| |
Q. How do actors become stars and
superstars?
Ans: Because they are part of movies
that are hits and super hits.
Q. How do movies become hits and super
hits?
Ans: Good story, good screenplay and
good direction.
Q. So how does one get hold of a good
director?
Ans: If there was an answer, every
actor would be a big star.
This is not meant to take away any
credit from all the legendary actors
who have gone on to become superstars
in Kollywood. They are all extremely
talented and have worked extremely
hard to achieve their stature. But
it is difficult not to notice how
some actors seem to get the attention
of the top directors very regularly.
Even before they were the ‘next
big stars in Tamil cinema’ Kamal
and Rajinikanth had a working partnership
with K. Balachander. That their association
with a master craftsman like Balachander
escalated their ascent to superstardom
is an understatement of the role that
Balachander played in sculpting two
of Kollywood’s legends while
being one himself. |
|
|
| |
Now, we are not discussing Rajini,
Kamal or Balachander here. We are
talking about Suriya and his ability
to attract the crème la crème
of directors in Kollywood. We are
not quite sure if anyone has noticed
as yet, Suriya has worked with or
is about to do so in the near future
with almost all the top flight directors
of Kollywood. Want proof, Mani Ratnam
(Aayudha Ezhuthu), Bala (Pithamagan),
Ameer (Mounam Pesiyathe), Murugadoss
(Ghajini and one untitled project),
Gautham Menon (Kakka Kakka, Vaaranam
Aayiram). On the anvil is a movie
with K.S. Ravikumar and one with Mysskin.
It looks like by the end of 2010,
he would have worked with almost everyone
in the top 10 list of directors, the
only missing name being Shankar.
Coming to the point. What makes Suriya
so lucky with directors? Why do directors
who have worked with him once want
to work again, like Gautham, Murugadoss
and Hari? Well, these are difficult
questions to answer. If you look at
the facts of Kollywood, Suriya is
not an unchallenged superstar in the
youth brigade. There are others who
have been around for as long or longer
and are as big, if not a bigger star
than him. Then, do we attribute his
ability to get top notch directors
to mere luck? There is the popular
saying that ‘luck favors only
the brave’. Suriya is the only
young star to be devoid of an image
in spite of having a fairly large
and well established fan following.
He has never depended on the formulaic
fare for his survival. In an industry
that tends to be dictated by stereotypes
he has shown the courage to defy,
play a loudmouthed hawker in Pithamagan,
a hunchback in Perazhagan and never
ask for any on screen glorification.
Maybe one among the rare few who don’t
require an intro song to set the tempo
of the character. In short, he is
a complete director’s actor
and that’s what makes directors
come back to him. This doesn’t
mean that he is the only actor with
these virtues, there are others too,
but he seems to be reaping the rewards.
Another thing we noticed about Suriya’s
movies. His success rate with music
has been out of the ordinary. There
seems to some kind of charm that lands
the best songs of the year in his
movies almost every time. Going back
from Vaaranam Aayiram, we have Vel,
Sillunu Oru Kadhal, Aaru, Ghajini,
Kakka Kakka, Ayudha Ezhuthu and Mounam
Pesiyathe. Yes, Suriya has a certain
golden run with songs. Now, it is
more difficult to explain how this
happens.
|
|
