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The central characters have been journalists in several Tamil films like Sivakarthikeyan’s Maaveeran. However, only a few films have managed to enter the newsrooms and capture the fast-paced world of journalists who break some news every other second. Such films tell ethically complex and socially relevant issues through the perspective of a journalist caught between the spokes of the system’s machinery. As Vijay Antony’s Raththam, an investigative thriller, is out on Amazon Prime Video, we take a look at other prominent Tamil movies that are about journalism.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Ko is as mainstream as a film could get. The build-up sequences are crafted with suspense and edge-of-the-seat moments, with missing evidence and political adversaries. A humorous love triangle add more emotional stakes. There is even a song featuring several Kollywood actors. Yet it all blends evenly under the late KV Anand’s seasoned filmmaking sensibilities. The film’s core hinges on the ethics of the journalism profession and the hero Ashwin Kumar (Jiiva) is a stand-in for the morally upright reporter, who won't back away from possibly life-endangering experiences, be it exposing a minister’s wrongdoings or covering a terrorist attack. Arguably, for a lot of young journalists out there, this film might’ve been the spark.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
Vijay Antony and CS Amudhan’s Raththam is a whodunit. A series of high-profile murders rocks Chennai city, the investigating officer here though isn’t a celebrated cop, but a celebrated journalist. How often do we see a hero take down his enemies with his pen? (Or well, his laptop). Ranjith Kumar (Vijay Antony) comes out of a self-imposed exile to solve these murders, while also teaching us a thing or two about reporting ethics. The film also takes an effort to educate audiences about the difficulties journalists go through during times of tyranny and attacks on freedom of press, a struggle that often goes unnoticed. Even if the film takes a dramatic route to get us there, starting a dialogue on hate crimes at a time when acrimony is stoked through our differences, is commendable.
No other film in this list can come close to director Shankar’s hopeful vision of a television reporter, who gets the golden ticket to be the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for a day. This clever plot device places Mudhalvan right up there among the best social experiments in mainstream Tamil cinema. The one-line premise does not do full justice to the novelty with which the film deconstructs bureaucratic corruption and government accountability, and raises serious questions on the nature of power and the people wielding it. But unlike many films that use the journalism angle just as a trigger point, Shankar crafts journalist Pugazh (Arjun Sarja) and his team as the fearless warriors of the fourth estate. Pugazh’s life-changing interview with the chief minister is where cinema becomes a medium of political journalism, one scene that’s among the pioneers of Tamil cinema culture that doesn’t hesitate to question the authority. Mudhalvan also offered the viewers an escapist paradise where one among us gets to decide how the state is run, at least for a ludicrous-sounding 24-hour time frame.
Where to watch: Zee5
Another film directed by cinematographer-turned-director KV Anand, Kavan follows the screenwriting beats of a traditional whistleblower drama more than a journalism film. The film deals with a reporter and his girlfriend's fight against an evil factory that’s responsible for life-threatening industrial emissions. The film, despite its weak execution, carried an important social cause. It also sheds light on corporate-owned journalism and takes digs at the other side of media, one that is solely propelled by TRP. This odd, underperforming film starring Vijay Sethupathi and Madonna Sebastian, raised some valid criticisms in the guise of a picture on journalistic integrity.
Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video
This supernatural thriller is not a journalistic story per se. Mysterious deaths take place at a flyover after the passengers cross a specific point, taking the film’s namesake ‘U Turn’. Rachana (Samantha Ruth Prabhu), a journalist intern, unearths this unexplainable set of freak accidents and navigates a world filled with ghosts and mysterious occurrences. U Turn is unsettling for its unique world-building that examines some real-world issues through the means of a fantasy narrative device. It also works brilliantly as a female-centric film, where Samantha leads from the front, including saving the male lead, a superior officer, when in trouble.
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar
The premise of Maaran is an exciting one, but the film, not so much. Dhanush plays an investigative reporter, who follows his father’s advice of being an honest journalist, and prioritises shrewdness over naive hopefulness. Besides the journalism angle, a brother-sister dynamic at the centre of the plot gives that extra edge, increasing the stakes in the latter half. Directed by Karthik Naren, Maaran is about a reporter who unveils a possible scam aimed at rigging a state election campaign and his attempts at getting to the heart of his scoop, only with personal consequences. The sloppy writing and overall blandness aside, the film had its fair share of specificities of the job, along with the minor moments of narrative highs.
Where to watch: Netflix
This Trisha-starrer is about a fearless journalist who is forced to infiltrate an international terrorist organization to safeguard the life of her niece, who has been trapped through a fake online identity. The film is essentially designed as a mind game between the fiercely independent journalist and larger forces. The protagonist uses her investigative journalism skills to outsmart the organisation. Like U-Turn, Raangi strips the narrative of a male figure who ends up saving the day, giving the heroine complete autonomy.
A more traditional action film by structure, this Atharvaa-starrer tells the story of an investigative reporter who finds himself at the crossroads, when he becomes the victim of a fake educational certificate scam. Kanithan traces the hero’s journey of finding out the culprit by connecting dots from similar cases. At one point, Kanithan does morph into a cat-and-mouse game with a show of physical power. Although the job fades into the backdrop, only providing a larger platform for the action, the film ends up being the story of a reporter on the edge, willing to go the extra mile.
With inputs from Sruthi Ganapathy Raman.