Two incidents rocked the Tamil film industry recently. One was the audio release function of Enna Solla Pogirai starring Ashwin, the anchor of Vijay TV’s show, Cooku With Comali. Speaking in the event, Ashwin coolly said he listened to some 40 movie story pitches from directors and they all put...
Titles bestow special status on Tamil film actors. Having a title is a sign that the star has arrived: Makkal Thilagam MGR, Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan, Super Star Rajinikanth, Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Haasan. In 2001, when he was 30 years old, Ultimate Star Ajith Kumar became Thala when his...
When Kamal Haasan announced he got Corona, Bigg Boss viewers were among the most concerned. Kamal had provided a certain intellectual veneer, even gravitas, to the reality show. They were wondering what would happen to it without him. The show’s main attraction may be the voyeuristic pleasure...
Oh Manapenne! released in October revolves around a start-up. The remake of the Telugu film Pelli Choopulu, the Tamil flick directed by Kaarthikk Sundar saw Harish Kalyan and Priya Bhavani Shankar reprising the roles of Vijaya Devarakonda and Ritu Verma. The protagonist wants to become a chef...
Kamal Haasan is known for staying ahead in cinema with his radically new ideas and imports from Hollywood and World Cinema. By warning that the pandemic is not over yet after his infection, Kamal may have very well taken the lead in cautioning people that the double-dose is not iron-clad...
Writer Devibharathi who recently won an award appeared in a scene in Ameer’s film, Ram. For many, that one scene has more recall value than his writings whereas Devibharathi himself may have forgotten his cameo in Ram. Film writers enjoy little recognition in our state for their work. Quite...
Mullaiperiyar has been in the news recently, with Kerala once again raising fears about its safety amidst floods and Tamil Nadu moving ahead on strengthening the Baby Dam so it can raise the water level in the main dam. Just as the issue was once again being debated, director Seenu Ramaswamy...
Rajinikanth and his style continues to have much market value. Producers still want to trade in that value. Rajini’s fans are still eager to see their star – he might be 70 years old, so what? – on screen. But gone are the days when people would watch a movie only for Rajini. In truth, those...
Rajinikanth had made Deepavali releases his own for two decades starting in 1976. His films have been mega hits but there have been some failures, too. Nearly all of the Deepavali releases were commercial entertainers. One film, which was a Deepavali release in 1978, stands out, however. It...
The state government has announced that cinema theatres can admit full house capacity starting November 1, setting the stage for the release of Sun Pictures’ Rajini-starrer, Annatthe. It will be a one-horse race since it appears no big-budget movie with big stars will likely be released on...
