Rahi Kulkarni & Shashank Venkatachari
A Tamil feel-good films list is incomplete without a mention of Anbe Sivam. Kamal Hassan’s meditative take on a wide array of themes such as humanity, God, communism and consumerism, to name some, is one for the ages. It grows on us upon every viewing.
Alaiypayuthe is a rare entry in the canon of mainstream Tamil romantic cinema: a film that showcases the breezy, vivacious nature of college romance while also exploring the complications that arise in relationships after marriage.
Michael Madana Kama Rajan is a classic in every sense. A gold standard for inventive, humourous filmmaking, featuring arguably the funniest performance from Kamal Haasan, who also penned the screenplay.
Kandukondain Kandukondain brims with warmth and vibrance in every frame. Inspired by Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, the film follows two sisters, Sowmya (Tabu) and Meenakshi (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) who are polar opposites of each other, and the complications that arise when their perspectives on life change after falling in love.
The film that put Mani Ratnam on the map as a unique mind in Tamil cinema, Mouna Ragam, was groundbreaking for its time. On the surface, it's the story of a couple in a forced arranged marriage, but look closer, the real conflict is alienation: both the physical and spiritual.