Madras isn't just a city name; it's a whole vibe that feels like it’s slipping through our fingers. When people talk about Once Upon a Time in Madras, they aren't usually just looking for a history lesson. They're looking for that specific, humid, slow-motion feeling of a city before the glass skyscrapers of IT corridors took over. Honestly, the movie—and the era it depicts—is a massive gamble on nostalgia that mostly pays off because it doesn't try to be a textbook.
It’s about the dirt. It’s about the sweat. It's about the way the sunlight hit the red oxide floors in houses that don't exist anymore.
The Reality of 1980s Madras vs. The Cinematic Version
You've probably noticed that period pieces in Tamil cinema lately have become obsessed with the 1970s and 80s. But Once Upon a Time in Madras tries to do something slightly different by anchoring itself in the socioeconomic shifts of the time. We aren't just seeing the "good old days." We are seeing the tension. This was a time when the city was transitioning from a quiet coastal hub into a political and industrial powerhouse.
The film captures the specific aesthetic of the North Madras (Vada Chennai) landscape, which is often unfairly pigeonholed. It’s not just about gang wars. It’s about the ports, the labor unions, and the way people actually talked over tea. Most movies get the slang wrong. They make it sound like a caricature. But here, the "Madras Baashai" feels lived-in. It’s fast. It’s rhythmic. If you blink, you’ll miss the nuance of a joke or a threat.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Madras Era
There is a common misconception that Madras was this sleepy, peaceful town where nothing happened until the 90s. That’s just wrong. The 80s in Madras were incredibly volatile. You had the influx of refugees, the rising heat of the Sri Lankan civil war spilling over into local politics, and a massive shift in how the youth viewed authority.
When you watch Once Upon a Time in Madras, you see the influence of real-life figures, even if their names are changed for legal reasons. Think about the political rallies at Marina Beach. They weren't just events; they were the heartbeat of the state. The film handles this by showing the intersection of the "common man" with these massive political machines. It's messy. It's supposed to be.
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The Sound of the City
Music plays a huge role in making this period feel authentic. In the real Madras of that era, Ilaiyaraaja was God. His music wasn't just background noise; it was the literal soundtrack to every bus ride, every wedding, and every funeral. The film’s score tries to mimic that analog warmth. It avoids the crisp, digital perfection of modern EDM-heavy soundtracks. Instead, it leans into the violins and the heavy bass of the mridangam. It feels heavy. It feels real.
Why We Still Care About These Stories
Why do we keep going back? Why does a title like Once Upon a Time in Madras still pull people in?
Maybe it’s because we’ve lost the "pannah." That sense of community where your neighbor knew your business, for better or worse. Modern Chennai is efficient, but it’s anonymous. Madras was anything but anonymous. Every street corner had a story, a specific "thinnai" (porch) where elders sat, and a specific local bakery that sold the best salt biscuits.
The film focuses on the "little guys." It doesn't focus on the kings; it focuses on the people who built the palace and then got kicked out of it. This is a recurring theme in the works of directors like Pa. Ranjith and Vetrimaaran, who have paved the way for this kind of gritty, honest storytelling. They don't sanitize the past. They show the caste dynamics and the class struggles that were often swept under the rug in older, "glossier" Madras movies.
Technical Nuance: Getting the Look Right
If you’re a film nerd, you’ll appreciate the color grading here. They didn't just throw a yellow filter over everything and call it "vintage."
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- The shadows are deep and moody.
- The costumes use authentic fabrics—mostly cotton and heavy polyesters that look like they've actually been washed in well water.
- The architecture isn't just CGI; they found real pockets of Royapuram and Perambur that still hold that old-world charm.
It's actually quite difficult to film a period piece in Chennai now. You have to hide the air conditioners. You have to hide the satellite dishes. You have to hide the Swiggy delivery guys zooming past in the background. The production design team on Once Upon a Time in Madras clearly spent months scouting locations that haven't been "modernized" into oblivion.
The Cultural Impact of the "Madras" Brand
There’s a reason why the name "Madras" is still used by brands, cafes, and movies even though the city officially became Chennai in 1996. Madras represents a specific kind of intellectual and artistic freedom. It represents the "Filter Kaapi" culture and the "Sabha" season.
But Once Upon a Time in Madras reminds us that there was another side to that coin. There was the Madras of the docks. The Madras of the rickshaw pullers. The Madras of the underground printing presses. By blending these two worlds—the high-brow and the street-level—the film creates a much more holistic picture of our history than a simple nostalgia trip ever could.
Actionable Insights for Fans and History Buffs
If this film piqued your interest in the real history of the city, you shouldn't just stop at the credits. There are ways to experience this "Madras" in real life, even in 2026.
1. Visit the Dakota Plane at the Museum: If you want a tangible link to the era, the Government Museum in Egmore still holds artifacts that feel like they stepped right out of a period set.
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2. Explore the Old Libraries: Places like the Connemara Public Library haven't changed their "vibe" in decades. Walking through those halls is the closest thing to time travel you’ll find.
3. Read the Real Accounts: Check out the writings of S. Muthiah, the "chronicler of Madras." His books aren't dry history; they are filled with the kind of anecdotes that inspire movies like this. He captures the transition of the city better than anyone else.
4. Look at the Walls: Next time you’re in North Chennai, look at the old building foundations. You can still see the transition from colonial brickwork to the post-independence concrete.
The real takeaway from Once Upon a Time in Madras isn't just that the past was better. It’s that the past was complicated, vibrant, and incredibly influential in shaping the Chennai we live in today. Understanding those roots helps us navigate where the city is going next. Stop looking at the city as just a collection of roads; start looking at it as a collection of stories that started way before we got here.