Super Deluxe is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja, and additional screenplay written by Nalan Kumarasamy, Neelan K. Sekar and Mysskin. Produced by Tyler Durden and Kino Fist, Alchemy Vision Works, and East West Dream Work Entertainment, the film stars Fahadh Faasil, Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Ramya Krishnan. As a hyperlink film, it revolves around four groups of individuals who find themselves in the most unexpected predicaments, each poised to experience their destiny, all on one fateful day.
Super Deluxe marked the filmmaker's second directorial stint after Aaranya Kaandam (2011). Later, Kumararaja officially announced this project in November 2016 under Aneedhi Kadhaigal. The filming process went on for more than a year, despite experiencing difficulties due to demonetisation, schedule commitments of the actors and technicians, and Tamil Film Producers Council strike. The film production finally wrapped up in June 2018, followed by a lengthy post-production phase. The film's score is composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja. The cinematography was handled by P. S. Vinod and Nirav Shah, after P. C. Sreeram who initially worked on the film's first schedule, walked out of the project midway. Sathyaraj Natarajan has edited the film. The film used the themes of nostalgia, science-fiction, political incidents, and emotions, using color as an important storytelling device.
After a North American premiere on 28 March 2019, Super Deluxe was theatrically released on 29 March, distributed by YNOT X. The film received highly positive reviews from critics, praising Kumararaja's direction, storytelling, cinematography, and cast performances (particularly Vijay Sethupathi, Fahadh Faasil and Ashwanth Ashok Kumar). Many critics listed the film as one of the "Best Tamil Films of 2019", and Film Companion ranked Sethupathi and child actor Ashwanth Ashok Kumar's performances in the list of "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade". The film was screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival in North America, Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea, and Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, where it was conferred the "Equality in Cinema Award". The film won four Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards, four Zee Cine Awards, four Critics Choice Film Awards, two Edison Awards, and a nomination at the 9th AACTA Awards for Best Asian Film. At the 67th National Film Awards, the film won Best Supporting Actor award for Vijay Sethupathi.
Plot
Shilpa's story
Jyothi and her son Rasukutty are awaiting the return of Rasukutty's father, Manickam, who abandoned the family seven years ago. To their shock, Manickam arrives from Mumbai as a trans woman, Shilpa. Rasukutty wants to introduce Shilpa to his friends at school. On the way, a bigoted cop detains Shilpa, and she is forced into fellating a corrupt police officer named Berlin. Shilpa faces further harassment and humiliation from people at her son's school.
Distraught, Shilpa buys a ticket to return to Mumbai, where she lives as a hijra. On the way home from school, Shilpa loses Rasukutty. Now desperate to find her son, she goes to the police and meets Berlin, pleading with him to help her. After refusing to entertain Berlin for any sexual favors, she grapples with Berlin and places a death curse on him before escaping. Shilpa gets saddened and finally decides to go home and finds Rasukutty there. Rasukutty reveals he discovered Shilpa's intention of abandoning them again after seeing the train ticket to Mumbai in her purse, leading to an emotional confrontation where Shilpa realizes that Rasukutty and Jyothi are ready to accept her as she is, and they all go on living together.
The TV story
Five teens (Gaaji, Soori, Mohan, Vasanth, and Thuyavan) skip school and gather to watch a porn movie at Thuyavan's home, only to find out that the porn star is Soori's mother, Leela. Soori breaks the TV in a fit of rage and runs away, crying. Thuyavan, afraid of his father finding out about the broken TV, enlists Gaaji and Vasanth into getting enough money for a new TV by the evening.
They accept a job from a local gangster but fail to complete their assigned task. They then try to steal a North Indian pawnbroker's house, which fails too. Attempting to steal from him again, they are confronted by a girl with magical powers at the home who reveals herself to be an alien. She duplicates Gaaji, keeping one clone with herself for companionship. The friends get money from her to buy a new TV. They toss out the old broken TV through the broken roof of a disused building and set off to a cinema hall to finally watch a porn film.