Tamil Nadu - Chennai   

Two Tamil films to be screened at festival

A still from ‘Achamundu Achamundu,’ which has been selected for screening at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

CHENNAI: International recognition for Tamil films is nothing new. This time around, the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival to be held in mid-June will be special for Kollywood, as it has a strong Tamil connection.

Two Tamil films, one, a box office hit and the other, a yet to be released flick, will be part of the competition category at the Festival that will be held in China. Oscar-winning director of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ Danny Boyle will head the jury, according to sources.

‘13B’, a bi-lingual movie, shown as ‘Yaavarum Nalam’ in Tamil, has been selected to be screened as a competition entry at the Festival.

The supernatural thriller, which was received well in both languages, competes in International Panorama category.

It attracted the audiences with its off-beat plot and was also critically acclaimed for its creative picturisation and edge-of-the-seat direction.

‘Achamundu Achamundu,’ which saw its audio release recently, also shares the stage with ‘Yaavarum…’ Director Arun Vaidyanathan told The Hindu that he finds the international recognition incredible.

“I think it is important to direct the movie the way people like it. Recognition follows suit,” he says.

Also a thriller, the movie, starring Prasanna and Sneha, tells the story of a newly-wed IT professional in U.S. who finds himself trapped in a tricky situation. “It is a story that anyone can relate to. The female lead is a character that is so much like many Indian women from cities and towns here, who seek grooms from the United States dreaming of a sophisticated life. The hero is another ordinary Indian who tries to strike a balance between work and home,” Arun Vaidyanathan explains.

International recognition for his movie, he says, serves a catalyst for him to prove his talent.

“The Shanghai festival means a lot to directors like me. It is also global recognition to the Tamil industry to be participating in a competitive category in a festival where selected world cinema will be shown.”

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