the brightest spot for Kollywood at the box office this year. But, while Ayan stormed its way to big numbers at the box office, there weren’t many who could emulate the same level of success. One has to look at the first quarter to find a comparable success; Padikathavan and the horror brigade lead by Yaavarum Nalam and Arundhathee had been the notable grosser in the first quarter. In the second quarter, only the recently released Naadodigal seems to be on its way to making a noticeable impression at the box office. While box office success has been hard to come by, there have been quite a few efforts that are worthy of appreciation and almost made it to the success list at the box office. Pasanga should be atop this list. A movie with kids as its central characters is the rarest of rare sights in mainstream Kollywood cinema and producer Sasikumar should be applauded for having faith in this script and making a movie out of it. Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum too got a lot of positive feedback for its earthy realism and treatment.

Other efforts that were distinct include the 10 director special Mayandi Kudumbathar which told the story of a joint family. Kulir 100 was basically a grown up school story presented in a stylish and chic manner. Both these films, though distinct in their themes and feel, could not go much distance at the box office.

The second quarter of 2009, though might be remembered more for a few disappointments. Biggest of them should be Sarvvam. One was expecting the Vishnu-Arya team to deliver another big one. But, their biggest and most stylish effort was noticed only for Nirav Shah’s camera, nothing else. Vishal’s summer entertainer Thoranai fell flat on its face, courtesy an oft repeated story line that was first born somewhere in the 1970s. The Vijayakanth-Vikraman combination which was expected to recreate the Vanathai Pole magic failed to get any Mariyadhai at the box office. The Anees Jeeva scripted Muthirai which had received some positive reviews could not translate into box office success.

But, the biggest disappointment is the one that Vijay fans experienced on Ilaiya Thalapathi’s birthday. He was widely expected to make an announcement on his political entry. But, all the expectations came to naught as Vijay preferred not to take any stand on the possibilities of himself taking to politics.

Kollywood was witness to a few interesting meetings over the past few months. That included the meeting of Gautham Menon and Harris Jayaraj on the dais at the Vijay Film Awards. After their break up last year, this was presumably the first time they were facing each other and one could find no signs of animosity. Hope that the ice is melting. Another director-composer duo that met after a long time were Selvaraghavan and Yuvan, at the Ayirathil Oruvan audio launch function.

Other events that attracted attention over the past few months are Kamal’s screen writing workshop at IIT. The Nadigar Sangam elections turned out to be a surprisingly quiet affair with all office bearers being reelected without much opposition. The grand Kanthaswamy audio launch was a special occasion; one hopes the movie makes it to theaters soon. This quarter also saw the 50th anniversary celebrations of the release of the legendary movie Veerapandiya Kattabomman which had Sivaji Ganesan in the lead.

There were a couple of marriages and rumors too, this quarter. jayam ravi tied the knot in a function that saw Kollywood making its presence felt. Actress Sreedevi too entered marital bliss. Rumor mills had it Prabhu Deva and Nayanthara wedded secretly but this was denied by both.

That was how Kollywood fared in the second quarter of 2009, not a very delightful report card. But things can get better later this year with a few big films on the cards. Kanthaswamy is ready to race, Unnaipol Oruvan is waiting for the right time to strike, while Vettaikaran is on its way for Deepavali. Hope they make their way to box office success.

While that was about Kollywood, the second quarter of 2009 will be remembered for the shock it gave to the world, with Michael Jackson’s demise. It was a memorable journey cut short.