Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam (2010)

Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam is a playful Tamil take on the Hollywood western and on the cowboy films that Tamil cinema itself used to make in the 1960s and 70s. In a dusty frontier land of horses, saloons and outlaw gangs, a gun-slinging hero played by Raghava Lawrence ends up caught between a terrorised village, a band of ruthless bandits and the women in his life. Everything from costumes to dialogue is a deliberate pastiche, mixing spaghetti-western style with Tamil comedy and songs. It was directed by Chimbu Deven, who had earlier made the historical spoof Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi and enjoys building whole fantasy worlds for his comedies. Its elaborate sets and costumes were a big part of its appeal.