V'Day Special: Creators for the Resurge of Romance Films

Tamil cinema has provided so many classic romance tales right from the days of 'Haridas' which completed three years of theatrical run and 'Devadas' the character and story that has become the eternal identities of true love. Sridhar, Balachander, Bharathiraja, Balu Mahendra, Mani Ratnam and all the directors who have ruled the roost in Kollywood have been masters of handling romance in the silver screen with their unique style which have ended up as sumptuous treat to young lovers.

In the recent years the horror-comedy genre is seen as the easy way to success which led to a plethora of such films hitting the screens. Superstars and wannabe super stars have considered action films as a indispensable tool to retain their larger than life image in the minds of fans and this has ensured the continuance of this genre.

But it has to be said that Romance as a genre of films has taken the far back seat in the recent years. It will be hard to list even a handful of romance films that have either succeeded or made a critical impact though there have been attempts by new or less known directors and actors in this genre which have backfired.

Still there is a strong ray of hope. The success of young director Atlee's debut film 'Raja Rani' and vetreran Mani Ratnam's 'O Kadhal Kanmani' prove that there are enormous takers for love films if they live up to the expectations. On this Valentine's Day we bring you the list of filmmakers on whom we can rely upon to keep the genre of love alive and relevant in Tamil cinema.

Mani Ratnam

Every film of Mani Ratnam has had love. Even in its political drama 'Iruvar' and films on serious subjects like 'Roja', 'Bombay' and 'Uyire', love has been the undercurrent. He has also been the mastermind of epic love stories of three generation of lovers with his 'Mouna Ragam', 'Alaipayuthe' and the most recent 'O Kadhal Kanmani'.

With 'Mouna Ragam' Mani revolutionized the genre by strongly driving home the point that "There's a love after every love failure". 'Alaipayuthey' was the first love film to speak about the life of lovers after marriage. The 2015 super hit 'O Kadhal Kanmani' is again the first film that dealt deeply with the Living together lifestyle.

Vasanth

Relationship and romance have been the strongholds of Vasanth whose portrayals of love in various films over the years remain afresh in the minds of audiences. The lover portions in his films 'Keladi Kanmani', 'Aasai', 'Nerukku Ner' are eagerly watched by people even now when they are telecast in TV. 'Rhythm' is the crown of all and it is hailed as one of the most loved love films of all times in Tamil cinema. Vasanth is the name to reckon for love with undeterred dignity as all of his films have had love but none of them have had glamour or vulgarity.

Kathir

'Idhayam' the debut film of Kathir is a film that made everyone in love to shed a drop of tear. This can be called as the epic of one sided male lovers who are presently being referred as 'Soup boys'. It is a super hit of that year.

Followed by 'Idhayam', Kathir had directed four films in which three has 'Kadhal' in the title. Among those, 'Kadhal Desam' and 'Kadhalar Dhinam' were commercially successful and the renditions from A.R.

Kathir who was intense in handling sequences with more aesthetic value was probably an underrated director of his era and we hope he stages a comeback with a beautiful romance flick soon.

Gautham Vasudev Menon

Through the pleasant canvas of romance, Gautham has been exploring various dimensions of love in his films. His debut film 'Minnale was the announcement of the arrival of a maverick filmmaker who is adept in his craft '. The chemistry between Madhavan and Reemma Sen in the film was shown more through the expressions and background score than dialgoues and that is where the director differs from others.

'Vaaranam Aayiram' and 'Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa' which are the films made up of best musical score and the deep penetration of love. Both the films emphasised the point that love has to move on after love but in different ways and the both the films were super hits. The commercially unsuccessful 'Neethane En Ponvasantham' is actually a favourite of section of audience and critics for it deeply portrayed the volatility of love relationships and how the true love wins over and sustains forever.

Even the complete action-thriller movies like 'Khakha Khakha' and 'Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu', Gautham Menon came with an adorable love portions.

Selvaraghavan

Selvaraghavan's films are more concerned about the love of socially cornered people. His marked his arrival as a director with 'Kadhal Kondein' which included a deep sorrow than the regular feel-good factors. Selva used Dhanush's innocence and composed look to enhance the tragedy elements in the film

'7G Rainbow Colony' which is the extension of one side love and 'Mayakkam Enna' which portrays the true affection of a woman to her husband, remains a testimony for Selvaraghavan's unprecedented way of approaching love.

S.J.Suryah

This name may sound strange to some readers as this highly talented director has been associated with sleazy elements and double meaning dialogues. But Suryah has proved his unique style of handling love in his first two films 'Vaali' and 'Kushi'.

In 'Vaali' the romance portion where the hero makes the girl fall for him by cooking up a fake story about his past love gave a refreshing watch. 'Kushi' dealt with