On September 10 TIFF presented its first screening of Azhagarsamy’s Horse (AH). I went to it assuming that those who would be checking out the film would mostly be Tamil speaking.When I arrived at the theatre, though, there was a huge line made up of a variety of people. It was great to see an innovative Tamil movie like AH being received by such a diverse group.

While standing in line, people seemed to notice that I was Tamil, and started asking me questions about the film (being Tamil apparently made me an expert!). They wanted to know how to pronounce the name correctly and what the film was about.

AH started with its festival song sequence and  I could hear everyone going “Ooo” and “Ahh” throughout the colourful and energetic scenes. The audience continued to be engaged for the 1.5 hours of the film, laughing at comedy scenes, and even reacting to nuances that I would have expected to be more explicit to Tamil audiences.

The obvious plus of AH is of course how visually rich it is—a feast for the eyes. It’s rare to see Indian movies (specifically Tamil or Hindi) like this in recent times. But that seems to be the key to attracting an international following. Films that incorporate naturalism, culture, and real issues—like drought or child labour in this case—are well received. The response of the audience I was sitting in definitely suggested as much.

The film, as it is screened at TIFF,  has been shortened from the original. The song “Poovekelu”,  and a few  scenes—including Azhagarsamy’s horse galloping through the village attacking crooks—have been omitted. That scene beautifully captured the film’s suggestion that animals, not under the influence of religion, have better judgement than human beings. But the overall impact of the movie does remain intact, keeping you entertained throughout.

See for yourself, by attending the final screening of Azhagarsamy’s Horse this Friday, September 16^th, at 9:45pm. If you like AH as much as I did, be sure to vote for it for the prestigious Cadillac Audience Choice Award after you attend a screening at TIFF.

—Parthiban Manoharan