Last year, only two films — Suriya’s '7aum Arivu' and Vijay’s 'Velayutham' managed to hit the screens on Deepavali Day (October 26). Though Dhanush’s 'Mayakkam Enna' and Simbu’s 'Osthe' were the other two in the month-long race ahead of the festival date, both the films saw the light of the day after a month. And a few other movies released in the next few weeks post Deepavali. With less than a month for Deepavali (November 13) this year, the list of movies that have been officially announced so far to hit the screens on the festival of lights looks impressive, with two films of star value and a few other films in the looking-forward-to category.
The biggest of the scheduled films is 'Thuppakki'. With the coming together of acclaimed director A R Murugadoss and actor Vijay, expectations for the flick have soared beyond the skies. With cinematography by ace lensman Santhosh Sivan and music by Harris Jayaraj, 'Thuppakki' is said to be Vijay’s largest flick till date and the actor’s father, who was supposed to produce the film initially, also acknowledged the fact at the film’s audio launch function.
Produced by Dhanu’s V Creations, 'Thuppakki' is expected to showcase Vijay in a never-before role and audiences will see the fresh combination of him with Kajal Aggarwal on screen for the first time. However, the film is expected to release a few days before Deepavali (November 9, Friday, tentatively) to make the most of the festive mood for Vijay’s fans.
The next big film in terms of star value to hit the screens on Deepavali is 'Podaa Podi'. With Simbu playing the lead and Varalakshmi Sarathkumar making her debut as an actor, this film has been directed by debutant Vijay Chander. While the single track from the film, 'Love Pannalama Venama', was launched with much ado a few weeks ago, the songs composed by Dharan directly made it into stores without any formal launch on October 10. 'Podaa Podi' is said to be a dance-musical and one of the highlights is that it has extensively been shot in London and Hong Kong.
The other film of star-value that is expected to hit the screens on November 13 is Vishal’s 'Samar'. Directed by Thiru, the film will feature Trisha in Tamil screens after a year’s sabbatical. Though the official confirmation is yet to be out about the release, it should be noted that the film is still in production and the crew is said to have shot a few scenes in Pudhucherry recently. While the audio of the film is also yet to be launched, it’s not sure how far the makers would be equipped to join the Deepavali race.
The film without any big stars, but is still anticipated for Prabhu Solomon’s direction and Sukumar’s cinematography is 'Kumki'. Though the official confirmation is to come from the Studio Green production house that has acquired the theatrical rights from the film’s producers, Thirupathi Brothers, sources say that the film can be expected for Deepavali.
Not just big star films, there are a few other relatively smaller productions in the festival fray as well. 'Kallathuppakki' is the latest to have have joined the list. It should be noted that due to a court case on title rights, the makers of this film restricted the makers of 'Thuppakki' from promoting their film. While the title issue is solved now, 'Kallathuppaki' has decided to contend with the Vijay-starrer at the box-office as well. Directed by a debutant Logiyas and produced by K C Ravi Devan, the film has newcomers in the lead roles and is expected to be technically sound.
Last but not the least is actor Mansoor Ali Khan’s 'Lollu Dhadha Paraak Paraak'. In fact, this is the second film after 'Thuppakki' to have been announced to hit screens on November 13. Mansoor Ali Khan, who is known to do things differently, has composed music as well for the film and released the audio CDs for just Rs 15 recently. He said he is not deterred by the big releases and added that his films will have their fair share of audience.