This was the litmus test for Susie Ganesan, one of Mani Ratnam's former
assistants.
His earlier films, Virumbugiren and Five Star, were moderate successes at the box office but were appreciated by critics and award committees. As a filmmaker, he can also take pride in the fact that both
films were radically different from each other.
His recent Thiruttu Payale is even more different and daring. And its success shows that a new story told in a novel way can definitely work at the box office.