There is no doubt that debutant director Thiagarajan Kumararaja's Aaranya Kaandam holds the credit of being the first neo-noir film in Tamil Cinema. It does not have any songs; instead, its engages the viewer with its realistic portrayal of the key characters. The film has won two National awards this year; Best Debutant Director and Best Editing. The creativity and the sleek cuts of editor duo Praveen and Srikanth definitely deserved an appreciation. “The movie may not have been a commercial success, but it was critically acclaimed. It was quite a challenge working on the film because it was a completely different kind of look and feel. Srikanth and I are really happy that the work we put in has been recognized. It’s slowly sinking in,” says Praveen.
