screenplay adaptation for “American Fiction,” that may change. In that regard, “The American Society of Magical Negroes” should be right on time.

Actor Justice Smith (“Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,” “Jurassic World Dominion”) stars as Aren, a young visual artist who shrinks in the presence of white people and is recruited into the American Society of Magical Negroes by Roger, played by David Alan Grier, to hone his ability to make white people comfortable in order to keep Black people from being harmed.

“The happier they are, the safer we are,” Roger reasons to Aren.

Aren’s assignment to play buddy to Jason, a young, white, male tech professional, goes awry, however, when he starts to come into his own sense of self-worth and falls for Lizzie, whom Jason also likes.

“This conversation around the expectation that Black people are prioritizing white comfort over our own history and our own sense of self is an incredibly contemporary problem,” Libii told NBC News. “That’s happening politically in America right now. You see these laws being passed in places like Florida around what Black history is taught that are literally saying that elements of Black history, things that really happened in America, cannot be said out loud in the classroom if it makes white kids uncomfortable.”

Smith’s personal connection to the film made him eager to play Aren. “I grew up in a very white community. And I’m a people pleaser, and that is a terrible recipe,” he said. “I had to go on an empowerment journey myself, similar to Aren, and knew that I could lend myself to the story.”

“In Living Color” legend Grier says Libii’s blend of fantasy and comedy with plenty of heart drew him to play Roger. Grier, who is both a master of satire and an accomplished dramatic actor, sees Roger’s and Aren’s views through a generational lens.

For him, Roger very much represents “how we used to do it.” When Grier was a young man, he too experienced the growing pains of well-intentioned older men attempting to guide him with the playbook they used when they were younger.

“As a kid,” he said, “all these old dudes were telling me about 1920 and ’30, and I was like, ‘Man, it’s 1963, bro, we’re modern.’ So it’s very generational,” Grier said.

While Grier said he sees the initial social media backlash as a sign of the times, those who have seen the film have had a different takeaway.

“The reaction at Sundance was amazing,” he said. “I remember mostly women, Black women, coming over and telling me their story of enduring microaggressions and why they chose not to stand up and the guilt that they held.”

Addressing every incident is impossible, Grier says. “You have to pick your battles,” he said. “If we react to every little microaggression, you ain’t gone make it to 12 noon.”

Nicole Byer, who plays DeDe, the head of the American Society of Magical Negroes, has encountered the magical negro trope in her career. “I’ve gone on auditions where it’s a magical negro part where it’s just a friend. You don’t have any backstory. It’s just like she’s 32 and loves her best friend.”

The title is what initially drew Byer in. “I love the title of the movie. I think it was so polarizing, and then I read the script, and I thought the script was so incredible. I love a big premise and I love that it wrapped a rom-com in it.”

Byer also gets to have fun in the film. “I do fly in the movie,” she beamed over Zoom.

If it’s given a chance, Libii is confident people will find value in his film. But he also understands the concern. “It’s so deeply understandable for Black people to be skeptical of what comes out of Hollywood,” he said. “My hope,” he continued, “is that people will see the whole film, which is a much more nuanced and thorough treatment of some of these issues, and then pick up those conversations.”

For more from NBC BLK, sign up for our weekly newsletter .

Atlanta-based writer Ronda Racha Penrice is the author of "Black American History For Dummies." 

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The best horror movies of the year so far, ranked by scariness

The year’s off to a terrifying start

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The year got off to a rather slow start when it comes to horror movies, but now that the release calendar has ramped up, there are at least a few horror movies worth watching in 2024.

While it’s still early on, it’s hard not to feel like this year’s horror theme is “fun” (if you’re our kind of sicko), or at least “playfulness.” With killer swimming pools that haunt former baseball pros , deadly convents , and haunted talk shows , most of the year’s best movies so far are doing a delightful job of making their horror feel fresh and inventive, making us smile and scream in equal measure.

But whether you’re more toward the smiling end or just in it for the screams, we’ve put together a list of the best horror movies of 2024 so far, ranked by scariness. Scariness is certainly different for everyone, but we’ve tried to break it down into two categories: terror, which is the movie’s overall tension, jump scares, and general suspense, and gore, which is all about how bloody the movie gets.

