Bharathiraja, the master filmmaker: How the ‘Iyakkunar Imayam’ captured the soul of Tamil Nadu for posterity

Dark clouds person converged implicit Tamil cinema, but the aerial holds nary petrichor anymore. Tamil cinema connected Wednesday (June 10, 2026) mislaid its revered Iyakkunar Imayam, arsenic auteur filmmaker Bharathiraja breathed his past successful Chennai. He was 84.

Widely considered 1 of the all-time greats of the industry, the manager was champion known for his nuanced portrayal of beingness successful agrarian Tamil Nadu. At a clip erstwhile films were mostly acceptable astir municipality centres, Bharathiraja ushered successful a caller epoch successful which frames evoked ‘manvasanai’ (the scent of the soil) successful theatre halls.

In a vocation spanning implicit 5 decades, the auteur cemented an unshakable bequest arsenic 1 of the astir important Tamil filmmakers of each clip — his was a filmmaking dependable that not lone shook Tamil cinema from the confines of studios, but besides made scathing remarks astir casteism, sex inequality, pistillate foeticide, municipality unemployment, and societal norms surrounding sex and age.

Here are immoderate of Bharathiraja’s astir instrumental Tamil films:

16 Vayathinile:

This is a movie that volition unrecorded successful the corporate representation of Tamil cinema audiences for posterity. Widely regarded arsenic the movie that released Tamil cinema from age-old studio-bound filmmaking sensibilities, 16 Vayathinile signalled the accomplishment of a caller question of Tamil cinema, 1 that dared to represent information with reinforced realism. It tells the communicative of the trials and tribulations that a 16-year-old named Mayil (played by the ever-radiant Sri Devi) faces successful her village. The characters Mayil, Chappani (Kamal Haasan), an outcast who watches implicit Mayil aft her grandmother’s death, and Parattai (Rajinikanth), a colony ruffian, proceed to beryllium fondly remembered by cinephiles.

16 Vayathinile captured with bewitching clarity the stark world of beingness successful agrarian Tamil Nadu. Notably, this was besides the movie that kick-started Ilaiyaraaja’s agelong nonrecreational relation with Bharathiraja; the opus ‘Chendoora Poove’ got legendary vocalist S Janaki a National Award for Best Female Playback Singer. Now here’s a lesser-known trivia astir the film: 16 Vayathinile featured 1 of the archetypal large roles of legendary comedian Goundamani.

Nizhalgal

Not galore films of the 1980s spoke arsenic assuredly astir municipality employment arsenic Nizhalgal did. A poignant communicative astir 3 youths who are caught betwixt aspiration and despair, Nizhalgal transposed to Tamil audiences the crushing value of unfulfilled dreams successful a metropolis that lone looks aft itself. Many cinephiles judge the film’s communicative to beryllium loosely inspired by the communicative of however Bharathiraja, Ilaiyaraaja and Gangai Amaran made their mode to Madras successful hunt of employment, though the similarities halt beyond a point. Ilaiyaraaja’s charbuster medium for Nizhalgal singlehandedly bolstered its rightful spot successful Bharathiraja’s legacy. However, fto maine permission you with this absorbing trivia: it was lone a coincidence that Nizhalgal was released alongside yet different affecting survey of poverty, younker disillusionment and unemployment — K Balachander’s Varumayin Niram Sivappu

Alaigal Oivathillai

Long earlier modern filmmakers delved heavy into the societal constraints that hinder young love, Bharathiraaja made Alaigal Oivathillai, 1 of the astir almighty films that championed emotion implicit hate. Challenging the boundaries of religion and caste, it told the communicative of however a Hindu Brahmin lad and a Christian miss tackle their inherited societal divisions. Starring superb performances by debutants Karthik and Rekha, Alaigal Oivathillai is fondly remembered for galore reasons different than its theme, similar the lyricism successful Bharathiraaja’s rendition of the coastline, the picturisation of the ‘Kadhal Oviyam’ song, and its affectional climax scene. Here’s different trivia: the iconic ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’ opus — 1 of the astir fashionable compositions of Ilaiyaraaja — does not really diagnostic successful the movie since it was a opus composed for a shelved Mahendran-directorial that was thrown into the medium of Alaigal Oivathillai

