In the iconic interview scene from this film, the CM is cornered by the interviewer with facts.
To save his dignity, the CM challenges the interviewer to take up his job for one day.
The hero panics at this unexpected twist.
The CM then utters Kural 691.
"With fire,
Go too far & it doesn't warm you.
Come too close & it might burn you.
So, keep a safe distance with fire and kings"
- Kural 691
The interviewer had come too close to fire & is now facing the wrath of the king (CM).
An apt usage by dialogue writer Sujatha.
2. Super Deluxe (2019)
This hyperlink film uses Thirukural in a subtle way.
In the lift scene with Fahadh and Samantha,
the husband is furious with his wife's adultery.
Power goes off in the lift and Samantha reassures Fahadh that it would be back soon.
Fahadh insultingly asks her: "Are you a pathini (faithful) for power to come back if you say so?"
But it is back the next second!
This is adapted from Kural:55:
"If a devout wife says "let it rain," it will rain."
Samantha's faithfulness in the climax is foreshadowed here!
3. Ghilli (2004)
Thalapathy wants to secretly go to Madurai for his Kabbadi semis.
He uses Kural 314 to convince his mom to attend a relative's function.
If not for this Kural, Thalapathy would not have met Dhanalakshmi / Muthupandi to give us the blockbuster of the decade.
4. Ko (2011)
Two journalists hide the truth about the CM's character to save an otherwise well qualified government.
In fact, they blatantly lie & report him as a martyr instead of an opportunist. All for the greater good.
This is justified using Kural 292 in the end card.
"Even falsehood has the nature of truth, if it can confer a benefit that is free from fault."
- Kural 292
Both the journalists are reinstated, their resignations aren't accepted, as their choice to lie is defended by Thiruvalluvar himself.
5. VTV (2010)
This film uses 3 Kurals in the song Mannipaaya and one of it summarises the core theme of the film.
The Kural 1259 states:
"My pride filled mind wanted to quarrel with him.
But the moment I saw him, my heart decided to embrace him instead."
This Kural states Jessie's psyche precisely in 7 words.
Jessie has an internal conflict - fighting constant battles between her mind & her heart.
Her mind says "This will never work out, I should stop it" but her heart falls in love despite all this!
The film's core theme!
Bonus: "Iru Dhuruvam" series in SonyLiv uses Thirukural as a plot device.
This is a cat & mouse game between a psychô and a cop.
The psychô drops in Thirukural clues after every murdër he commits.
Each relating to eyes, ears, smell, mouth etc.
Watch the show to find out more.
Thirukural from 2000 years ago is relevant till date.
Smart film makers use it for its literary merit.
What other films have you seen Thirukural being aptly used?
Drop in your comments.
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RT the first tweet in the thread to spread the word.
An asset can be at risk due to both internal vulnerabilities and external threats.
In this analogy, D is the threat - the bad actor who attacks the system.
The comm's flaws (giving up tradition, embracing liberalism/modernity, poor parenting etc.) are the vulnerabilities.
While no doubt both internal and external risks have to be addressed, is it really the right time to discuss vulnerabilities when the system is under attack?
Some say Ds shouldn't be blamed for a systemic flaw - this is such a self-flagellating view that also underestimates D.
Here's Bottom 10 Tamil movies from 2024 that pander to D ideology by either targeting a micro community, or by peddling anti-H, or anti-nationalistic communist dialogues.
These films will have to be named and shamed, for these are the Gems of Dravidawood:
1) Ayalaan - great care is taken for a 5 sec "comedy" clip making a random TB mama fall into the sewage drain.
To pick a junior artist, dress him up in a TB mama attire, do multiple retakes to get it right requires ideological passion.
In D-wood film, villain's company is named "Aaryan" industries.
2) Lal Salaam - imagine a director going out of the way in her audio launch to claim that superstar is not a Sanghi.
And then makes a substandard secular film with Rajini as Moideen Bhai giving lessons on haram and halal.
What's a secular film, u ask? Simple. One in which the do-gooder hero is a M and the villain is a H.
Thanks to the lost hard disk, otherwise LoL Salaam would have won all Acadummy awards only.
Movies are a powerful influential visual medium that Dharmics should never give up on!
The BO failures of Thangalaan, Viduthalai 2 and the success of Amaran must encourage us!
Here are my Top 10 Tamil films from 2024 that are D ideology free and make for excellent OTT watches:
1) Garudan: A rooted, raw and riveting film that explores an untouched area in Tamil cinema - of politicians trying to loot temple property.
The film is unapologetically H, down to its bones and its very soul. Don't fall for the VM credit gimmick. Garudan is D-free (Amzn Prime)
2) Barring the deliberate hiding of Major's comm, Amaran is a thoroughly well-made film that's a fitting tribute to the courageous sacrifice of our soldier. A tearjerker that'd make grown men cry.
Its BO success is a slap in the face of ideologues who detest nationalism(Ntflix)
Clean, Green, and (relatively) cheap, our neighboring nation Sri Lanka is a must visit this Dec-Feb season.
6 day SL itinerary peppered with places from Ramayana and Ponniyin Selvan trail.
Bookmark this thread to plan your next trip, with helpful tips and map links (1/8)
Day 1: Reach Colombo airport and go to Kandy, if you have time, you can visit Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage enroute.
Here, based on the timings, you can watch a herd of elephants eating/ bathing. You can also take a walk with, or feed the elephant for extra cost.
Entry fee is less for Indians than other foreigners, thanks to SAARC. Show your passport to get a 6$ discount.
Check-in at Kandy aka Senkadagalapura, the last seat of royal power in Lanka. Explore this ancient capital city of Sinhala kings which is a UNESCO World heritage site.
Temple of the Tooth Relic, which houses Buddha's tooth is famous and filled with pilgrims and tourists. Entry to the complex is 2000LKR for all foreigners.
They provide a cloth to cover your legs just in case. Pilgrims offer flowers to Buddha's relic, and some can be seen lighting lamps.
The complex also has many museums if you're interested. A cultural dance performance is also near Kandy lake, for those interested in recalling Perahera festival vibes from Ponniyin Selvan
You must have heard the word 'பன்னாடை' (Pannaadai) as a common insult.
This word is mentioned in 12th century Tamil grammar work 'Nannool' to illustrate the nature of a bad student.
The set of examples for top, mid & bottom tier of students has a life lesson for us all (1/6)
Bhavanandhi Munivar, writer of Nanool classifies students into 3 tiers.
The top tier students are like swan and cow.
The mid tier students are like mud and parrot.
The bottom tier students are like broken pot, goat, buffalo and Pannaadai.
What do these examples mean?
Mythical swans can separate out the water from milk - it has the ability to discern useful things even out of an adulterated product.
Good students can filter out what's unnecessary.
Cows eat fast but chew slowly. A good student must get a quick download of lessons when learning, but recall it at leisure, and absorb the lessons well.