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The much-anticipated sequel to the 2018 Tamil romantic drama ’96’ is generating significant buzz among fans and the film industry. Director C. Prem Kumar has confirmed that he has completed the script for ’96 Part 2′ and is eager to bring the story to life. He shared the storyline with Vijay Sethupathi‘s wife, who responded positively, motivating him to pursue the sequel.

While the original cast, including Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan, is expected to reprise their roles as Ram and Jaanu, official confirmations from the actors are yet to be announced. Prem Kumar has expressed his excitement about reuniting the original team, including composer Govind Vasantha, to recreate the magic of the first film.

A Nostalgic Trip Down Memory Lane

96 beautifully captures the essence of first love and the bittersweet nostalgia that accompanies it. The narrative seamlessly oscillates between the protagonists’ school days in 1996 and their present lives, evoking memories...

Netflix, especially the Indian and US catalog has a long way to go when it comes to the representation of Southern India. Their regional listing is limited when compared to other Ott platforms like Amazon Prime and Hotstar. However, the times are a-changing as more and more Netflix original films are being produced in the country. It’s likely that Netflix – The biggest Ott platform in India and the US will soon have the best Tamil movies in their catalog. The option that the Netflix app allows download will be helping these Tamil movies a lot. As of now, this always-updating list will lead you to the best of Tamil movies there are on Netflix:

1. Meiyazhagan (2024)

With 96 (2018), director C. Prem Kumar gently revealed his gift of embedding empathy and tenderness in his stories. The simple act of homecoming catalyses a love story from the past to find closure in the present in that film.

Are all relatives equally nosey? Are no pleasantries exchanged without an ulterior motive? Meiyazhagan is here to clear all our prejudices. Quickly rising within the Netflix Top 10 list, the Tamil tearjerker is a real treat for viewers on the watch for some feel-good emotional classics.

What makes Meiyazhagan’s tale so timeless?

Forget about your family feud, here’s something that’ll really get you thinking. With two timelines that intercept a 22 year old gap, Meiyazhagan‘s central climax of a reunion and familial love probably accounts for one of the most heartfelt ones encountered on screen.

Co-producer Suriya had some wonderful words to share while talking about the film’s reception among Indian audience. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, he remarked, “A water bottle can be priced at Rs 10 or Rs 500. What matters is who is benefiting, and who should be satisfied? Why feel worried if...

Modernity has offered diversification and opened horizons for people to reach out to others living far away. It has welcomed comfort and accessibility to various things that once were difficult to attain. But, modernization has simultaneously diminished the essentialities and fundamentals of our life, i.e., human connection. C. Prem Kumar’s “Meiyazhagan” is an ode to the everlasting essence of human connection – connection that’s established not through any electronic medium but through the exchange of memories, love, care, and emotion between two individuals through spoken words and a charming smile. Connection, that can break the shackles of animosity and pain one might inherently go through. Connection that can dissipate anger, inferiority, and anonymity and create a relationship to cherish forever. C Prem Kumar, once again, offers something after “96” that deals with the human soul, and not some regular potboiler scenarios.

In “Meiyazhagan,” Arul is one puzzled 40-year-old married...

Meiyazhagan Box Office (Closing Collection) ( Photo Credit – YouTube )

Meiyazhagan, starring Karthi and Arvind Swamy, has ended its journey in theatres. Unfortunately, despite its merits, the film has failed to emerge as a commercial success. It turned out to be an average affair, and it managed to recover its complete budget domestically, which is the only bright spot. At the worldwide box office, it somehow crossed the 50 crore milestone and closed its run after spending over a month on the big screen.

Coming from the school of director C. Prem Kumar, who helmed ’96 (2018), the Kollywood slice-of-life drama had high hopes pinned on its shoulders. Theatrically, it was released on September 27, and upon its arrival, it received mostly positive reviews from critics. Even word-of-mouth was favorable among the audience but the film failed to make it big at ticket windows. It seems that the theme didn’t cater to the large section of the audience,...

