Filmmaker Karthik Subbaraj recently appeared on the podcast Filmi Fiesta , discussing the movies that redefined his idea of cinema and the big-screen experience.

Karthik is one of the most successful filmmakers in Tamil cinema, known for infusing art into commercial templates. His movies entertain while also provoking thought.

Growing up, Karthik favoured commercial entertainers but had a transformative experience when he encountered the 1994 Hollywood film The Shawshank Redemption.

"The Shawshank Redemption changed my life," he said on Filmi Fiesta.

Life-changing movie

He revealed that the 1994 movie had such a profound impact on his psyche that it compelled him to drastically change his preferences when it came to cinema. "Until then, I thought cinema was more about heroes, villains, and the conflict between them. But The Shawshank Redemption was a story about a person in jail, his life, and his journey towards redemption. That sort of gave me a different perspective. Then I started watching films known for their screenplays and performances," he explained.

Directed by Frank Darabont and based on Stephen King's novella, The Shawshank Redemption is a timeless masterpiece that delivers a poignant tale of hope, friendship, and redemption. The film follows the journey of Andy Dufresne, a banker wrongly convicted of murder, as he navigates the harsh realities of prison life at Shawshank State Penitentiary.

"Until then, I was watching only larger-than-life movies for their action scenes and songs. With this film, I started watching movies with deeper performances. I started watching films like Mullum Malarum, Mahendran sir's films, and KB sir's films. My dad used to always ask me to watch them, but I never preferred them. The Shawshank Redemption made me go in this direction and appreciate films. I started to understand what a character is, what a character-driven story is, what the difference between drama and melodrama is, what emotion is," he added.

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