For millennials, 1995 is nostalgia—the year their fathers grew mustaches like Rajini, their mothers wore the saree like Manisha Koirala, and the family VCR never stopped running.
While Rajini ruled the masses, Kamal Haasan ruled the critics. Kuruthipunal (Bloody River), directed by P. C. Sreeram, was a dark, gritty thriller about a cop infiltrating a terrorist organization. It was India’s official entry for the Academy Awards that year. Technically, it was a marvel—shot in sync sound (a rarity then) and devoid of glamorous songs. It clashed with Muthu at the box office and, despite losing the commercial war, won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. tamil movie 1995