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Half-yearly
stock taking 2011: Hit or miss?
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From
national awards to experimental genres, Tamil cinema
has come a long way in 2011. As we stand in the
middle of the year, the progress Tamil films have
made is spectacular and it’s evident. Unlike
any other year, 2011 has been the year of prolific
experimentation. While on the one hand, we had the
commercially uncompromising - yet (in)credible in
its storyline and plot structure – Aadukalam
and on the other, there was Aaranya Kaandam that
seemed to sternly elbow out the commercial inevitabilities
but still blew our minds. And in between, there
were dark subjects that are often frowned upon because
we, as an audience, are yet to be matured to receive
them. Not to mention, there were no dearth of commercial
potboilers such as Ko and Siruthai.
A cursory look at the trade results over the past
6 months reveals that Tamil movies have, overall,
made respectable collections. This despite being
the year of experimentation, it’s also heartening
to note that business has not fallen into bad times.
Of the 65 (or so) movies released so far this year,
movies like Aadukalam, Siruthai, Avan Ivan, Kaavalan
and Ko mad brisk business. Avan Ivan and Ko are
still running in a few release centers and might
be able to cross the collection mark set by other
movies released during the initial months. |
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Other than the trade, movies that gained place in the
good books of critics and fans include Mysskin’s
family thriller drama Yuddham Sei, debutant Gaurav’s
Thoonga Nagaram, Radha Mohan’s hijack thriller Payanam,
Gautham Menon’s psycho-thriller Nadunisi Naaygal,
Subramaniya Siva’s Seedan, Thyagarajan’s Ponnar
Shankar, Krish’s Vaanam, Suseenthiran’s Azhagarsamiyin
Kudhirai, Kuzhandai Velappan’s Aanmai Thavarel and
Thiagarajan Kumararaja’s Aaranya Kaandam.
What with experimentation ruling the roost, this year
has also seen an influx of talents (debut or little known
erstwhile) in Tamil cinema. Ranging from directors (who
presented a platter of gritty to feel-good movies) to
actors who dared to take up unconventional roles (Veera
Bahu of Nadunisi Naaygal is a good example) Tamil movies
were replete with gifted talents who are ready to push
the proverbial envelope. Characters such as Aaranya Kaandam’s
Sappai and Subbu and the title character of Azhagarsamiyin
Kudhirai, Azhagarsami will remain etched in our memories
for a long time to come.
In an another interesting turn of events the number of
remake movies has drastically come down what with only
a handful of movies namely Siruthai and Kaavalan making
a mark at the remake scene. Which is good for indigenous
Tamil movies. Besides, a new trend of remaking old films
(the dampener of a movie Maapillai, for instance) is catching
up slowly. And dubbed Telugu releases are fast becoming
more common now (Maaveeran, Vambu, Rakki... etc.) probably
sending chill down the spines of the likes of Jeyam Ravi.
And, as much as bollywood might want to feign ignorance
about the topic, more and more Tamil movies are being
made into Hindi (the recent case being Ko).
Rather than relying on narrow sources for stories, it’s
interesting to note that our directors are expanding their
sources. Best example being Suseenthiran, who adapted
noted writer Bhaskar Sakthi’s short story into an
endearing little movie. Vasanthabalan’s upcoming
movie Aravaan is based on Su. Venkatesan's novel Kaaval
Kottam. It reportedly took Su. Venkatesan about nine years
to finish his novel and it remains to be seen how Vasanthabalan
adapts it for the big screen.
Now that I have painted a rosy picture of a seemingly
‘all is well’ Kollywood, it’s time to
peep into the release schedule of the rest of the year.
Other than the regular commercial fare in offer, Murugadoss's
7aam Arivu, Hari’s Vengai and Thyagarajan’s
Mambattiyan there are a few interesting movies that catches
one’s eyes on the list. Venkat Prabhu’s Mankatha
will be an interesting watch what with VP threatening
to expose the underbelly of cricket betting. A L Vijay’s
Deiva Thirumagal is promising to be family-legal drama.
Perhaps the most interesting ones on the release list
would be director Anjana’s Veppam and acclaimed
director Vasanthabalan’s Aravaan. Anjana hails from
the Gautham Menon stable and Veppam has been in the news
for a long time. After dillydallying for a long time with
release dates, Photon Kathas set the release date as July
29. Set in the backdrop of a Chennai slum, Veppam follows
a group of slum dwellers and traces their lives and struggles.
Vasanthabalan’s Aravaan is a period film that traces
the history of Madurai. In the course of the struggle,
the movie touches upon many ambitious empires, including
the British, and Madurai’s attempts to wriggle free
of these conquests.
So fasten your seat belts and grab a cup of popcorn while
our movies take you on a ride. One Tour de Force after
another.
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