Sarpatta Parambarai (2021)

North Madras in the mid-1970s is home to rival boxing clans whose bouts are a matter of neighbourhood pride. The Sarpatta clan, led by the coach Rangan Vaathiyaar, has been humiliated by the Idiyappa clan and its champion Vembuli. Kabilan, a young labourer whose mother has forbidden him to box, steps up to fight for his coach's honour, and his rise brings out jealousy, politics and the temptations of fame. Pa. Ranjith sets the story against the Emergency and the DMK politics of the time, and builds a large gallery of characters, from Dancing Rose, the showman boxer, to Kabilan's spirited wife Mariyamma. Arya transformed his body for the role. The film was widely praised for its period detail, fight choreography and performances, and a sequel was later announced.