Tamil Film ‘Visaranai’ Is India’s Official Entry for the Oscars

The unflinching Tamil film ‘Visaranai’ will represent India at the Oscars.

Visaranai takes an unflinching look at police brutality and corruption.

Vetrimaaran’s powerful Visaranai has been selected as India’s official entry for the Academy Awards by the Film Federation of India. The film is based on a novel titled Lock Up by M Chandrakumar and deals with issues such as police brutality and corruption.

Tamil star Dhanush who is also the producer of Visaranai, tweeted out a letter of appreciation to his team on hearing about the selection:

Vetrimaaran has emerged as one of Tamil cinema’s most significant filmmakers in recent years and has award winning films like Polladhavan and Aadukalam to his name. Visaranai won three National Awards this year - Best Feature Film in Tamil, Best Supporting Actor and Best Editing.

Also Read: Tamil Movie Sparks Off an Uneasy Debate on Police Brutality

The film premiered at the 72nd Venice Film Festival and released in India in February earlier this year. Popular Tamil film critic Baradwaj Rangan called the film a “powerful, chilling drama about how the system toys with us”.

Here’s an excerpt from Rangan’s review of Visaranai:

The violence in <em>Visaranai</em> is… <em>horrifying</em> is too mild a word. But it’s not torture porn. It’s necessary, dictated by the film’s structure. We need to know how bad it can get because there’s a second interrogation, subsequently, and when Pandi (who’s now free) attempts to help the new sacrificial lamb, we remember what can happen if he gets caught. This is the filmmaker as god – Vetri Maaran toys with <em>us</em>. It’s like a horror movie. I could barely watch.

Baradwaj Rangan (baradwajrangan.wordpress.com)