“Chennai is a city; Madras is an emotion.”


Emotions, much like bridges, connect, people, places, past, and present. I’ve always had a thing for bridges. When I was younger, I’d sit in the backseat and pester my dad: “What’s this bridge called? Why did they name it that?” I do it even now to my husband, when he takes me out. He never got annoyed. He answered each one with patience, sparking something in me that still hasn’t faded.

So, here’s my take on Chennai’s bridges, the ones that shaped my memories, and maybe yours too.

1. The Broken Bridge – Not All That’s Broken Needs Fixing

Let’s start with a contradiction, a broken bridge that’s still whole in spirit. It is built in 1967. This bridge connected Adyar’s fishermen hamlets to Srinivasapuram. It was narrow, yes, but functional. Rickshaws, tricycles, and even four-wheelers crossed it, one at a time.

Back then, the Adyar River was cleaner. Crabs, prawns, even fishing worms, all thrived here. The bridge helped sustain livelihoods. But in 1977, it collapsed. Just like that.

What stayed, though, was its cinematic charm.  Kadaloram Vangiya Katru from Rickshawkaran was filmed here. So was that tense face-off between Suriya and Madhavan in Aaytha Ezhuthu. It became less of a bridge and more of a character, mysterious, silent, iconic.

2. Napier Bridge – White Arches, Black Nights, and Silver Screens

This bridge is built in 1869 by Francis Napier. The bridge wasn’t just functional prior. It’s photogenic. After the Chess tournament, the bridge is famous among many people. It leads to Mascot, ‘Thambi’ and the logo, “I love Chennai.”


Its stark white bowstring arches stretch across the Coovum River, connecting Fort St. George to Marina Beach. It looks ordinary by day, but come night, when it’s lit up, it becomes surreal.

The newer side was added in 1999 to ease traffic. But it’s the old part, the six-span marvel, that gets all the attention.

Seen Mahaanadi?

Kamal Haasan walks these spans. Mani Ratnam returned to it again in Aaytha Ezhuthu. This bridge doesn’t just carry cars. It carries legacy.

3. Kathipara Flyover – The City’s Spiral Artery

Zoom out from a map and you’ll spot it immediately, the cloverleaf-shaped Kathipara flyover at Guindy. It’s one of the busiest and most beautifully engineered structures in the city.

But it’s more than a traffic solution.
Drone shots? Action chases? Romantic bike rides? This flyover handles all of it.
It’s the new-age film favourite, dynamic, stylish, cinematic.

4. T Nagar and Adyar Flyovers – Where Emotions Unfold

Some bridges don’t just support vehicles. They carry stories. The T Nagar flyover?

That’s where Ram and Jaanu walked, talked, and paused in 96. Gently lit, urban, intimate, the flyover became a character in the romance.

The Adyar flyover? If you’ve seen Gautham Menon’s work, you know it often hosts his signature slow-motion kills. Cold, calculated, and eerily silent. The flyover becomes a stage.

5. Kodambakkam Bridge – The Black-and-White Classic

Finally, a salute to one of Chennai’s oldest railway overpasses. The Kodambakkam Bridge has appeared in dozens of black-and-white Tamil films. It was and still is shorthand for “This is Madras”.

Even today, when I cross it, I imagine old reels rolling, lovers parting, trains chugging under the bridge, the city carrying on.

What They Really Are

Bridges may be concrete and steel. But in Chennai, they are more. They’re stories. Sets. Memories. They remind us that even something as utilitarian as a flyover can become poetic, if you know where to look. Let us celebrate them, broken, bending, and brilliant. Just like Madras.

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Check out the previous Chennai post – Part 1 and Part 2

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