Ponniyin Selvan Part II - An unworthy successor

Seven months after the release of the first instalment of ‘Ponniyin Selvan,’ the conclusion of the two-part film hits screens worldwide.

Karaithuraipattu Divisional Secretariat organises Iftar

The Divisional Secretariat of Karaithuraipattu organised an Iftar event on 18th April for the Muslim community of the area to break their fast. Muslim residents and others locals participated in the event. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims worldwide commemorate the first revelation of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon Him, by fasting from sunrise to sunset, prayer, reflection, and community. The first revelation is an event described in Islamic tradition, in which angel Jibril visits the prophet and reveals to him what would later become the Qu’ran. The Iftar...

Puthandu celebrated in Tamil homeland

Despite the second year of the economic crisis, Tamils in the North-East celebrated the first day of the Tamil Puthandu, the New Year, on the first day of the Tamil calendar, which falls on 14th April. Puthandu being the equivalent of the Spring equinox is celebrated by many cultures in South Asia and South-East Asia and by the diaspora communities from these cultures. The Tamil solar calendar developed during the Chola empire, from the 9th to the 13th centuries, was part of a method used to mathematically compute the age of the earth using astronomical data. This calendar has been referenced...

University students participate in first TSOC Olympics

On 2nd April 2023, the inaugural inter-university Tamil society athletics competition was set up and held by Queen Mary’s Tamil society, Bart’s Tamil Society and ES sports. Universities from across the UK competed to be crowned the TSOC Olympic Champions by participating in multiple field, track and mixed events. The team of organisers aimed to promote inclusivity across the Tamil community by including both male and female participants from each university competing in every event. The competition also included a TSOC All-Star football match that involved a team of players hailing from...

Soppana Sundari - Engine trouble

Note: there are some cuts made to the theatrical release of 'Soppana Sundari' in the UK to suit the family audience. The name for SG Charles’s film ‘Soppana Sundari’ hails from the 1989 film ‘Karakattakkaran,’ a film with a densely packed and iconic comedy track. Borrowing its title from a titan of Tamil comedy, ‘Soppana Sundari’ has a sizeable reputation to live up to. Unfortunately, the film flounders. We follow Agalya, played by Aishwarya Rajesh, the winner of a brand new car from a prize draw. Her family, composed of her mute older sister, stroke afflicted father and naive mother, rejoice...

Youths in Mullaitivu hold boat race and festivities to celebrate Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday, Tamil youths in Mullaitivu organized a boat race and other festivities to celebrate the occasion. The boat race was divided into two categories, with 25 horsepower boats and 40 horsepower boats competing. The festivities continued into the evening of 9th April and were open to participants of all ages, from children to the elderly.

Midnight mass held to celebrate Easter at St. Sebastian Cathedral in Mannar

A grand midnight mass was held at the St. Sebastian Cathedral in Mannar to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. The service was a joint service that combined the congregations of many parishes in Mannar and was led by Right Reverend Dr. Fidelis Lionel Emmanuel Fernando and other priests from neighbouring churches. Security for the service was provided by the Police and the Army, following the Easter Bombings, in 2019.

Viduthalai: Part 1 - Vetrimaaran’s excellence continues 

TW: distressing scenes Since his debut with 2007’s ‘Polladhavan,’ Vetrimaaran has been steadily improving his filmic craft, which cannot be said about many of his peers. His films place equal importance to maintaining artistic integrity and showcasing social injustices, resulting in some of the best films of the 21st century. His latest film, ‘Viduthalai,’ continues the director’s impressive streak. Viduthalai is the first half of a two-part film. The film depicts the frictions between a revolutionary group called the ‘People’s Army,’ led by Vijay Sethupathi’s Vaathiyar Perumal, against the...

Pathu Thala - Flawed but entertaining

Perhaps it is due to the subpar content being dished out by the star vehicles of Tamil cinema in recent times, but Obeli N. Krishna’s ‘Pathu Thala’ was surprisingly palatable. Starting out as an associate director to Gautham Vasudev Menon in the early part of his career, Krishna’s directorial debut, 2006’s ‘Sillunu Oru Kadhal,’ was mostly remembered for its great soundtrack and the buzz behind its real life lead pair. His latest offering strays from the romance genre, instead opting for a tried and tested masala gangster story. The film is a remake of the 2017 Kannada film ‘Mufti.’

"‘Song of the Sun God’ is a novel that interrogates the injustices faced by the Tamil people" - Interview with Shankari Chandran

I will begin this piece with a confession. In times of emotional distress and crisis, I often watch YouTube clips of the 1991 film ‘Thalapathi’, a film which is a modern retelling of one of my favourite character arcs in all of literature: Karnan from the Hindu epic, ‘The Mahabharatham.’ It has become a ritual to cathartically cleanse my tear ducts more often than I would like to admit. So when I read ‘Song of the Sun God’, where the character Nala watches the 1964 film ‘Karnan’ seven times in the cinema to vicariously alleviate her emotional pains, I felt exposed from such a specific level...

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