Film
Kadal
கடல்
2013
About
A young orphan raised by a malevolent fisherman is caught between the man who shaped him through cruelty and the missionary who offers him redemption — a battle for a soul set against the sea. Mani Ratnam's most overtly spiritual film, with Arjun playing a career-best villain and A. R. Rahman delivering a soaring maritime score.
Video Essay
Why This Matters
Kadal is Mani Ratnam wrestling with good and evil more directly than in any other film. Arjun's Thomas — manipulative, damaged, and riveting — is one of Tamil cinema's great villains. The sea setting and A. R. Rahman's score give it an elemental power that divides audiences even now.
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