Thankfully, the new wave of directors—Vetrimaaran, Sudha Kongara, Pa. Ranjith, and Lokesh Kanagaraj—have deconstructed this. In Soorarai Pottru , the hero respects the heroine’s ambition over his ego. In Karnan , romance is fleeting and secondary to dignity. The audience now rejects films where the hero slaps the heroine and then sings a duet.