''THERE WERE EVEN CUT-OUTS OF THE DOG AND SUPERSTAR ... ''

Dogs are the physical embodiment of faithfulness and unadulterated love. Yesterday, Aug 26, being the ‘National Dog Day’, let’s revisit the importance of these four-legged creatures in Tamil cinema. The pets have either been used as an integral portion of the story or as an element to evoke humour and even sometimes to show how loving the heroines are.

Though major credit goes to director Rama Narayanan for using the maximum of pooches in his films, in Sibiraj’s Naaigal Jaakirathai, a Belgium Shepherd was actually the central character which was hero-worshipped.

At frequent intervals, directors have brought in dogs to emphasize factors. One being the mighty ‘Great Dane’ sitting next to our underworld don ‘Baasha’. There were even cut-outs of the dog and Superstar being erected during the time of the release. A German Shepherd was used in another Rajini film titled ‘Thai Veedu’. In the film, the dog selflessly helps Rajini (a crook) to pull off cunning acts.

The pair of Pomeranians in Apoorva Sagodharargal were also a famous set of dogs. The particular scene where the furry dog helps 'Appu' to kill Delhi Ganesh is still an interesting scene to watch. Vishnuvardhan used the deadly Rottweiler as a sidekick to the uncanny villain in the Arya starrer Sarvam while the Labrador in Sundar C’s Kalakalappu came to tickle the funny bones.

Vijay has had his share with a fawn-coloured Labrador in Thuppakki. The dog accompanies him on an important mission to rescue his sister. There might not be a presence as such but in ‘Thanga Meenkal’, the protagonist leaves his home to buy the famous pug for his daughter. Even in the recent hit Kaaka Muttai, domestic breeds were used to establish the downtrodden nature of the characters.

With great amount of time and money spent by the filmmakers to train such dogs to be appropriately filmed, Trisha Krishnan, being a strong supporter of animal welfare, is completely against the act of using dogs or even animals for movies.

With such a day dedicated to the well-being of the companions of our souls, let's take the time to be thankful to those amazing dogs making our lives worthy.