Streaming services have gone “all in” on films from India. Scroll through Amazon Prime and Netflix’s international offerings and you’ll see an overwhelming amount of films from the different regions of that country. Which has proven to be a successful strategy for the two companies. It has even led to them being the exclusive homes for several recent Indian blockbuster films.
The latest of which has just been announced by Netflix, the action-comedy JAGAME THANDHIRAM (which translates to “TRICKY WORLD”). Here is the teaser trailer Netflix included with the announcement of their exclusive rights to the film, which will see them make the Tamil language production available in over 190 countries to 200+ million subscribers.(*NOTE: turn on closed captioning for English subtitles)
The exact plot of the film is unknown but the talent behind this film is more than enough reason to keep it on your radar. It is written and directed by Karthik Subbaraj who has proven himself to be one of the most exciting voices not just in Indian cinema but in international film as a whole. He has consistently delivered films that challenge the perception of what that country produces with such projects as the 2012 critically acclaimed horror film PIZZA and the harrowing, dialogue-free, thriller MERCURY from 2018.
His last feature-length film, 2019’s PETTA, saw him step into the realm of Indian “action hero idol” movies to work with South India’s biggest name in cinema, actor “Superstar” Rajinikanth. That film brought the aging action star his best reviews in years and showed that the boundary-pushing Subbaraj could also deliver crowd-pleasing mass entertainment that still retains his innovative filmmaking style, which bodes well for JAGAME THANDHIRAM.
When asked about the film, Subbaraj had this to say:
“JAGAME THANDHIRAM is my dream film. A script that’s very close to my heart. A story that needs to be told, and heard by audiences across the world. This film has found a new way to speak to its audience. JAGAME THANDHIRAM will be premiered by Netflix worldwide in over 190 countries and in multiple languages simultaneously. I am eagerly looking forward to sharing this film about a ‘Tricky World’.”
The film stars an international cast headlined by multi-award winning Tamil actor Dhanush, who is also set to appear alongside Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in the Russo brothers’ upcoming spy thriller, THE GRAY MAN, also for Netflix. JAGAME THANDHIRAM will also feature GAME OF THRONES actor James Cosmo, who can be briefly glimpsed in the above teaser footage.Netflix acquisitions had this to say about the upcoming release:
“We are thrilled to be the home for Karthik Subbaraj’s JAGAME THANDHIRAM, and are excited to showcase the brilliance and magic of Tamil cinema to the world. This must-see, enthralling Dhanush-starrer promises to entertain fans, and we are honored to bring it to audiences in India and globally.”
It’s unknown when JAGAME THANDHIRAM will hit the streaming platform but based on similar releases from Netflix, we can expect a release sometime in the next few months.
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Matthew Essary has been a professional film critic since 2017 and a film fanatic for much longer.
Currently residing in Nashville, TN, he also co-hosts the film podcast "Video Culture" (available on all podcast platforms). He can be reached at "WheelsCritic@gmail.com" and on Twitter: @WheelsCritic
