Filmograpy
Ram
Ram is an Indian film director, who works in Tamil cinema.[1] After assisting Hindi directors Rajkumar Santoshi and working under Balu Mahendra, he made his directorial debut with Kattradhu Thamizh (2007), which fetched him strong critical acclaim. His second film Thanga Meengal (2013) also won critical praise and three National Film Awards. He released his next film Taramani in August 2017 which was critically acclaimed and a box-office hit. His fourth film Peranbu starring Mammootty was premiered at International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2018, which was also critically acclaimed.
Ram, completed his Bachelor of Arts in American College in Madurai, while he was pursuing a Master of Arts postgraduate degree in Tamil literature at the Madras Christian College, began writing short stories in Tamil language.[2] He worked with director Thangar Bachan in a few films, then Thangar Bachan recommended Ram to meet Hindi film director Rajkumar Santoshi. Since he was unaware about Hindi films, and Rajkumar Santoshi, he was initially reluctant, but eventually decided to meet him and joined him as a script writer, travelling to Mumbai subsequently.[2] Ram worked together with Santoshi in several Hindi films, including Pukar (2000) and Lajja (2001),[3] and helped him in shaping the story of Lajja.[2] Ram had first planned to make a "cross-over English film on man-woman relationship" and approached Balu Mahendra to handle the cinematography, since he felt Mahendra's style suited his script best.[2] The project failed to take off, but Ram continued working with Mahendra. Though he did not assist him in any of his films, Ram considers Balu Mahendra as his teacher, who, he says, "converted" him "from being a film maniac to a film student" as he also learned about cinematic techniques from him, particularly about cinematography.[2] By mid-2006, Ram began working on his directorial debut, initially being titled as Tamil M.A.,[4] which was later changed to Kattradhu Thamizh to get exempted from the entertainment taxation.[5] The film revolves around a young man, who gets into trouble because of his education,[6][7] quoting that it would show the "pathetic state of our mother tongue Tamil in today's society".[4] He selected Jeeva as the lead character in his film, after he saw Raam (2005) and been impressed by the actor's performance.[3] while a newcomer Anupama from Mumbai was tipped to play the lead female character of Anandhi first,[8] however she was later replaced by Anjali, who debuted in Tamil cinema with this film.[9] The film was shot for nearly a year across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Chennai,[10] and gained high anticipation in its finishing stage, mainly due to Jeeva's looks in the promotional stills,[2][11] and Ram's controversial statements at the film's soundtrack release.[12][13] Kattradhu Thamizh followed the journey of a lower middle class post-graduate degree holder in Tamil literature, who struggles to find a job and gradually turns a sociopath, frustrated by the inequality in the social stratification. Following its release in October 2007, the film received high critical praise,[14] becoming termed as a "cult classic".[15] Behindwoods in its review called the film a "kurinji flower in Indian cinema", citing that "once in a while a movie re-writes Tamil cinema history" and that Kattradhu Thamizh was "one such precious gem", further adding that Ram deserved a "standing ovation for not bowing down to commercial format and sticking to his theme with strong conviction".[16] Ram denied that the film was his autobiography, clarifying that, unlike the protagonist in the film, he went on to work as a media consultant and that the film was an autobiography of a fictional character named Prabhakar.[2]
Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai (transl. Seven Seas Seven Hills; alternatively titled as Seven Seas Seven Hills) is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by Ram and produced by Suresh Kamatchi under V House Productions. It stars Nivin Pauly, Anjali and Soori. The film's score and soundtrack album is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, with cinematography and editing handled by N.K. Ekambaram and Mathi V.S respectively. The story is set on a moving train where an encounter between a 32-year-old everyman and an 8,000-year-old immortal – and a rat – triggers a series of events that would intertwine their destinies.
The film was internationally premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and received rave reviews.[2][3] It was one of the 12 films selected to compete for the VPRO Big Screen award at the Rotterdam film festival. The theatrical release date is yet to be announced.