Reason; you only have to look at the list of Tamil
films that have been entered in the competition section
of the festival. You can easily be forgiven for thinking
that it is the nomination list for the 2011 Filmfare
Awards. In a way it’s true; if Filmfare were
to draw a list of the films that would make the cut
in next year’s awards ceremony, it wouldn’t
look much different from the current CIFF manifesto.
Aadukalam, Ko, Deivathirumagal, Azhagarsaamiyin Kudhirai,
Avan Ivan, Engeyum Eppodhum, Muran, Thoonga Nagaram,
Vaagai Sooda Vaa; these are the prominent features
on the list. Reading this list for the first time
is a pleasant surprise for anyone who has followed
cinema for some time. Usually, during the CIFF, we
would come across names of certain Tamil films which
we had never heard of before. Those unknown and unheralded
films would be the torchbearers of Tamil cinema in
Chennai’s very own film festival. That told
us a lot about the sharp commercial-art divide that
existed in Tamil cinema, or Indian cinema for that
matter.
Looking at the list this year, we have to admit that
Tamil cinema, has almost cracked the code of unifying
commercial and art cinema into one stream; good cinema.
The names that feature in the competition section
of the CIFF are also amongst the top box office hits
of the year. Ko, perhaps the most popular movie of
the year (in spite of not being the third highest
grossing film of all time), the highly loved Aadukalam,
the acclaimed Engeyum Eppodhum are all proof of the
fact that Tamil cinema has created a strong bridge
over the imaginary ford that separated commercialism
and art. The only movies in the competition category
this year that can be called box office duds are perhaps
Varnam, Vengayam and Maithaanam. But, of course, these
were films made primarily to convey a message more
than anything else.
The biggest grosser also being the most critically
acclaimed is one of the rarest of rare occurrences
in world cinema. Even the Oscars only rarely go to
global superhits, they are usually reserved for the
intellectual and arty works like The King’s
Speech. It is in this context that Tamil cinema presents
an overwhelming majority of box office hits in the
competition section.
This says quite a few things; the development of Tamil
film makers into experts who know how to strike a
balance between commerce and cinema. But, even more
important is the development of Tamil audiences who
have made it a habit of never letting down worthy
efforts. This has fostered a healthy and confident
cinema culture wherein producers can bravely invest
in ventures that promise different and high quality
fare. A few years back one wonders whether a film
like Azhagarsaamiyin Kudhirai would have found decent
release centres. In today’s environment, it
is seen as an exciting release. That transformation
is wonderful to see-the result of a fruitful symbiosis
between conscientious film makers and a sensitive
audience.
No other film festival in India this year has so much
commercial cinema representation in its competition
section. That says a lot about Tamil cinema’s
development. Even Malayalam cinema that seemed to
have the commercial-art bridge figured out a few years
back has fallen behind now. The International Film
Festival at Trivandrum featured many Malayalam films
that could not get decent theatrical releases. Tamil
cinema in contrast, looks to be in excellent health.
But, there is one sore point. The screening of Deivathirumagal
and Muran at the international film festival! We know
that these films have been adapted quite plainly from
Hollywood films, I am Sam and Strangers on a Train
respectively; that too without credit for the concept
or story being given to the original makers. Really,
one finds it difficult to imagine how an educated
foreign audience would feel when Deivathirumagal and
Muran are presented as Indian films at the festival.
Not sure what that would do to Tamil cinema’s
reputation.
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