Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Aaranya Kaandam with Jackie Shroff, Sampath Raj, Ravikrishna, and Yasmin Ponnapa flouted practically every role in the Idiot’s Guide to Making Commercial Cinema handbook and still came up trumps. The film faced more than its fair of controversy for its graphic depictions of violence and sex plus foul language and ran into trouble with the censors but eventually managed to make it to the big screen and blow our minds. It is innovative and bold filmmaking at its best.

Trade talk: Thanks to SPB Charan, the producer’s war with the censors and its prestigious win at the South Asian Film Festival, Aaranya Kaandam stayed in the news and grabbed public attention. This worked for the film as there was a good turnout for its release.

Public opinion: A one – of – a kind film that has universal appeal. The powerful performances by the likes of Jackie Shroff, Sampath Raj and Ravikrishna came in for a world of praise and deservingly so.