Madras Matinee(2025)
An aging sci-fi writer is challenged by his caretaker to write about the life of a common man. Reluctantly, he begins the story of Kannan, an auto rickshaw driver, and his family—only to discover that ordinary life holds unexpected depth and drama.
Quick Facts
- Streaming on
- Amazon Prime Video, Sun NXT, Tentkotta, Airtel Xstream Play
- Theatrical Release
- 6 June 2025
- Director
- Karthikeyan Mani
- Language
- Tamil
- Runtime
- 2h 15m
- Rating
- 7.2/10
Storyline
An aging science fiction writer is pushed by his caretaker to write about an everyday person. He starts writing about an auto rickshaw driver named Kannan and his family. Through their story, he learns that ordinary life is full of surprising depth and drama.
“An ordinary life holds extraordinary stories.”
Film Details
Parental Guide
Where to Watch
Vibe & Tags
Cast & Crew
Reunion Meter
Frequent partnerships reunited for Madras Matinee
Cast reunions in this film: Sathyaraj & Kaali Venkat (3 films together), Sathyaraj & Jangiri Madhumitha (3 films together), Sathyaraj & George Mariyan (2 films together), and Jangiri Madhumitha & George Mariyan (2 films together).
Trivia
- The film's title was inspired by a real-life auto rickshaw stand in Chennai named 'Madras Matinee'.
- Director Karthikeyan Mani wrote the first draft of the script in just 10 days, based on conversations with his own family driver.
- The aging writer's home set was built inside an actual heritage house in Mylapore to capture authentic Chennai architecture.
- A local Chennai auto rickshaw driver, not a professional actor, was hired as a consultant to teach the lead actor how to drive an auto.
- The film subtly references the classic Tamil sci-fi novel 'Kuruthip Punal' on the writer's bookshelf as an Easter egg.
- It was shot sequentially, meaning the actors performed the story in the same order the events unfold on screen.
- The project was initially pitched as a short film before being developed into a full-length feature.