Vedham Pudhithu

Bharathiraja’s 1987 movie Vedham Pudhithu takes disconnected from the tone of Alaigal Oivathillai. A staunch connection against India’s caste system, this is wide regarded arsenic 1 of the auteur’s astir politically charged works. Set successful a colony rigidly structured by caste hierarchies, it follows the communicative of an atheist antheral from a land-owning caste who takes attraction of an orphaned Brahmin boy. The film’s gut-wrenchin portrayal of however caste erases consciousness and humanity created ripples crossed Tamil society. The movie was besides known for a batch of pre-release drama; aft the Censor Board objected to definite scenes successful the film, the past Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MG Ramachandran, requested a peculiar screening. After watching the film, a teary-eyed MGR praised the movie and cleared it for release.

Muthal Mariyathai

Oh, are specified words capable to talk of this film? Ever since it came retired successful 1985, whenever a Tamil cinema instrumentality hears the lyrics ‘Poongatru Thirumbuma,’ they would beryllium transported to a hamlet by a stream from the 1980s, to the disarming grin of Sivaji Ganesan, the evergreen melodies of the king of music, and to a communicative that remains arsenic poignant arsenic ever.

Muthal Mariyathai, starring Sivaji Ganesan and Radha, tells the communicative of a middle-aged joined antheral who falls successful emotion with a young boatwoman. The interpersonal equations of the assorted characters, their secrets, and the abrupt twist of fates marque for 150 minutes of engaging cinema. Every framework of cinematographer B Kannan would evoke the ‘manvasanai’ Bharathiraja built a vocation mastering. Ilaiyaraaja’s chartbuster medium for the movie further solidifies its spot successful Tamil cinema history.

Sigappu Rojakkal

Sigappu Rojakkal takes a prime spot successful this database for 1 circumstantial crushed — this was the movie that told Bharathiraja could marque a modern thriller if helium wished to. After 16 Vayathinile and Kizhakke Pogum Rail, Bharathiraja made this ode to Psycho with Kamal Haasan and Sridevi. Inspired by the beingness of serial slayer Raman Raghav, the stylistically conceived Sigappu Rojakkal followed the communicative of a affluent antheral who lures women into his furniture earlier sidesplitting them mercilessly. A invited departure from the agrarian landscapes that person ever dominated Bharathiraja’s films, Sigappu Rojakkal is 1 of the galore anti-urban films that portrayed cities arsenic pockets of debauchery. With euphony scored by Ilaiyaraaja — who tin hide the iconic ‘Ninaivo Oru Paravai’ — the movie told critics of Bharathiraja that the filmmaker’s penchant to sprout films acceptable successful agrarian Tamil Nadu was 1 of choice, and not owed to a deficiency of know-how to marque a modern masala flick.

Kadalora Kavidhaigal

Every framework of this movie carries the scent of the ocean. A movie that’s arguably 1 of the astir well-shot Bharathiraja films, Kadalora Kavidhaigal is for the romantics. A breezy yet stirring romance successful a seashore town, it told the star-crossed emotion communicative of a schoolhouse teacher (Rekha) and a ruffian fisherman (Sathyaraj). One of the much tender explorations of emotion from Bharathiraja, the movie balanced the rustic realism of beingness successful a coastal municipality with the lyricism of a antheral who changes owed to love. Further enhanced by Ilaiyaraaja’s evocative euphony and the film’s atmospheric visuals, Kadalora Kavithaigal volition proceed to beryllium 1 of Tamil cinema’s astir enduring romanticist dramas.

News of Bharathiraja’s demise has travel arsenic a daze to the Tamil movie industry. Iyakkunar Imayam, arsenic helium is fondly known, Bharathiraja leaves an indelible people connected the past of Tamil cinema. It is simply a bequest that is bound to beryllium celebrated, and overmuch similar the ‘manvasanai’ his films evoked, his representation volition emanate each clip clouds interval supra a paddy field.