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Should Tamil cinema resurrect the dead ?
The collective anxiety created by the AI-altered Raanjhanaa is quite understandable : a production house (Eros International) using artificial intelligence to resurrect Dhanush’s character in order to…
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Thoughts on colorism
Yesterday, in my Instagram story, I shared my feeling about the disturbing colorism of one of ‘Ponniyin Selvan’ first look posters. It shows the Chola…
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The discreet charm of close-ups in ‘Alaigal Oivathillai’
For philosopher Gilles Deleuze, « the affection-image is the close-up shot and the close-up shot is the face ». Indeed, close-up is not only a…
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Suit up and emancipate : the diverging parallel between ‘Kabali’ and ‘Django Unchained’
There is an organic political and philosophical link between Kabali and Django. They represent subaltern and oppressed communities, whether it’s Tamil plantations workers in 20th…
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My tormented love story with ‘Moondram Pirai’
Nota bene : this essay was written some months ago, between december and january, and there could be some spoilers for those who haven’t watched…
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Stolen kisses : the violence behind the icon
Three iconic images hiding a violent rape culture. Three women forcefully kissed by a man in front of a camera and an audience. Three sexual…
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The tree of life : Punnagai Mannan & Raavanan
When I saw Raavanan a few years ago, this image of Raagini (Aishwarya Rai), fallen on a tree, immediately reminded me of this iconic opening…
Shakila Zamboulingame
Born in Pondicherry but living in France since childhood, I started this writing project in 2016 to analyze Tamil cinema through a diasporic point of view. I am working on a Phd in film studies and anthropology entitled “Tamil Cinema in Diaspora: Film Culture, Spectatorship, and Identities” (RiRRa21, Université of Montpellier Paul Valéry – Cesah, EHESS), about the experience of Tamil cinema in the communities of Tamil immigration and exile in France. I regularly write and give lectures on Indian cinemas, Tamil diaspora and diasporic audiences. You can read my writings here, on Instagram where I am more active, and in some publications.
1916 / about tamil cinema 