PHOTOS & STILLS - GALLERY

Thoppi Audio Launch

Sneha Ullal

Poonam Kaur

Lakshmi Rai

BEHINDWOODS COLUMN

LMK'S FILM SPOT

By Kaushik L M

Home > Columns

YENNAI ARINDHAAL SWOT ANALYSIS

They were supposed to join hands way back in 2003 itself for Kaakha Kaakha, but somehow their most awaited union didn't happen until 2014. We are talking about Thala Ajith and director Gautham Menon who are all geared up to present their ambitious first outing Yennai Arindhaal to the worldwide audience from Feb 5 onwards. Let's do a quick SWOT of Yennai Arindhaal now to analyze how it fares on the pre-release expectation front.

Strengths

Undoubtedly Ajith in his various looks, suiting the character's time travel, leads the list of strengths. The goodwill that he has among the general audience is forever on the rise, while his huge fan base continues to increase with every passing film. Gautham has made it clear that Ajith didn't impose his own conditions in the name of 'mass' and that he was such a co-operative and non-intrusive actor who was willing to do what the director was asking. Their combo is delightful on paper and has every chance of being as deadly as possible.
Producer A.M.Rathnam is someone who doesn't spare any expense, as already proved with many grand blockbusters. Ajith - GVM - AMR - a mean trio indeed. The involvement of Aaranya Kaandam fame Thiagarajan Kumararaja in the scripting department, has also increased the expectations among action movie buffs.
Yennai Arindhaal's teaser and trailer have become major sensations with just the right amount of 'Ajithisms' and generous doses of the Gautham stamp. Both these clips are among the most popular in South Indian cinema, and have aided in the hype factor for sure.
Not to forget, the music by Harris Jayaraj which is rocking the charts - online, in ringtones / caller tunes and also in the FM space. The Harris - Gautham combo has repeated its charm without any doubt, and there is much eagerness to see how the visuals have turned out. Unakkenna Venum Sollu and Mazhai Vara Pogudhe have the potential to be among the best song visuals this year, on the evidence of the pre-release buzz. The hopes on Harris' BGM score are also very high, given the film's genre and his prior expertise in this department.
Dan MacArthur's visuals and new ideas in the trailer have given us a taste of things to come. The film definitely carries a sleek, international look and the Australian is a powerhouse among the crew. Anthony is a constant in Gautham's films as the editor and we can expect some of his magical expertise in the film's packaging, particularly in the already popular title song. Will it match the Karka Karka standard? is THE oft-heard question among fans
Trisha and Anushka hold massive appeal among all sections of audiences all over the world, and their presence is sure to pull in the neutral family audiences. Vivek is another noteworthy addition to the cast, in a role which would provide laughter as well as some food for thought, in the veteran's inimitable style.
Yennai Arindhaal is a solo release and won't see any competition during its first 8 days at least. The release is massive in overseas markets (touted as Ajith's biggest), while back home in TN and the rest of South India, we can expect big screen counts too. The stage is being set very well for a big box-office harvest.

Weaknesses

The U/A censor chit rules out the film of entertainment tax exemption and this might hamper the financial prospects of the stakeholders, if the film doesn't gross in a huge way. That said, the film hasn't received any cuts and it ought to be a family friendly affair, despite the action oriented genre.
The film's run time is a generous 2 hours 56 mins 48 secs. Of late, we have seen almost all such long-running films being criticized for their run-time, and one would only hope that Yennai Arindhaal would have enough grip to arrest viewers over a 3 hour duration. But Thala fans wouldn't be complaining one bit as each minute of their icon on screen is a bonus for them.
Whether Yennai Arindhaal has as much hype as say Mankatha or Billa 2 or Arrambam is questionable. The delays in release and the non-happening release weekend have also played a part in the sort of understated build-up to the movie's release. Nevertheless, the advance bookings so far, are already looking promising.

Opportunities

The biggest phenomenon among Tamil movie fans recently is talk on the 100 crores club. Yennai Arindhaal would be Ajith's golden opportunity to mark his entry to this club with its worldwide gross collections. Though Arrambam has already made its entry to this club, when we consider its Telugu dubbed version too, Ajith would be looking at cracking this club with just the original Tamil version alone. Recently we have had the likes of Vijay and Vikram achieving this feat with their Kaththi and 'I' respectively. With a solo release and a big screen count all over, the platform is pretty decent for Yennai Arindhaal.
Gautham would also be looking at this movie as his chance to break back into the elite creamy layer of Tamil directors. He has been pretty low-key over the past few years or so, and what better than an Ajith film to storm back into the limelight. The film looks right in Gautham's comfort zone as an urban, emotional police thriller and the signs are promising.
Arun Vijay's make-over is being unanimously raved by all. The work that he has done on his body and styling is kick-ass. Yennai Arindhaal has to be this hard working and talented actor's long-awaited break to the next level, and on the evidence of his own confident words and the trailer, he is sure to have matched Ajith shot for shot. Let's wait to see his hard work unfold on screen.
Parvathy Nair is another unknown face who would be looking at Yennai Arindhaal to kick-start her Tamil career.

Threats

The release time of Yennai Arindhaal isn't exactly promising as there is a big line-up in the weeks after 5th, with the likes of Anegan, Enakkul Oruvan and Kaaki Sattai waiting in the wings. We also have Shamitabh releasing on Feb 6th and the impact ought to be felt in some markets for sure. But if the opening weekend's word of mouth is positive, Yennai Arindhaal has enough inherent muscle to withstand all manner of threats. Of course, we have piracy which may eat into the film's theatrical revenue as always.

Best wishes to Ajith, Gautham and team for a grand success. We are eager to know what you guys have in store.

Kaushik.L.M

Respond to kaushik@behindwoods.com
Behindwoods is not responsible for the views of columnists.

FACEBOOK COMMENTS

OTHER LATEST COLUMNS

99 Days of Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Kaththi !, Ilayathalapathy Vijay, Kaththi

99 Days of Ilayathalapathy Vijay's Kaththi !

Shankar’s Latest Revolution?, Shankar, I

Shankar’s Latest Revolution?

"Amy grasps things quickly"

I - SWOT Analysis

For pure Balki love!, Shamitabh, Amitabh

For pure Balki love!

''Being a Kamal Haasan fanatic, I didn't hesitate one bit'', Kayal, Chandran

''Being a Kamal Haasan fanatic, I didn't hesitate one bit''

KAUSHIK L M'S OTHER COLUMNS

ABOUT THIS PAGE

This page hosts the views of the authors of the column. The views are generally about films, movie reviews, movie news, songs, music, film actors and actresses, directors, producers, cinematographers, music directors, and all others that contribute for the success or failure of a film. People looking for movies online, movie reviews, movie analysis, public response for a movie, will find this page useful.