India, March 24 -- The central theme of the 2014 Tamil-language action-drama, Madras, was the wall of a building on which two rival political parties had staked claim, to paint the portraits of their legendary leaders. In the gore that ensues, four are killed and several others injured. The much-acclaimed film ended with the building becoming a school and the theme of the murals on its walls changing from politics to education.

The film was a brilliant expose of the malicious power games politicians play -- in this case, to claim a wall for propaganda. But it was also an exploration of the penchant for profile-raising and personal aggrandisement, a Tamil film industry archetype ever since cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu became infused ...