Action!

When I was young, fights were the most important component of a movie. The story, the romance, the song sequences, the comedy - everything else was secondary. The number of fights and the quality of each of those stunt sequences were the only things that mattered. The answer to the question "Fight Irukka?" was usually what decided if I was going to see a movie or not. And the assurance of fights in Rajni movies were a big reason for me becoming his fan.

Though I have grown to appreciate all aspects of a film, stunt sequences still hold a special place in my heart. I still look forward to fights in a film. A well-picturized stunt sequence can get the adrenaline really flowing and a few such sequences can make the entire film seem fast-paced.

As you've probably guessed, it was the news of stunt master 'Vikram' Dharma passing away that led me down this particular memory lane. So, here are five movies that stood out for their action sequences. Some of these didn't have Dharma choreograph the action sequences(for all I know, none of them may have had him as the stunt master!) but I'm sure his work atleast influenced the fights in some of them...

Murattu Kaalai - The jallikattu scenes, a key part of the film, were picturized very well and brought the fury and intensity of the sport before our eyes. Rajni's one-on-one fights with the bulls were also picturized with skill, making us believe that it was really him. And the climax fight atop a train was terrific and could stand up to many sequences today in grandness.

Sakalakalaavallavan - While Rajni mostly did the regular, hand-to-hand fights, Kamal's fights tended to include a lot of props. But in Sakalakalaavallavan, he did both, resulting in some memorable fight sequences. The first fight in the field was raw and rough while the climax was tense and thrilling.

Captain Prabhakaran - Vijayakanth always paid special attention to fight sequences and with a director who paid equal attention to them, Captain Prabhakaran had some blistering action sequences. Vijayakanth used his back-kick to great effect in the rousing police station fight and the rest of the film had some great action sequences too.

Run - Madhavan is an unlikely action hero but surprisingly, he starred in what is probably my favorite action sequence in recent times. The subway fight in Run was pure adrenaline, both in unexpectedness and in the choreography of the actual fight. All other fights in the film were also realistic without being violent and made Maddy a believable action star.

Dhool - Director Dharani exploited Vikram's macho image fully in this masala flick. The intensity in Vikram's encounters with Pasupathi was built up masterfully before exploding in the long but superb sequence at the election booth. The Madura Veeran... song sequence was another exhilarating sequence.