India, Nov. 20 -- MARI SELVARAJ'S Bison Kaalamaadan is more a force of nature than a film. Kittan's journey to wearing the India jersey and representing the country is written and directed as a rousing drama, but with a healthy dose of subtlety. Fear, people's generosity, caste discrimination, benefactors and love exist, but silently. But the silences speak so loudly, you end up rooting for Kittan long before the script turns him into a hero.

Selvaraj's fifth film, based on Arjuna Award winner Manathi Ganesan, is also proof of his learning curve - the craft is sublime, but the focus is always on the story. Everything else serves it.

Over the years, the director has been praised and criticised for the exact same things, much like his fil...