Pa Ranjith’s Natchathiram Nagargiradhu (NN, A Star Shoots Across, Tamil), that released on August 31, and is still in some theatres, is a refreshing, romantic musical like you’ve never seen before. Starring Dushara Vijayan, Kalidas Jayaram and Kalaiyarasan, it explores how Indian caste politics strangles love. Placing the film in a theatre setting, the Indianostrum theatre in Pondicherry, allows Ranjith—who studied fine arts—to freely experiment with form, blurring the lines between cinema, theatre, art, real life, gaana songs (Dalit urban folk/street songs), oppari (mourning songs), puppetry and even modern, aerial dance. The film is also self-reflexive; on the challenges of creatively commenting on the horrific caste-based honour killings that continue unabated. Pankaj Rishi Kumar’s documentary Janani’s Juliet had, in 2019, already set a film amid the Indianostrum theatre group in Pondicherry, putting up a play on caste, intercut with victim testimonies of caste atrocities; but NN, a fiction based on facts, goes far beyond it.

This year, Pa Ranjith celebrates 10 years of filmmaking, and is a powerful force in Indian cinema, as an artist and social reformer, questioning the status quo, including caste, Dalit and gender issues. His mostly stellar filmmaking includes over 13 works. As director, his films include Attakathi, Madras, Kabali, Kaala, Sarpatta Parambarai and Natchathiram Nagargiradhu; as producer his films include Pariyerum Perumal, Kuthiraivaal, Writer and Seththumaan. His multiple initiatives addressing caste and gender through the arts include Neelam Productions, Neelam Cultural Centre, Casteless Collective (for music), Neelam Social web channel and the Vaanam art festival.