Run time: 1h 38m Director: Bryce McGuire Cast: Wyatt Russell, Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle Where to watch: Digital purchase on Amazon and Apple TV

Night Swim is a movie about a killer pool, and it’s both better, funnier, and scarier than you might expect. With an fantastically goofy performance by Wyatt Russell as an ex-baseball player moving his family into a new house with an ancient and malevolent wish-granting pool in the backyard, the movie has a very specific tone that snaps back and forth from silly to creepy without a moment’s notice.

Night Swim is for the die-hard horror fans. Not because it’s especially scary (it isn’t) but because its scariness is limited to a few great ideas and specific moments, and otherwise the movie is a self-aware and silly blast. It’s a movie perfectly built for anyone that loves to scroll a streaming service and throw on nice little horror movie at 11:30 p.m. In other words, Night Swim is a pretty good time, but one you might not remember much about a week later.

How scary is Night Swim?

• Terror: 1/5

Total scariness score: 3/10

Late Night with the Devil

Run time: 1h 33m Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes Cast: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss Where to watch: Theaters

In this terrific faux-documentary, we follow the behind-the-scenes story of a struggling ’70s talk show’s final episode, in which the host and producers attempt to communicate with a demon in a bid for show-saving ratings. Things don’t go well.

What makes Late Night with the Devil work so well is how completely it captures the vibe of its subject matter. Everything from the set to the studio audience is pitch-perfect, and it’s all held together by the desperate host, Jack Delroy, played with nervous energy and Carson-esque charm by the singular David Dastmalchian. Beyond just being an impressive feat, this loving re-creation also gives the movie a true sense of being some kind of illicit live TV broadcast that would thoroughly creep out those unlucky enough to be watching and inspire urban legends for years to come.

How scary is Late Night with the Devil?

• Terror: 2/5

Total scariness score: 5/10

Run time: 1h 29m Director: Michael Mohan Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco Where to watch: Theaters

Immaculate tells the story of a devout American nun who falls mysteriously pregnant shortly after transferring to a convent in Italy. Her seemingly immaculate conception leads to instant fervor from her fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, but she suspects something much darker than a miracle is at play.

Beautifully shot and led by a fantastic performance from Euphoria ’s Sydney Sweeney, Immaculate is more creepy and haunting than it is actually scary, but the shower of gore — both pregnancy-related and not — still makes it one of the year’s best and most harrowing horror offerings.

How scary is Immaculate?

• Terror: 3/5

Total scariness score: 7/10

In a Violent Nature

Run time: 1h 34m Director: Chris Nash Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love Where to watch: In theaters May 31

In a Violent Nature is easily the most unique horror movie of the year, taking a typical “teens in the woods” premise and following it from the killer’s point of view. The movie is light on details of the killer’s backstory, but in a further fun twist, they’re also mostly gleaned from snippets of teen campfire stories the killer overhears.

Surprisingly, for a movie about a supernatural murder monster, this is also one of the most quiet horror movies of the year, cleverly and beautifully passing its time with long, unbroken stretches of its monster just walking through nature, waiting for his next encounter with the teens who disturbed his slumber. Once he gets to them, though, In a Violent Nature transforms into one of the year’s most gruesome movies too, finding new and inventive ways to disembowel people that will make even the most hardened horror vets squirm.

How scary is In a Violent Nature?

Total scariness score: 8/10

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Director Ron Howard Doesn't 'Go Back and Watch' His Own Movies — and Hasn't Seen Splash in a 'Long Time' (Exclusive)

Howard, who has helmed films like 'Splash' and 'Cinderella Man,' tells PEOPLE he doesn't often look back at his filmography

Amy Sussman/WireImage

Ron Howard doesn't often reflect on his own portfolio — and hasn't seen one of his most beloved films in some time.

The director opened up about whether or not he watches his work while chatting with PEOPLE about his beloved 1984 comedy Splash .

"Frankly, I don't go back and watch my movies, so it's been a long time since I've seen [ Splash ]," Howard, 70, said when asked about scenes from the 40-year-old film he feels are underrated.

