Vetrimaaran, Director and Screenwriter

All of three commercial films old, Vetrimaaran’s rise as a director of international recognition has been phenomenal. The Tamil director’s first movie, Polladhavan (2007), with star Dhanush playing a drug trafficker, became a cult hit. His second venture, Aadukalam (2011), a story about cock-fighters in Madurai, earned him six National awards, including Best Director and Best Screenplay.

His rise as writer and director continues with Visaaranai (2016), which was India’s official entry to the Academy Awards—not a small feat in a season which saw the country embrace its vernacular voice, with regional films like Thithi (Kannada) breaking mainstream ground. Visaaranai is a tale of police brutality, based on the account of a survivor. Watch the film through clasped fingers, for Vetrimaaran, a champion of the repressed, ensures every laathi blow is felt against your skull.

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