The recent emergence of new and successful directors in Kollywood has played an important role in transforming Tamil cinema in the last decade. With fresh perspective and innovative storytelling, this diverse theme has added a notch to the Tamil films. Following the 1990s early 2000s with directors like Shankar, Gautham Vasudev Menon, KV Anand among others taking over the field from K Balachander, Bharathiraja and K Vishwanath, now we have stepped into an era with more thoughtful and successful directors.
Calculating and comparing the Tamil film era over the past few decades, the emergence of new directors came at the right time as apart from being a regional industry that only excels in technical advancements, the narrative strengths have been improved which has taken the Tamil cinema to a global stand. Though opinions can change to when Tamil cinema was at its peak with highest box office collection, it is for sure to say in the open that box office collection alone does not impact and decide the success of a film.
Director Sudha Kongara speaking on this topic, said that the films she has been making is not something that everyone will immediately pick up, especially producers. “This is a completely mainstream and commercial place. But when I came up with ‘Irudhi Suttru’ people started seeing me as someone who is going to give them something new. My debut was a failure that was made according to the mainstream. But when I made ‘Irudhi Suttru’. I just wanted to make a cinema that I believed in and I just made it to show something that’s true. My second film was a huge success and it proved to be the biggest hit from the actors and only after it was commercially accepted that they understood that I can bring something to the table that works.”
Following the technical advancements in the film industry, the emergence of digital platforms, especially the OTT has given Kollywood an opportunity to show its rise of new directors. The trend has been reshaping over the years in Tamil films and adding to that is the support and mentoring of new directors by the already established team. Rather than stating that there is bias or kinship over the talents, it can be stated that the directors are learning and growing as they provide opportunities to many more others like them.
Speaking on this, director and producer Pushkar – Gayathri known for ‘Vikram Vedha’ opened up about the increase in space for writers in OTT and how they take up the roles as creators and showrunners as well. Pushkar stated that creating original content on OTT, requires long form writing and it. As the couple worked with director Andrew Louis for a series, they said, “We wanted to do something that stood out from all other series and that’s why the minute we heard the script of Vadhandhi formAndrew, we were excited to produce it. It was unique and its genre being a crime mystery thriller. It had the audience hooked and it made us take a step to work with new talents in the field.”
We have seen that esteemed directors like Rajiv Menon, Pushkar-Gayatri, Mani Ratnam, Pa Ranjith and Vetrimaaran have been instrumental in fostering this new wave of tale. Adding to the list is Nelson Dilipkumar and Lokesh Kanagaraj, the current pride setters of Kollywood have turned producers to support their associates.
Director Mani Ratnam, speaking to us earlier during the release of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ said that, “The Tamil cinema standard is very rich and has a lot of brilliant filmmakers who are very good. Many young filmmakers are opening new doors for the industry. Tamil cinema need not worry as there is so much wealth of talent and they’re shining. I’m very proud of it.”
Director Karthik Naren also stated that apart from the new talents alone coming in, one should respect the history we have in Kollywood. The director said that one of the main reasons why he is into filmmaking is because of actor Kamal Haasan and added that the veteran star’s contribution to Indian cinema is unparalleled. Citing that it was Kamal Haasa’s ‘Hey Ram’ that made Christopher Nolan visit India, Karthik Naren concluded that Kollywood has a rich heritage.
Directors who recently became Kollywood film producers from 2021 – 2024 is a best example to state for demonstrating the box office potential of films directed by new talents. There has been a significant emphasis on original storytelling and strong scripts in Kollywood, allowing directors with a strong writing background to emerge and thrive, bridging the gap between literature and cinema.