From Dheepan to Kannathil Muthamittal, 4 films that chronicle the lives of LTTE rebels

Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni-starrer The Family Man 2 is a smash hit on OTT although its portrayal of the separatist group LTTE has kept the show in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The intense struggle of the LTTE to secure a Tamil Eelam state in Sri Lanka, spanning many decades, has always evoked strong reactions from India (particularly Tamil Nadu) and it's only natural that the politics surrounding the issue would warrant the attention of filmmakers across the globe too. We list a few films that have captured the different dimensions of the LTTE struggle over the years.

Kannathil Muthamittal - Amazon Prime Video

A poignant story of how Amudha, an adopted daughter of an urban couple expresses a desire to connect with her Sri Lankan roots and meet her mother, Kannathil Muthamittal is a moving look at the aftermath of war. The film discusses the futility of war and how, regardless of the cause, it ravages families, robbing them of their homes and the right to live a peaceful life. The clincher here is the craft with which director Mani Ratnam juxtaposes the personal with the political.

Madras Cafe - Netflix

This thriller, which takes a fictional look at the infamous Rajiv Gandhi assassination case in 1991, is an engaging story of an Indian officer, whose best efforts to prevent the suicide bombing go down the drain. The film takes many a cinematic liberty in the portrayal of the LTTE and the assassination but keeps you on your toes with its nail-biting screenplay. Though Madras Cafe deserved more intense performers than the likes of John Abraham and Nargis Fakhri, it gives you enough adrenaline rush and ends on a thoughtful note.

Kuttrapathirikai - YouTube

Another work of fiction surrounding former PM Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, the film despite completing filming in 1992 was refused a release by the CBFC for its direct political references and tone and had to wait a decade and a half to see the light of the day. Filmmaker R K Selvamani, an expert in handling cop dramas, blends a domestic drama in the lives of two honest officers with politics and throws many masala elements in the mix to make it a wholesome watch. While you may not appreciate the film's black-and-white representation of LTTE's activities and Indian politics, it works better as a masala entertainer in a realistic setup.

Dheepan - Netflix

Dheepan chronicles the life of two Sri Lankan war refugees accompanied by a little girl, who flee to Europe in the hope to start life on a new slate. The film shows how a Tamil freedom fighter (the title character) finds himself on a warpath again to protect his beloved in an alien land. Dheepan's plot is set in the final days of the Civil War in Sri Lanka and is a realistic take on the travails of war refugees. Partly filmed in Tamil and French by Jacques Audiard, this little-known drama engages and informs at the same time.