C. Prem Kumar is known for 96, his 2018 romantic drama that instantly connected with many. The drama was about yearning, love and loss, conversations, and childhood memories. Somehow, these same themes appear in Meiyazhagan, when two members of the same family meet after a long time. While one remembers everything, the other has trouble identifying this person. A lot is conveyed through conversations, and eventually, a bond is formed. This forms the crux of Meiyazhagan.

Spoilers Ahead

Why was Arul leaving his home in Thanjavur?

The movie began with a distraught Arul, along with his father and mother, being forced to leave their ancestral home and move to Chennai. It was assumed that Arul’s father had a property dispute with his family over this home, and that he’d lost the case. Several family and friends of Arul’s father were heartbroken and wept hard over familial bonds breaking. Arul...

Karthi, one of the most versatile and popular actors in Tamil cinema, has announced his next project, tentatively titled Karthi27. The film will be directed by C Prem Kumar, who made his debut with the critically acclaimed and commercially successful 96, starring Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha. The film will also feature Aravind Swamy, the handsome and talented actor who has delivered memorable performances in films like Roja, Bombay, Thani Oruvan, and Bogan.

The film will be produced by 2D Entertainment, the banner owned by Karthi’s brother and actor Suriya. The production house has been known for backing quality films like 24, Pasanga 2, Magalir Mattum, and Soorarai Pottru. The film will have music by Govind Vasantha, who composed the soulful and nostalgic songs for 96. The film will also mark the reunion of Prem Kumar and PC Sreeram, the legendary cinematographer who worked with him in 96.

96 Songs Life of Ram

Karthi27 is...

Chennai, Feb 14 (Ians) Samantha Ruth Prabhu climbed 600 steps of the Palani Murugan temple in Tamil Nadu on February 13 draped in an all-white churidar-kurta and offered prayers at the temple.

She also lit a camphor diya and tweeted on the same. She was accompanied by her ‘Jaanu’ movie director C. Premkumar and other friends.

The actor, who suffers from Myositis, an autoimmune disease condition that causes acute muscular pain, has started shooting for the web series ‘Citadel’ in which she shares screen space with Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan.

‘Citadel’ is the Indian version of the international sci-fi action web series of the same name created by the Russo Brothers. In the international series, Priyanka Chopra plays the lead.

The Indian web series is directed by the director duo Raj and Dk, who had helmed the popular web series, ‘The Family Man’, in which Samantha played the role of Raji, a Sri Lankan Tamil militant.

Pune, Sep 4 (Ians) Seeded Muhammad Halim As Sidiq (Indonesia) and Sarunrak Vitidsarn (Thailand) grabbed glory and in the bargain dashed Indian hopes in the India Junior International Grand Prix 2022, played in memory of the Late Sushant Chipalkatti, here on Sunday.

No. 7 Sidiq captured the men’s singles crown running down the dream run of unseeded local lad Darshan Pujari 21-13, 21-13 in 29 minutes, while Thailand’s No. 9 seed Sarunrak warded off the challenge of No. 3 Unnati Hooda 23-25, 21-17, 21-10. Both matches were a contrast, the men’s being the shortest contested in terms of time, while the women’s was the longest of all finals lasting 50 minutes.

The day was certainly not Darshan Pujari’s, who went into the final without conceding a single game. Pitted against the constantly attacking Indonesian, Darshan was done in by his rival’s clear winners and at times succumbed to unforced errors that he committed by the many.

Pune, Sep 3 (Ians) Unseeded Darshan Pujari stormed into the men’s singles final and likewise earned the distinction of being the first-ever Puneite to make the singles (men or women) final in the eleven-year history of the India Junior International Grand Prix 2022 and played in memory of the Late Sushant Chipalkatti.

The 18-year-old Darshan defeated qualifier Dhruv Negi 21-12, 21-17 victory that took 39 minutes at the P. E. Society’s Modern Pdmba Sports Complex, on Saturday. The clash between India No. 10 Darshan and Uttrakhand’s Dhruv was the first ever.

For Darshan, a Khelo India winner, the title clash on Sunday will be his second in an international tourney having played the Indian Junior International Series at Hyderabad where he exits early losing to Malaysian world No. 1 Justin Ho.

