InSuper deluxeThiagarajan Kumraj moves us through the narrow streets of a city, in which dry walls are tinged with saturated color. As it is, there is nothing attractive that indicates that it is Chennai (the film was set and shot in the city), but the filmmaker organized an attractive hyperline lens on Chennai, showing an urban landscape, which you are the most familiar, but only imagined in a world. Cities have different energy, a feeling of controlled chaos that only cinema comes closer to imitation. How Chennai has developed on cellulide is a storey exploration with some compelling patterns.
In the 1970s, Chennai was regularly depicted in urban urban stories, in which cities were painted as a debitition pocket, a foreign land that hunts on the ignorant newcomer. Before K Balachander criticized the retrograde criteria of rural India, he created Patina In 1977, in which a village family tolerated extreme difficulties in Chennai, forcing them to return. Although setting a serial killer story like Sigappu rosakkal In the city, Bhartiraja points to a similar mentality, his Nizalgal Talked about the youth going to Chennai to fulfill their high dreams. Kamal Haasan Mahanadhi (1949) also indicated that perhaps the family would not have to face such inexplicable sufferings, they had returned to their village. Even comedian Vivakh, who has praised the city, showed this perspective in 2002 runWhere his character becomes creatively thugs all his belongings when he lands in Chennai.
In the early 2000s, there was an interesting period of how films balanced these perceptions with fresher. Where? Alaipayuthey, Enakku 20 Unakku 18, Priyamana Thoi, MinnaleAnd 7g rainbow colony Embraced modern urban life, became the capital of crime in Chennai films Thirupachi And dustThis was the same with the same Amarkalam And GeminiThe answer is set in Madras, but we will come a little bit on it. The 2000s were also when more non-indigenous residents of Chennai began to achieve the benefits of IT Boom, and the films showed it. Signature It was not set in Chennai, but it talked about a person who found prosperity in the city, looked back at his roots. Ram’s Kattadhu Thamij Surely Gentilation, Western Lifestyle, and Silicon Valley have the greatest criticism of anglication.
Kattadhu Thamij There is also a rare exception to this point, as one can notice that Chennai factor in the background of the above films, it rarely becomes a character in itself. In Ram’s film, Chennai converted Nayak into a Samajopath. The city was internal in how Venkat Prabhu captured the frenzy of street cricket, the careless life of the youth, and how they dealt with new age problems. Chennai 600028With that film, with 7g rainbow colony – and later, Madras, Idudharkuthen aspattattai balakumara, Codial oruvan And Mavran – There were also films that showed life within the housing boards and colonies. On returning in the 2000s, films were not just portraying Chennai as Asha’s city; In Angdi theeruA staunch critic of urban life, Vasantbalan, made a motivational case showing the heart-tampering ordinances, which is behind an activity curtain, which should be related to most of the Chennoites-purchases in the city.
Still from ‘Angadi Theeru’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Emergence of Vetri Dying and Pa Ranjith:
Angdi theeru In the 2010s, the film produced almost the emergency, the emergency of the new-eminent, hyperlokal approach, started with the choice of Thiagarajan Kumararaj, Vitri Maran and Pa Ranjith-where the city is not just a solid shelter for Nayak, but is a prosperous socio-political organization that is for houses. You can’t take Chennai out Aranya Kandam, Madras, Metro, Vada Chennai, Or MangaramMost of these films, especially Vetri Maran, fell in fact to suit subjects that stereotyped North Madras as a land of crime-one stigma knows many inhabitants to know the effects of real life.
But a silver lining emerged. These stories were not interested in highlighting the darkness of the underworld with single-mind; They had character, black, brown and white, somehow interacting with crime Lords and local politicians due to circumstances or socio-economic factors. This is why you will not feel like climbing a water tank with ANBU Vada ChennaiInstead of walking out with Koki Kumar PudupataiAlso, choice Oram Po, Kakka Muttai, Sarpatt ParabaraiAnd Irudhi Sutru Managed to break the stereotype around Chennai in the north of the cooum-a occasional facing area rich in history, culture and art.
Still from ‘Madras’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
But before we reach the current position of cases, there is another angle to see the representation of Chennai in films – how the city was shown best in songs rather than scenes.
Walking a music legacy:
The Marina Brees not only smell the sound of fish fries, filter coffee, coam, sambar vadai and an autorickshaw kick-starting. Chennai TM Soundarajan, Ms. Vishwanathan, Ilaiyaraja, AR Rahman, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Anirudh Ravichandar and Sean Rolden are a never -ending open concert, which rule the bustling tea shops and cool concerts within earpones in the metro train. So it is only that we find the most memorable depiction of the city in the scenes of songs.
