Blue Star, the superhit Tamil film directed by debutant S. Jayakumar, starring the captivating Ashok Selvan and Shanthanu, has been released on Amazon Prime Video for those in India, while those outside of India can stream the film on either Tentkotta or Simply South. This critically acclaimed film expresses the deep underlying crisis of caste, the corruption within the Indian cricket industry, and the complex relationship between land and people.
The film has spectacularly curated cinematography that enriches and brings alive the landscape of the 90s railway town of Arakkonam, with scenes of the railway, the cricket field, and the anatomy of the entire town being brought into sentience through the visual medium. Accompanying that, the script written by S. Jayakumar and the renowned writer Thamizh Prabha bring an immense amount of depth and nuance to the lives of both Ranjith, played by Ashok, and Rajesh, played by Shanthanu. Additionally, the standout characters of Anandhi, portrayed with sensitivity by Keerthi Pandian, along with Prithvi Rajan’s characterization of Sam and Lizzie Antony as Suseela, were all delightful and well-rounded portrayals of the thoughts and emotions of the Arakkonam people.
The exceptional music of the film, composed by Govind Vasantha, is also an amazing addition to the entire expression of the film, with songs like Railin Oligal encompassing the intertwined nature of the two inter-caste lovers with the motion and mobility of the train, conveying the reality of caste apartheid land and how the spirit of love organises to shatter that segregation.
Overall, Blue Star is a must-watch film that explores the realities of caste and conveys resilience against it through meaningful solidarity.
