Laabam (2021)

Pakkiri, a well-travelled young man with strong left-wing ideas, comes home to his village and becomes head of the farmers' association. He wants the villagers to farm collectively and keep the gains of their own labour, which sets him against a powerful businessman and the local interests who profit from their debts. Shruti Haasan plays Clara, a performer who becomes caught up in his cause. Laabam ("profit") was the last film of S. P. Jananathan, the director of Iyarkai and Peranmai, known for openly political Tamil cinema. He died in March 2021 during post-production, and the film was released later that year. Its speeches on agriculture, cooperatives and economics are the heart of the film, with Vijay Sethupathi bringing his easy screen presence to a message-driven role.