“It was a learning experience… I learnt a lot from that game and this time around I was determined to do well,...

Actress Ammu Abhirami, who impressed audiences with her brilliant performance in the Dhanush-starrer ‘Asuran’, will next be seen playing the lead along with seven others in the psychological, fantasy-thriller ‘Pendulum’, which went on the floors recently.

Directed by Sathish Kumaran, the new-fangled psychological fantasy thriller is being produced by Thiraviyam Bala of Surya Indrajit Films.

Over the years, Tamil cinema has witnessed psychological thrillers getting made. However, ‘Pendulum’ will be unique as it will feature eight people playing the lead.

‘Asuran’ fame Ammu Abhirami and Komal Sharma will be the prime lead characters. They will be seen alongside Sripathy, Sree Kumar, T.S.K., Vijith, Ram Jr. Mgr and Prem Kumar.

Apart from these eight people who play the lead, actors Gajaraj and Chaams too will be seen playing important roles in the film.

This is the first-ever time, eight actors will be seen playing lead roles in a thriller movie.

TollywoodThe Telugu version stars Sharwanand and Samantha Akkineni reprising Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha from the original.Digital NativeVijay Sethupathi and Trisha Krishnan starrer ‘96 was one of the most loved Tamil films of 2018. The film is being remade in Telugu which went on floors last year. The Telugu version stars Sharwanand and Samantha Akkineni reprising Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha from the original and directed by C. Prem Kumar, who helmed the original. The makers have now released the first look and the title of the film. Titled 'Jaanu' Production house Sri Venkateswara Creations shared the poster via their Twitter handle. "A tribute to unconditional love... here's the first look of #Sharwanand and @Samanthaprabhu2's #Jaanu@SVC_Official #PremKumar @Govind_Vasantha #JMahendran @CinemaInMyGenes #SVC34,” they wrote. Sharing the title and first look, Sharwanand wrote, “A tribute to unconditional love... here's the first look of my next film, #Jaanu.” (sic) The poster sees...

TollywoodThe film has Shrawanand and Samantha playing the lead roles.Digital NativeThe Telugu remake of Tamil blockbuster 96, which stars Shrawanand and Samantha who are reprising Vijay Sethupathi and Trisha's role from the original went on floors recently. Noted tollywood Producer Dil Raju who bagged the remake rights will be bankrolling the film. To be directed by C. Prem Kumar, who helmed the original, the principal shooting of the film is expected to kick-start later this month while the major part of the film’s story is said to be set in Vizag and Hyderabad. If sources are anything to go by, the makers have planned to shoot Sharwa's portions, who will be seen as a photographer, in the African country of Kenya. The Kenya schedule will last for 15 days after which the schedule will be shifted to Vizag and then to Hyderabad where it will be wrapped. 96 is also being...

Compiling the best films list is never an easy task. Especially considering Indian films, India being the country that produces the most number of films in the world, spanning over a number of industries, based on languages from different parts of the country. There’s also the fact that some of the regional language films are not easily accessible with subtitles and like always, there would be a lot of films that might be missing from this list.

This year has been particularly strong in Tamil and Hindi (or Bollywood if you prefer) industries. But even a few of the acclaimed films from both of those industries missed spot on this list.

So here are the best Indian films of 2018 in reverse order. Some of them have premiered in festivals in the previous years but since they had the theatrical release in India only in 2018 they are also included. (By...

KollywoodWhile these love stories are well-made and performed, one wishes that directors would push the envelope more when it comes to relationships.Sujatha KarunIndian cinema has had an enduring affair with two cinematic tropes. One of them is old love or past love, the love that springs up between the hero and heroine while they are in school, college or just out of college. The other trope is moving on from one’s past love and finding it in an ‘arranged’ marriage. Or as the music band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young put it, “If you can’t have the one you love, love the one you’re with.” Very often, both tropes are present in the same story. But it is past love that filmmakers across the country find fascinating. A couple of weeks back, Anurag Kashyap’s film Manmarziyaandealt with the very same theme. It’s the latest...