Aaranya Kaandam (Anima and Persona)

Director: Thiagarajan Kumararaja
Starring: Jackie Schroff, Sampath Raj, Ravi Krishna, Yasmin Ponnappa
Run time: 153 mins | Recommended Certificate: 18
Language: Tamil with English subtitles | Year: 2010 | Country: India

Bollywood Hero Jackie Shroff makes his Tamil debut in this pulsating neo-noir that abounds with characters and a potent mix of blood, sex and drugs that would do Quentin Tarantino proud. Shroff plays an ageing don with performance issues who has to deal with an internal challenge to his throne and a smarter-than-he-looks subordinate who cuckolds him with his sultry moll. Throw in a cocaine shipment worth millions and a rooster fight competition and we get a crackling thriller that shows how Tamil cinema is leading the way in India’s independent film movement. Razor sharp dialogue, a hip soundtrack and moody cinematography ably complement the bravura action sequences. And, incredibly, all the happenings unfold in a single day. The film won India’s National Awards for Best First Film and Editing.