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Thamizh Padam

Hollywood: Mere pass Hot Shots hai, Scary Movie hai, Naked Gun hai! Tumhaare pass kya hai?

Thamizh cinema: Mere pass Thamizh Padam hai.

As spoofs go, this one is about as good as it gets. From the gender switch on Karuththamma right at the beginning to an acknowledgement of A R Rahman’s Golden Globe win right at the end, Thamizh Padam packs in-jokes into its running length like passengers on 12B at Panagal Park. And while we’re busy trying to juggle our laughter with our memories of the films and filmi cliches we grew up with, it even sneaks in an oblique reference to — would you believe it — Manoj Night Shyamalan.

Spoofs don’t lend themselves easily to reviewing. So I’m not even going to bother. Let me leave you with just a snippet, so you can decide whether or not to watch the film.

A little boy sees a bunch of goons beating up a helpless man and is so appalled by the injustice of it and his own inability to fight for the poor man that he goes to his grandmother and asks her when he will grow old enough to fight. The wise grandmother advises him to get on the bicycle parked nearby and starts pedalling. And sure enough, as the camera zooms in on the boy’s legs, pedalling away, they morph into those of The Hero.


Ramsu
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5 responses to “Thamizh Padam”

  1. Banno Avatar
    Banno

    Watch it! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Naan paathuten oye Avatar
    Naan paathuten oye

    The day after I read this (and thanks to S for Sruthilayam), I walked home with the Tamil Padam DVD, hot off the New Arrivals shelf at the desi store.

    What ensued is nothing short of D for Death-by-laughter. (Mouna Ragam mike scene; “I for Illinois” orange T-shirt = Obama enga family friend aakkum; Baradnaatyam book thirandha soulful singing a la Hallmark musical card, followed by The Hero’s most-endearing “monkey” moves… side-splitting stuff, man!) Ippo naan maru piravi eduthu vandhadhe unga kitta “thank you for the reco, thalaivaa” nu sollarthukku thaan, theriyumaa? Nandri marappadhu nandrandru enga family song aakkum.

    p.s: Fittingly, “Paatti Sollai Thattaadhey” was the other movie on this combo DVD. Heavens help me, I’m in love with Pandiarajan now!

    Reply
    1. Ramsu Avatar
      Ramsu

      My pleasure 🙂

      What I remember most vividly about the latter film is the car. Now, if only our Nobel laureate physicists would direct their energies into such an enterprise instead of mucking around with elementary particles…

      ps: And yes, heavens help you indeed!

      Reply
      1. NPO Avatar
        NPO

        Oh I hear you. Those subterranean scientists — hiding out in the Swiss-French countryside, “secretly” smashing subatomic particles together — should totally hook up with the Japanese envelope pushers separately slaving away, “electrifying” dreams, over at the ‘Sin San’ imaginarium.

        I mean, “if only”, right? Come on. What are the chances The Leaf does (eventually) turn out to be The Four-Pronged Clover Leaf? (But if pigs can fly, why not cars, is how *I* see it. U catch my point?)

        p.s: It makes me laugh to think how this acronym of mine turns the one you had (The “NEP” Wing!) on its head: Naan Pirandhen Oye.

  3. S Avatar
    S

    Hey, speaking of “in jokes” only you know this “Naan” person above is me. 🤓 And I just realized, your 12-B reference is a nod to Mirchi Shiva’s debut movie? The guy just slays me I tell ya…every single time. I can watch Tamizh Padam all day. Did you see 144? There’s a funny inside the outsized “eli” womb… Shiva takes one look at the diminutive lungi guards laying wasted and deadpans to Ashok Selvan: “Rendu quarter serndhu oru full-a gaali pannitu”… 😄Really wish I’d seen this on the big screen!!

    Reply

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