Chennai: T.J. Gnanavel’s critically acclaimed courtroom drama Jai Bhim, starring Suriya, Lijomol Jose and Manikandan in the lead, will be among the Tamil films to be screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne that is to take place between August 12 – 30, this year.
The film narrates the story of a brave activist-lawyer, who fights for justice when a poor tribal man, who gets falsely accused of robbery, goes missing from police custody.
Some of the other thought-provoking Tamil films in this year’s festival include the docu-fiction movie The Road to Kuthriyar and Perianayaki.
The Road to Kuthriyar, directed by Bharat Mirle, stars Dhruv Athreye, Chinna Dorai, Parvathi Om, M.K. Raghavendra, Mariammal and Saravana Dhruv.
The film’s story follows a wildlife researcher from the city, who is tasked with conducting a ‘mammal survey’ of the 600-square-kilometre Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
Armed with 40-year-old maps of the area and a GPS device, he navigates the park on foot. He recruits a local tribesman from the area to serve as his guide. When an accident takes him to the guide’s village, the wool of ‘civilisation’ is lifted from the researcher’s eyes and his attitude towards the marginalised is transformed.
Perianayaki by Bala Murali Shingade, stars Jeyagowri Sivakumaran. The story talks about an immigrant from Sri Lanka — 56-year-old Perianayaki — whose day begins as it does every day — at her dead-end job stacking shelves at the local supermarket.
As a result of her inability to speak English, she struggles to fit in and build meaningful relationships. Today, on her wedding anniversary, Perianayaki is forced to reconcile with the bittersweet realities of her life.