Actor Suriya and director Sudha Kongara’s Soorarai Pottru was the first big Tamil film to choose OTT release over the idea of waiting for a theatrical release this year. While this film collected praises from all quarters, the latest feather in its cap comes in the form of an opportunity to be screened at the Golden Globes Awards 2021 for the Best Foreign Film category. Actor Dhanush and director Vetrimaaran’s Asuran is another Tamil film to receive this honour. Malayalam film Jallikattu by Lijo Jose Pellissery will also be screened at the event.
Other Indian films include Prateek Vats’s Eeb Allay Ooo!, Shyam Madiraju’s Harami, Om Raut’s Tanhaji, Chaitanya Tamhane’s The Disciple, Anurag Basu’s Ludo, Kislay’s Just Like That and Bijukumar Damodaran’s Trees Under the Sun.
Unlike Academy Awards, which restricts the number of entries coming from a country, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) allows more than one submission from a country. According to the website, 139 Foreign Language Films were eligible for Golden Globe consideration from 77 countries this year. Notably, 37 have been directed or co-directed by women.
Soorarai Pottru directed by Sudha Kongara, is based on the life of budget airlines Air Deccan Founder Captain Gopinath. The film, written based on the filmmaker’s conversation with Captain Gopinath, his wife and his friends, stars Suriya and Aparna Balamurali in lead roles. The film follows Nedumaran Rajangam (played by Suriya in the film) as he fights to realise his dream of starting a budget airline that allows people coming from all classes an opportunity to fly in an aircraft. This film released ahead of Deepavali in November this year.
Asuran, directed by Vetrimaaran, is based on the Tamil novel Vekkai by writer Poomani. Starring Dhanush and Manju Warrier in the lead, this film discussed caste inequalities in Tamil Nadu and a family’s fight against oppression. This film was set during the eighties and received great praise upon its release. Asuran released in theatres in October 2019.
Jallikattu, the Malayalam film that also released in October last year, is also India's official entry to the Academy Awards, under the Best International Feature category, this year. Starring Antony Varghese, Chemban Vinod Jose, Sabumon Abdusamad and Santhy Balachandran in lead roles, the film is about a buffalo that escapes from a slaughterhouse following which an entire village attempts to capture it.