Tamil filmmaker Nalan Kumarasamy was exploring the possibility of showing his film Soddhu Kavvum to a test audience, ahead of its commercial release, when he learnt that Avvaiyaar (1953) was one of the first Indian films to conduct such an experiment. It was shown to a handpicked few, re-edited based on their feedback, before making its way to the theatres. “I want to know more of such history. It could make us learn, try out new things and shape up better as filmmakers,” says Kumarasamy, who has the rare distinction of making his directorial debut in the very week Indian cinema turned 100, that too with a comic-thriller that has been universally hailed as “smart”, “organic”, “entertaining”. Says the newest, freshest Indian filmmaker on the block: “The celebration should not just be about the figure of 100.” For a country which consumes thousands of films every year, Kumarasamy feels that the centrality of moving pictures in our lives hasn’t quite been acknowledged in the sound and fury marking the Indian cinema centennial.