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Before Sivaji(B.S) and After Sivaji(A.S) |
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| By Behindwoods
News Bureau. |
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December 19, 2007 |
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Sivaji made the day, no, year or maybe
even the lives of many associated with
its business. It is no doubt the biggest
thing that happened to Tamil cinema
in 2007. Sivaji released on June 15
2007, at the halfway point of the year,
clearly splitting the year into two.
Sivaji, before and after. The two halves,
one before and one after Sivaji have
been different, like chalk and cheese.
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Let’s
take a look at both the halves and see what
the difference was.
2007 started on a positive note, on a delightfully
different note. We had Guru to begin with.
Then came February and brought along the two
refreshing movies, Mozhi and Paruthiveeran.
Both stood out with distinction from the recent
products of Tamil cinema. They were offbeat
films treated in such a wonderful manner that
we never found them offbeat, they ran to packed
houses alongside. Then we had Chennai 28,
the chronicle of Chennai youth fun. All these
movies were different and brave attempts backed
by good producers; the only common thing that
connected them was the success that they found.
They found an audience willing to support
good cinema. |
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Then came Sivaji. We enjoyed, reveled
and duly made it the biggest ever in
the history of Tamil cinema. So far,
so good. Now, the second half of 2007.
This too was no less flavored with daring
new attempts at cinema than the first
half of 2007. Pallikoodam, Kreedom,
Onbathu Roobai Notu, Evano Oruvan and
Kalloori are fine examples of how the |
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good work that was started early this year
has carried on in the second half. But the
common thread that connects these films here
is different. All movies that stood out in
the second half of 2007 had to do so out of
theaters. Sadly, for some reason, these movies
did not find the same kind of reception that
their counterparts received in the early months
of 2007. Kreedom was the only movie in the
above list that managed to do standard business
buoyed by Ajith’s presence, but even
that was mired by the audience demanding a
change in the climax, a climax that won the
man who did the original a special Gold Medal
from the president of India. The simple fact
that Madhavan’s Arya did better in trade
terms than his own Evano Oruvan reiterates
the sort of U turn that seems to have happened
in the reception afforded to such movies. |
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The movies that have come out in the
recent months are as good if not better
than what was offered in the early months
of 2007. But there distinctly seems
to be something among movie goers blocking
appreciation of these films, perhaps
a Sivaji hangover.
It seems that post Sivaji, the bar has |
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raised. Everyone, the audience and the trade
expect more from every film that they watch.
Any movie that falls short, even marginally,
is dropped like a hot potato. The expectations
seem to border on grandeur and scale; smaller
films are not able to get a toehold. We need
to get rid of it, its time to move on. Everyone
cannot make Sivaji. To make Sivaji you need
a production house like AVM, a wizard like
Rahman, a master craftsman like Shankar and
a once in a generation icon like Superstar.
If only we show patronage to good attempts,
shall we have more number of movies next
year to be listed as products that are taking
Tamil cinema to next level in quality. Let’s
take our good work of the early part of
2007 into the New Year.
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