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#trending: 'Full-on racial harmony' — video of Chinese S'porean youths loving Tamil movie goes viral

SINGAPORE — A video of a group of Chinese Singaporean guys having a ball while watching a Tamil language movie has taken the internet by storm with netizens enchanted by their infectious enthusiasm.

TikTok user "ramukavlesuynamihba" posted a viral video of his Chinese friends watching action flick The Greatest of All Time, amusing netizens with their enthusiasm for the Tamil language movie.

TikTok user "ramukavlesuynamihba" posted a viral video of his Chinese friends watching action flick The Greatest of All Time, amusing netizens with their enthusiasm for the Tamil language movie.

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  • In a viral video on TikTok, user "ramukavlesuynamihba" documented the joy of his Chinese friends as they watched the Tamil language film The Greatest of All Time
  • The video, which has garnered more than 450,000 views, shows the group having the time of their lives, laughing and thoroughly enjoying the Tamil action flick
  • Many netizens found it refreshing and heartwarming to see Chinese youths so thoroughly enjoying a film of a different language and culture
  • Some users also noted the cultural crossover in the video which highlighted the cultural diversity in Singapore

SINGAPORE — A video of a group of Chinese Singaporean guys having a ball while watching a Tamil language movie has taken the internet by storm with netizens enchanted by their infectious enthusiasm.

In a TikTok video posted last Saturday (Sept 7), Mr Abhimanyu Selvakumar, 22, documented the reactions of his friends watching the Tamil language film The Greatest of All Time.

The science-fiction action movie stars Indian actor Joseph Vijay Chandrasekhar, more popularly known by his fans as Thalapathy. It has English subtitles.

It was released worldwide on Sept 5 and has a wide release on the big screen in Singapore.

The storyline follows the ex-leader of a special anti-terrorism squad, played by Vijay, as he reunites with his old team to confront the fallout from their past actions, which now threaten the present.

With over 450,000 views and more than 40,000 likes as of Tuesday (Sept 10) afternoon, the TikTok video shows the group having the time of their lives, laughing and thoroughly enjoying the Tamil action flick.

Many viewers were surprised, even amused, to see the group of Chinese youths embracing a Tamil language movie with such enthusiasm.

'GREATEST OF ALL TIME'

The friends watched the movie at Carnival Cinemas located along Beach Road.

Before entering the movie theatre, Mr Selvakumar filmed his friends enthusiastically chanting, "Thalapathy is the greatest of all time" while wearing matching T-shirts emblazoned with the actor's image.

The shirts read: "Bloody sweet" — a reference to the actor's hit action movie which played in cinemas last year.

As the movie began, the group was seen cheering and clapping alongside the other cinema-goers, who were also seen whipping out their phones to capture the lively moment.

During a dance sequence in the movie, the group jumped out of their seats to join other cinema-goers cheering and dancing in the aisles, turning the theatre into a spontaneous celebration.

At the end of the film, Mr Selvakumar recorded his friends' thoughts about the movie, with one commenting that he was "speechless".

Another remarked that the movie was "full of surprises", repeating the group's catchphrase that the movie was the "greatest of all time".

One of his friends added: "Before the movie, I thought Thalapathy was the Goat (Greatest of all time). But after this, Venkat Prabhu is the Goat," praising the director of the film.

Speaking to TODAY on Wednesday, Mr Selvakumar said that Kollywood films starring A-list actors were often celebrated with fervour by Singaporean Indians.

He found it surprising that his friends from different racial backgrounds were unaware of the excitement surrounding such blockbusters.

"Given my friends’ willingness to explore new cultural territories, I promptly secured the tickets and initially planned to record the experience for personal memories," Mr Selvakumar said.

He decided to upload the video onto TikTok after witnessing that his friends' enthusiasm was not an isolated experience but one shared by many cinema-goers.

On how well-received the video was, Mr Selvakumar said that he was "taken aback" by the overwhelmingly positive response from viewers.

"Many viewers were especially delighted to see people of a different ethnicity who would typically be considered unconventional fans embracing Tamil cinema with such enthusiasm," he added.

NETIZENS AMUSED BY ENTHUSIASM

Many netizens found it refreshing and heartwarming to see Chinese youths so thoroughly enjoying a film of a different language and culture, with users calling their reactions "cute" and "awesome".

One user "teh_tarek_with_you" commented: "The most random and interesting clip I've scrolled (across) today... you guys are the real deal", while another user "g" praised the infectious energy and enthusiasm of the group.

More poignantly, some users also noted the cultural crossover in the video which highlighted the cultural diversity in Singapore.

User "shwehatestiktoktbh" called the video "racial harmony core", while another user "Bug Bites" wrote: "This is exactly how we all should enjoy movies. Full-on racial harmony and vibes!"

To such comments, Mr Selvakumar said that what started as a light-hearted video has now evolved into something much more significant. "It symbolises the importance of maintaining and celebrating the socio-cultural fabric of Singapore," he said.

This is not the first time the user has taken his Chinese friends to watch a Tamil language film. In another video from January of last year, Mr Selvakumar took his friends to see the action thriller "Varisu", which also stars Indian actor Vijay in the lead role.

The group were also seen sporting T-shirts featuring the image of Vijay and were also filmed cheering "Thalapathy" and dancing along to a lively dance sequence in the movie, with one commenting that the film was a "must-watch, 10 out of 10".

When asked if he plans to take his friends to see more Indian films, Mr Selvakumar said: "Irrespective of the language, we will continue to experience films as a group, because a good film transcends linguistic barriers and delivers a universal sense of euphoria."

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