Moments from creating the film starring Daryl Hannah , Tom Hanks  and  John Candy , though, come to mind quickly: "Making the movie was so much fun."

"We just laughed every day," Howard recalled. "It was such a buoyant, romantic, funny combination of story values and situations."

Howard's career started in acting, with him first portraying Opie on The Andy Griffith Show before taking the role of Richie Cunningham in the ABC series  Happy Days in the '70s.

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Following Splash , his second feature film as a director, Howard focused more in that space, eventually helming award-winning movies like A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13 .

Howard has not acted in some time, save for serving as Arrested Development 's narrator — but would be open to it under specific circumstances.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

During a 2022 appearance on  Variety 's  Awards Circuit  podcast , Howard said his daughter  Bryce Dallas Howard  "probably" could convince him to take on an on-screen role.

"It would probably be Bryce directing something and saying, 'Dad, I really need you to come in and do this,' or 'You have to.' Either of those would probably get me in the makeup chair and in front of the camera," he said at the time.

Screen Rant

“one of [my] top priorities”: thundercats movie reboot gets encouraging update from director after years of silence
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The long-gestating ThunderCats movie reboot gets an encouraging update from director Adam Wingard after years of silence on the live-action project.

• Adam Wingard confirms his ongoing work on the ThunderCats movie reboot script, considering it a priority despite his busy schedule.
• Fans of the franchise have worried about the reboot's chances due to its long delays, comparing the project to the Masters of the Universe movie's troubles.
• Between Wingard's passion for the project and ongoing relationship with Warner Bros. thanks to the Monsterverse, ThunderCats could be closer than ever to happening.

With three years gone since he was first attached to the project, Adam Wingard has an encouraging update for the live-action ThunderCats movie. Based on the animated show of the same name, the long-running franchise has focused on the titular team of cat-like humanoid aliens as they worked to protect their new home of Third Earth from another villainous race of aliens known as the Mutants. Development on a ThunderCats movie has been in the works at Warner Bros. for well over a decade, with Wingard signing on to direct and co-write in early 2021.

During a recent interview with io9 for the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire release , Wingard was asked for an update on ThunderCats ' development. The filmmaker confirmed that the project is still very much alive, even revealing that he and frequent collaborator Simon Barrett had finished a draft of the script prior to the Monsterverse movie's production and are now " actively working on it ". Check out what Wingard shared below:

Simon [Barrett] and I are still actively working on the script. We finished our last draft basically right when I was going into production on this movie, and we just had to put everything on hold. [But] right now we’re actively working on it again. So whether that means that’s the next thing I do or [not], I’m not sure. But it’s definitely one of the top priorities I have right now in terms of working on a script.

Will ThunderCats Suffer The Same Fate Of Another '80s Movie Remake?

With Wingard's attention recently pulled to helping expand the Monsterverse in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire , it's understandable some may have concerns of whether his ThunderCats reboot will ever see the light of day. The live-action adaptation of the '80s franchise isn't the only major project he's had lingering in development, either, as he's been working on a Face/Off legacy sequel with plans for Nicolas Cage to return, as well as an adaptation of Robert Kirkman's Hardcore .

ThunderCats: Everything We Know About The Live-Action Reboot

Given a ThunderCats movie has been struggling to get off the ground for well over a decade, many have also drawn comparisons between it and the efforts to make a new Masters of the Universe movie . A live-action adaptation of the He-Man-focused franchise has bounced between studios over the past 17 years, with some groundswell finally made in 2019 when Noah Centineo was cast to play the iconic protagonist and Sony producing the project. After some further setbacks, including Centineo's exit, Travis Knight reportedly entered talks to helm it this past February for Netflix.

While it may not have endured the same amount of speed bumps as Masters of the Universe , the long wait for ThunderCats has reasonably drawn concern from longtime fans of whether the movie reboot will get made. If to solely look at Wingard's docket of projects, it would seem a tight schedule for when it could see the light of day. However, given his clear passion for the reboot in his latest update, and his ongoing relationship with Warner Bros., who are producing the movie, from the Monsterverse tenure, the movie could be closer than ever to happening.

