“I’m Arun, born and raised in Chennai, in a close-knit joint family where life was always filled with people, laughter, and stories. My childhood was spent in the lanes of Maduravoyal, surrounded by cousins, uncles, and neighbours who all played a part in shaping who I am today.
If I had to pick two things that define me, they’d be movies and cricket. My love for both began because of my uncles. One of them would take me to watch films almost every weekend, and that’s where I discovered my favourite place in the whole city, Rohini Theatre. There’s just something magical about watching a movie there, the crowd, the cheers, the whistles. I’ve watched everything from Tamil blockbusters to dubbed Telugu and English films there. Even today, no matter how many streaming platforms exist, nothing compares to the thrill of watching a movie in a Chennai theatre. That love for cinema, that joy of shared energy, is something that will always stay with me.
The other uncle was the reason I fell in love with cricket. He took me to my first live match in 2006, India versus West Indies at Chepauk. Watching Yuvraj Singh play in front of a roaring crowd was unreal. The sound, the flags, the waves, the sea of yellow, that’s when I knew cricket wasn’t just a sport, it was an emotion. Since then, I’ve attended every match I could, especially IPL games. There’s nothing like watching Dhoni walk onto the field at Chepauk. The entire stadium becomes one heartbeat.
When I look back, my memories of Chennai are stitched together through these little moments, the smell of Athoo from Akka Kadai, Vyasarpadi on Burma Street where my entire family gathers every December, the crowd at Brinda Theatre during festival releases, and that one unforgettable moment when I got to meet my favourite actor, Silambarasan TR, during a first-day-first-show at Rohini. I managed to sneak through the crowd, tell him I was a huge fan, and hear him say “Thank you” before the security pulled me away. It lasted just a few seconds, but that memory will stay with me forever.
For me, Chennai isn’t just home. It’s where cinema, cricket, and community all come together. It’s in the stadium cheers, the theatre whistles, the smell of street food, and the warmth of family dinners. It’s a city that celebrates passion in every form, and I’m proud to have grown up in the heart of it all.”