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THE
GREAT JANUARY OF 2010! |
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Well, things could not have
been better in the first month
of the year. It is almost as
if we are waking up everyday
morning to some big news or
the other related to Tamil cinema.
And, by big news one does not
mean the impending release of
films like Goa, Asal; Tamil
cinema’s first ever spoof
and related stuff. That is the
normal film news we get everyday.
January 2010 is so very special
because of the number of awards
and accolades that have flown
into the Tamil film industry
at such short notice.
First, of course, is Bala’s
(finally the man gets the coveted
prize after successfully shepherding
many actors to various levels
of glory) triumph at the National
Awards is a cause for huge joy
and relief. Joy is for obvious
reasons and relief is because
we were beginning to feel that
the National Award might be
just too much to ask for in
spite of all that Bala has done
over the years with films like
Sethu and Pithamagan. But, at
last, Naan Kadavul has done
the trick for the hardest hitting
director in Kollywood. The slight
disappointment (are we getting
overambitious!) with the Naan
Kadavul victory is that the
performers, Arya and Pooja,
whose efforts we found extremely
praiseworthy and distinguished,
did not manage to come out on
top. But consolation can be
found in the fact that both
these committed actors are very
much in the formative years
of their careers and given the
kind of promise that they have
displayed in Naan Kadavul, it
wouldn’t be wishful thinking
if we expect them to be named
in the National Awards |
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ceremonies in the coming years. This triumph
of Bala marks a very rare occasion for Kollywood
when a director has won the national award.
Kollywood has made regular appearances at
the National Awards winning various honors,
but the director’s award has somehow
eluded the industry for a long time and
Bala has now got the monkey off Kollywood’s
back. This triumph also makes it a hat trick
of sorts for Kollywood at the National Awards.
This is the third consecutive time that
someone from the Tamil film industry has
managed to come out on top in a major category
- Priyamani (Best Actress-Paruthiveeran),
Prakash Raj (Best Actor-Kancheevaram) and
now Bala (Best Director-Naan Kadavul).
Another positive from the latest National
Awards is Gautham Menon’s Vaaranum
Aayiram. We have to admit that a commercial
(even though far from formulaic) film like
Vaaranum Aayiram is more often linked to
the Filmfare Awards than the National Awards.
But, by winning the award for the best regional
feature film, it has proved that it is indeed
possible to produce good entertainers which
also please the critics. More importantly,
it also proves that the National Awards
are not only about films that border on
being documentations of the hardships of
life!
We have not got to the real big things yet.
The announcement of the Padma awards brought
a huge wave of cheer to everyone who loves
Tamil cinema and its music. Two of the biggest
names ever in Tamil film music (and perhaps
Indian film music) were conferred with the
third highest civilian honor. There couldn’t
have been a moment of greater pride for
Tamil cinema. That Ilayaraja and Rahman
are more than deserving of the Padma Bhushan
award is beyond debate. But, it seems as
if the stars above conspired to delay Ilayaraja’s
recognition or to fast forward Rahman’s
to bring about an almost poetic moment of
the master and his equally accomplished
disciple receiving one of the highest honors
together. What more, we have the Grammies
to look forward to in a short while and
what a moment it will be! We look ahead
with great faith and optimism.
Really, asking for a better way to start
a year would rank as plain greed on anyone’s
part. It has been a rocking January 2010
for Kollywood where all the work of the
previous years have received fitting and
deserving recognition with the possibility
of even more happening. It also reminds
us of the great January of 2009 when three
Oscars were brought to India on the same
night. To be honest, the rest of 2009 did
not match the euphoric and high feelings
that January brought. But, let us believe
that 2010 will remain true to the character
of January. Let there be great movies, great
music and let all that bring us to another
great January in 2011. |
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