The original ThunderCats show and its 2011 revival are available to stream on Hulu.

Source: io9

Thundercats

Thundercats is a multimedia franchise that started in 1985 with Tobin "Ted" Wolf's series about a team of cat-like humanoid aliens protecting their planet. Like many animated TV shows in the '80s, the series was released simultaneously with a line of toys. Since the '80s, the Thundercats franchise has expanded to video games, comics, and more TV shows. 

The 8 Funniest Melissa McCarthy Movies, Ranked

"I won't apologize -- I'm not even confident which end that came out of."

Melissa McCarthy is immensely gifted, and evidence proving she isn't a warlock has yet to be substantiated. In her diverse career, she has enhanced every project smart enough to include her. In the 90s, McCarthy worked on The Gilmore Girls , followed by the sitcom Mike and Molly , garnering critical acclaim and a Primetime Emmy Award . She went on to host Saturday Night Live, winning another Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series .

McCarthy's association with a project is enough to sell tickets regardless of genre or premise. Additionally, her comedic timing and improvisational skills should be studied and taught: her incomprehensible capacity to enrich film and television experiences is a marvel. She writes, directs, and supplies warmth and laughter, which should also be recognized with trophies . Here are eight examples of comedic excellence in McCarthy's catalog:

8 'St. Vincent' (2014)

Director: theodore melfi.

Retired former Vietnam veteran Vincent MacKenna ( Bill Murray ) becomes an unlikely friend to a young boy , Oliver ( Jaeden Lieberher ), his new neighbor. Vincent bonds with Oliver by taking him to bars and the racetrack, unbeknownst to Oliver's single working mother, Maggie Bronstein (McCarthy). Though Vincent's life lessons are inappropriate, Oliver benefits from some of his teachings. Conversely, Vincent discovers that he has redeemable qualities and people who care about him despite every attempt to insulate himself from the world.

Before her dramatic, Academy Award-nominated performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? in 2018, McCarthy's presence onscreen was broadly comedic. In St. Vincent , evidence of the actress's range is revealed through her character, Maggie. Coupled with Murray's serious turn as Vincent , the pair of comedians offer more nuanced performances, periodically infusing notes of sarcasm in concert with subtle body language. Russian exotic dancer/"Lady of the Night," Daka ( Naomi Watts ), is responsible for one-liners ordinarily reserved for McCarthy. Critics and audiences embraced the movie and applauded McCarthy for her thoughtful, layered rendition.

St. Vincent

Watch on Netflix

7 'Ghostbusters' (2016)

Director: paul feig.

Dr. Abby Yates (McCarthy) and Dr. Erin Gilbert ( Kristen Wiig ) are best friends and paranormal researchers who, as teenagers, wrote a book chronicling their experiences. Now estranged, Erin learns that Abby has published their book and fears she will lose a tenured position at Columbia University if her past paranormal proclivities are discovered . Erin accompanies Abby and her new partner, Dr. Jillian "Holtz" Holtzmann ( Kate McKinnon ), in investigating the haunted Aldridge Mansion. Erin is introduced to the mansion's resident ghoul, reinstating her belief in the supernatural. The trio added a New York City subway terminal employee, Patty Tolan ( Leslie Jones ), and formed the Ghostbusters to rid Manhattan of its growing population of spooky specters.

The 2016 reboot of the 1984 classic film by Ivan Reitman was cursed before its release. Fans of the beloved original condemned an attempt to reinvent one of the most popular movies in movie history but also rioted against the female-led cast. Irrespective of critical discord, the talent of the movie's cast is undeniable. The hilarious Saturday Night Live alumnus and McCarthy, proved they had money to spend in here ( see Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman ). Audiences showed up to support the new ghost-busting crew, and McCarthy fans patiently waiting for the McCarthy/Wiig onscreen reunion rejoiced. Ghostbusters was not a remake; it was a new chapter in the franchise and an opportunity for representation imperative for growth, and McCarthy and Co. delivered.

Ghostbusters 2016

Watch on Amazon

6 'The Hangover III' (2013)

Director: todd phillips.