Somehow, ‘Madrasai Southi Paka Poron’ since 1994 May madam Immediately comes to mind, but it is enough to see the old Madras again in the old songs. It seems that the song was a great opportunity for the song sequence characters and audience to get some air and relieve the studio set, and what is the better place to do than in Marina Beach? It sounds real to see ‘nenjirukkum ennalukkku’ Nenjirukkum VaraiIn which Shivaji Ganesan, R. Muthuraman and V Gopalakrishnan dance and dance on a Kamarajar walk. If you feel that killing the beach is a modern trend to remove the blues, SumitoOr when he takes his squad to the beach in a car in ‘Nalai Naam’ PunnagaiSongs like ‘Ana Parvai’ Kadhalikka Nermililai And from ‘Nee Ketal Naan Maatendru’ Ilamai Onjal Odukiratu Marina’s gardens were converted into Eden.
When it comes to showing other parts of Chennai, ‘Madras Nalla Madras’ Anubeevi Raja Anubavi Often quoted as an example. But listen to the songs and you will realize that it is anything but a tribute. Interestingly, the song that has a maximum number of heritage sites, as told by Heritage Activist Shriram V, is ‘Azagia Mithilai Municipal’ from the film. Anai,
Still from the song ‘Azhagia Mithilai Municipal’. Photo Credit: API Tamil Songs/YouTube
Shooting in real places:
Over the years, however, low and fewer songs were shot in live places in Chennai. Managing the crowd of curious audiences, making the shooting films characteristic of popular stars in real places impossible, which is why you can find many songs, such as ‘Nenjam Antu Narmai Narmai Anandu’ and ‘N Kanmani N Kadhali’, actors have performed in front of a screen. If not for this, you had to take Mr. MGR to some other desolate beach for trouble -free experience, such as ‘Kadal Oram Wangia Katru’ Rickshaw,
There were films in the 90s and early 2000s also Kadhal Kottai And Kadhal Desam It was shot at popular places in Chennai, but in the mid -200000s, restrictions in shooting films in public places of Tamil Nadu government inspired filmmakers to shoot in studio or in Chennai or to suburban places, where it was easy to get permission. Nevertheless, even then, there were great exceptions for this, such as ‘O Ringa Ringa’ 7 Aum ArivuA 2011 Suriya-Starr, who was somehow shot at the crowded Ranganathan Street, T. Nagar. Attractively, despite these restrictions, many small and middle-judges were watched in the 2010s-like Onayam atukkutiyam, Chennaiil Oru Nal, Bullet soda, Vadakari, Vathikuchi, Meyadh value, 8 Thotkal, Irumbu Thirai, Silu Karuppatti, Mangaram And others – who were shot in real places and were complicated in the city, perhaps as a result of a certain campaign towards realism among the young crops of filmmakers, who made their way to create short films or small characteristics, which could not bear a studio.
Still ‘Goli Soda’. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Chennai has portrayed more than a dozen Tamil films since 2023, but never as a character. Films still install the city with a shot of Katheipur flyover or Central Station, but the city is never central to tell the story. Prashant, Sham, Atakathi Dinesh and Shakti Vasudevan no longer climb on MTC buses; Only in blue StarA film set in Arkkonam, not Chennai, blooms romance in a local train. AutorickShaw Drivers and Passengers are now involved in the discussion, sung in 1995 about Rajinikanth. The Central Railway Station that we see in films, now does not let a woman wear a rose-woken sweater to her mystery lover. Interestingly, only Bhartiraja appears here as an exception, as he tells the story of a married man who falls in love with a woman, which he finds in the metro train Modern love: Chennai,
The current crop of Tamil filmmakers has greatly avoided romantic to Chennai, but even a lifestyle, community, or neighborhood explorations are some more far away. Except for films like Ram Taramani Or Chennai 600028 (One should add Demone colony?), Even movies that take a specific neighborhood as a title – Codambakkam, Nungambakkam, Kizakku Kadarkarai SalaiAnd similarly – do not tell a memorable story contained in your milestone.
And yet, you will still find the city romantic on social media, and in your short films romantically. Even when listening to Ilaiyaraja from an MTC bus through rain water is considered ‘overreted’, we do this, because there is no common grammar to romantic such transient happiness. Therefore, while it could not be the weather for Chennai, on screen and IPL, the city was never known for invincibility. After all this, the kingdom of Political, an actor, who changed to a superstar in commercial cinema to become a superstar in his signature style.
Published – May 27, 2025 04:42 pm IST
