| DAVID
AND GOLIATH WALK TOGETHER |
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| According
to beliefs, conventions and years of facts,
we think that it has to be either David
or Goliath who stands; both of them can
never be left standing at the same time,
one of them has to fall. And, the belief
is that David almost always manages to
bring down Goliath. The fact is however
that it is Goliath who gets the better
most of the time. It is only on the rare
occasion that David manages to get it
right. But, only when David gets Goliath
is it seen as news worth speaking or spreading.
When Goliath tramples David it is not
exciting news; it is just the expected
outcome when there is a huge disproportion
in the sizes of the two opponents.
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So, why all this David and Goliath talk? Because,
we have been witness to a curious case recently where
Goliath awed everyone with his enormity and magnificence
while David won a lot of hearts with his simplicity
and light heartedness. Yes, David and Goliath have
walked together without the latter stepping on the
former or the former having to use his sling. Who
are Goliath and David respectively? A robot and a
simpleton – i.e. Endhiran and Boss @ Baskaran.
Rajnikanth is the kind of Goliath that very few Davids
have found as easy targets. Yes, there was an instance
in 2008 when this Goliath did fall. But, that apart,
it has been an almost 100% win record against all
Davids and sometimes even other Goliaths. Even this
time, Goliath was expected to be invincible. That
is why the grounds had been cleared, everyone had
practically ensured that they were safely out of the
way; no one wanted to get hit by the storm. Endhiran
came and it was almost like a hurricane at the box
office. For a couple of weeks it seemed that it was
the only movie showing in town. It felt almost as
if the other films in theaters (barely hanging on,
it seemed), were just making up the numbers rather
than making any real money. But, after the initial
euphoria settled, one can see clearly. It is not just
Endhiran that receiving attention. Yes, perhaps for
the first couple of weeks with 450 shows a day and
the Superstar wave, Endhiran might have been completely
dominant. Now, there is room for one more good film
and that spot has been taken by Boss.
It is not to be mistaken that Boss is still here just
because the initial Endhiran euphoria has settled
down and there is no other movie around for competition.
On the contrary, Boss has been able to stick around
on its own might. Everyone who has watched the film
will know that is a thoroughly enjoyable fun ride
from the first to the last frame; a film that does
not get serious even when the heroine’s father
arranges another groom for her. The amazing chemistry
and timing between Arya and Santhanam has been the
focal point of the fun which has worked at almost
all points in the film. Even more commendable is Arya’s
decision to let the character go ahead of his hero
image, almost playing second fiddle to Santhanam at
certain points. It is certainly the kind of entertainer
that we would like to see more of and one did feel
a bit sorry to see it bow down and out of theaters
in front of Endhiran and made us wonder whether the
timing of the release could have been better to give
Boss its full scope.
But, looking at the way Boss has hung on in theaters
( in fact, there has been an increase of its shows
in some centers) proves a point beyond doubt; a good
film will always get its audience – no matter
what. And, if one tries to attribute the return of
Boss into relative prominence to the loss of interest
in Endhiran, it is wrong. Endhiran is still doing
rocking business all over and is definitely the overwhelmingly
dominant film in theaters now. In fact, there have
been a few other backdoor releases over the past fortnight
that have not been able to make any kind of impact.
It is in this scenario that Boss (now past 50 days)
managed to hold on. Finally, an acknowledgement to
Udhayanidhi Stalin who did not give up promoting his
film even in the face of huge competition; that did
help matters.
Moral of the story: David and Goliath can walk together
A film always gets the audience that it deserves
*Conditions apply |