After the second installment in The Hangover series of films, audiences were still standing, so director Todd Phillips ordered another round of reckless debauchery by serving up The Hangover III . The "wolfpack" Phil ( Bradley Cooper ), Stu ( Ed Helms ), Alan ( Zach Galifianakis ), and Doug ( Justin Bartha ) return, as well as Leslie Chow ( Ken Jeong ) and Heather Graham as Jade. Following an unfortunate incident with a Giraffe and a highway overpass, Alan agrees to check himself into a facility -- only if his beloved wolfpack escorts him. However, Mr. Chow strikes again, and the pack is embroiled in a gold heist-turned-ransom plot encompassing events from previous Las Vegas and Bangkok events.

The first movie in the trilogy, The Hangover , was a mega-hit that made stars and household names out of Cooper and comedians Jeong and Galifianakis. Its success, and that of the sequel, were comedies, where the third iteration, The Hangover III , traded most laughs for action. The result was primarily negative reviews and an unimpressive box office run. One standout in the feature came from an appearance by McCarthy as Cassie, a woman working in a Vegas pawn shop. Upon meeting Cassie, Alan is smitten and returns to ask her out in one of the funniest scenes in the movie. Despite the film's dour critical response and unfortunate 30% approval rating from Rotten Tomatoes, fans of McCarthy remember The Hangover III , eager to buy what she was selling.

The Hangover Part III

Rent on Amazon

5 'Tammy' (2014)

Director: ben falcone.

On the way to her fast food restaurant job, Tammy hits a deer with her battered car, resulting in her termination. Next, she returns home to discover her husband is having an affair with their neighbor. Exasperated, Tammy goes to her mother's ( Allison Janney ) and announces her plans to visit Niagra Falls. Tammy's grandmother Pearl ( Susan Sarandon ), who also lives with Tammy's mother, dangles a large sum of money to entice her granddaughter to let her come along. The pair embark on a road trip to remember, bonding through robbery, arrests, and drunken blackouts. What begins as an impulsive escape from their lives transforms them, respectively.

Tammy is the first of several films directed by actor/director Ben Falcone , McCarthy's husband. The couple's on-camera chemistry and comedic sparring have delighted audiences in many films starring McCarthy, but their writer/director collaborations have yet to land with critics. Still, fans of the actress can expect to find laughs in Tammy , aided by a humorous ensemble co-piloted by Sarandon , Kathy Bates , and Gary Cole as Pearl's love interest. McCarthy and Sarandon don't quite achieve the synergy that McCarthy and her previous costars attained, but they provide entertaining fun worth watching.

4 'This is 40' (2012)

Director: judd apatow.

Pete ( Paul Rudd ) and Debbie ( Leslie Mann ), hilarious parents first appearing in Judd Apatow 's 2007 film Knocked Up , are both unraveling with the arrival of their 40th birthdays. Pete conceals a substantial debt accrued by frivolous spending and by loaning continual sums of money to his father ( Albert Brooks ) . Debbie polices Pete's food but secretly smokes when no one is looking. Meanwhile, Pete hasn't signed any new acts to his record label, and Debbie discovers she's pregnant, which she also conceals. Eventually, the couple unburden themselves with their respective secrets in this universally relatable comedy.

Like Knocked Up , This is 40 depicts people initially unwilling to grow up and embrace their current reality. The entire (long-winded) movie is worth the time, with some of the most undeniably hysterical scenes credited to McCarthy. She plays Catherine, the mother of a child Debbie yells at for bullying her daughter. Pete and Debbie have humorous encounters with Catherine ("You touched my nipple!"), culminating in an epic parents' conference with the school principal. In this iconic McCarthy improvised tirade, she delivers lines including "I would like to rear up and jackknife my legs and kick you both in the jaw with my foot bone," riotously directed at Pete and Debbie. As a bonus, an extended version of McCarthy's take-down at the parents' conference unfolds during the movie's end credits.

