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Mani Ratnam’s 'Kaatru Veliyidai' is coming soon but what in the world does the title mean?

Written by : TNM Staff

Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai is due for release on April 7 and expectations from the film are through the roof, not in the least because of AR Rahman's magical music. 

But what does the title mean? This phrase from Bharathiyar's poem can be translated loosely as 'breezy expanse' but most people are still scratching their heads about the rather vague title - though it sounds beautiful!

If you're a Mani Ratnam fan and are on the same boat, watch this hilarious video by Uptown Ideas which takes an affectionate dig at Mani Ratnam classics.

Beginning with Alaipayuthey - that unforgettable scene which has Madhavan riding a bike while listening to music - the video shows famous sequences from Mani Ratnam films and all of them have characters wondering what in the world 'Kaatru Veliyidai' means. Whether it's the intense Thamizhchelvan (Prakash Raj) from Iruvar or the playful Manohar (Karthik) from Mouna Ragam, they all have the same question. 

Especially funny are the Roja and Thalapathy scenes. The first has a belligerent Roja (Madhubala) asking the terrorist why he had captured her husband just because he wanted to know the meaning of 'Kaatru Veliyidai'. 

The second shows the taut and underplayed scene between Surya (Rajinikanth) and Arjun's father (Jaishankar) in which the latter reveals the real story of Surya's birth. But of course, in the video, it's all in the context of discovering the meaning of 'Kaatru Veliyidai'.

The memorable 'Avangala nirutha sollu, naan nirtharen' (ask them to stop, I will stop) dialogue from Nayagan also finds a place. As does the last scene from Ayutha Ezhuthu. From the tint and colours of the scene to the actors' performances, this video successfully recreates Mani Ratnam's magic while evoking a good laugh.

Director, DoP, colorist, editor: Boopathi Selvaraj
Writer: Shah Ra

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