3 'The Heat' (2013)

Detective Shannon Mullins (McCarthy) and Special Agent Sarah Ashburn ( Sandra Bullock ) are unlikely partners working to capture the head of a criminal organization operating out of Boston. Mullins is unconventional in her methods, often acting on impulse, while Ashburn is a tightly wound rule follower. The pair bond one night after an all-nighter at a bar where, with the help of copious adult beverages, they dance, flirt with drunk patrons, and open up to each other. Independently unlikeable among their peers, Mullins and Ashburn form an alliance built on friendship and trust in the funniest female buddy cop movie possibly ever made.

The Heat might've followed a generic enemies-to-friends formula, but there was nothing ordinary about the chemistry between McCarthy and Bullock. Many critics disparaged the idea of a gun-toting, female-led crime comedy in disappointing and unfair assessments of the movie. Regardless of gender, humor is humor, and The Heat set fire to adverse criticism by triggering laughter with every scene. Both actresses contributed generous amounts of physical comedy with a side of vulnerability and satisfying results. The duo, in addition to an excellent supporting cast, made The Heat seem effortless despite the degree of difficulty in achieving successful comedy . McCarthy's foul-mouthed, guarded portrayal of Det. Mullins should be a required viewing for any fan of the remarkable actress.

Watch on Hulu

2 'Spy' (2015)

Susan Cooper (McCarthy) is a CIA agent working at a desk as a remote earpiece for field agent Bradley Fine ( Jude Law ). An assignment involving a portable nuclear device goes awry, Fine is feared dead, and the inexperienced Cooper abandons her desk to investigate. She is joined in the field by a reluctant, overzealous partner ( Jason Statham ), assisted remotely by friend and colleague Nancy ( Miranda Hart ), and instructed by a doubtful boss, Elaine Crocker (Allison Janney). Cooper arrives in Rome disguised as a cat-loving tourist but quickly infiltrates the inner circle of Russian terrorist Rayna Boyanov ( Rose Byrne ), the woman suspected of murdering Agent Fine . The two women spar, collude, and insult with abandon in a fully formed example of a well-made action comedy.

Byrne and McCarthy are reunited, making the world a sidesplitting, action-packed place for at least two hours and ten minutes. However, the laughs didn't begin and end with those two, as Janney, Hart, and especially Statham dispensed additional support chuckles worthy of accommodation. Critics loved Spy, including Roger Ebert and Rotten Tomatoes, who awarded the film an impressive 95% fresh score. It was also a success commercially, grossing over $235 million worldwide against a budget of $65 million. Spy is a fan favorite of McCarthy's that has become more beloved since its release, making it one of her most rewatchable and accomplished films. The midair plane fight and verbal assault between McCarthy and Byrne alone is worth the price of a Max subscription.

Watch on Max

1 'Bridesmaids' (2011)

Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian ( Maya Rudolph ) have been best friends forever. Lillian's engagement and upcoming wedding threaten the strength of their bond by forcing Annie to share Lillian and make room for new friends. To Annie's chagrin, Lillian's bridesmaids are thrown together during the wedding planning, and a bitter rivalry between Helen (Rose Byrne) and Annie ignites. A competition to prove ultimate friendship with Lillian leads to petty acts of jealousy and sabotage, jeopardizing the future of Annie's relationship with her oldest confidant. Food poisoning, drift car racing, and high-altitude hallucinations are but a few components of one of the funniest comedies in recent decades.

One fatal flaw of The Academy Awards is its repeated inability to recognize feats of greatness in comedy . While Bridesmaids was nominated for Best Original Screenplay and a Best Supporting Actress nod for McCarthy , a nomination for Best Picture was egregiously absent. As the film's co-writer, Wiig didn't pull any punches in the female-centric script, presenting audiences with an honest, layered depiction of wives, mothers, and the ebb and flow of friendship. The movie surprised everyone, earning an enormous $306.4 million at the box office on a modest $32 million budget. McCarthy worked steadily for years before the movie, but Bridesmaids sent formal invitations announcing her presence to audiences worldwide. McCarthy captured viewers' hearts with her scene-stealing performance as the gregarious, dog-loving Megan, and I'm just spit-balling here, but 'Female Fight Club' could be a thing.

Bridesmaids

Next: 'Palm Royale' Review: Kristen Wiig's Comedy Series Is a Delicious Escape Into Drama