IT was a roller coaster ride for Kollywood. There were surprise wins and disappointments for the big league. The genuine commercial successes were few among the 100-odd releases. The year witnessed an unprecedented entry of innumerable fresh talent, both in front and behind of the camera. There were some quality films which may not have set the box office on fire, but nevertheless were appreciated by critics and lovers of good cinema.
The Heroes
Many films of top heroes turned out to be damp squibs. The hype over 'Kuselan' as a Rajini-film backfired and the film fell flat. Kamal Haasan’s 'Dasavathaaram' was another disappointment, his passionate experiment to enact ten roles not quite matching his script. Vikram, Vijay, Ajith and Vishal starrers were nothing to boast of either. Vijaykanth bounced back with 'Arasangam'.
Arjun and Bharath had three releases each. The former was appreciated in 'Bommalattam' and 'Thiruvannamalai', the latter in and 'Nepali'. The Cheran-starrers Privom 'Samdhippom' and 'Raman Thediya Seethai' may not have been a box-office bonanza, but earned critical appreciation for the actor. Sunder C established his credentials as a minimum guarantee, bankable box-office star. Suriya was splendid in a dual role in Gautham Vasudev Menon's 'Vaaranam Aayiram', though the film's second half was below mark.
It was the smaller films with fresh and new talent that were the picks of the year. Director Misskin's 'Anjathe' was a gangster film with a difference. So was Sembi's 'Samidaa'. Films like 'Akku' and 'Kannum Kannum', 'Jeyam Kondan', 'Saroja', M3V, and 'Bommalattam' brought freshness to Kollywood. Not to forget 'Poo', Sashi's sensitively crafted film. The pick of the year was of course 'Subramaniapurm', the very engaging, well- crafted debut work of producer-director-actor Sasikumar.
Corporate Entry
The corporate entry in film production may have been eyed with some apprehension by traditional makers. But some of them brought in quality films. Like UTV' s 'Poi Solla Porom' and Mosaer Baer’s 'Raman Thediya Seethai' and 'Poo'. Sun Pictures struck jackpot with a hat-trick success in 'Kadhalil Vizhundhen', 'Thenavattu' and 'Dindukkal Sarathy'. The last mentioned had comedy actor Karunas playing his first lead role, and splendidly essaying it.
Debuts
The year witnessed the debut of industry kids Jr Sivaji (grandson of sivaji Ganesan), Vijaya Chiranjeevi (son of vet ographer Jaguar Thangam), Krishna, director Vishnuvardhan's brother, and Shantanu (celebrity couple Bhagyaraj-Poornima's son).
Actresses from other languages debuting in Tamil included Kangana Ranaut, Pia, Meera Nambeeshan, Sunaina, Sameera Reddy, Bhama, Poorna, Sana Khan and Parvathi. Some of the other debutants were Ganesh Venkataram and Sembi.
Wedding Bells
Actors Gopika, Vindhya, Shreya Reddy-Vikram, Kaniha, Sibi, music director D Imman, and director R Buvanaraja were some of the prominent ones who tied the knot.
Passed Away
Their death left their fans and industry grieving. Actors MN Nambiar, Raghuvaran, Kunal, Bharat Gopi, Pandian, Shobhan Babu, writers Sujata and Prasanna Kumar, director Sreedhar, writer-director Gokulakrishna, violinist and film producer Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, sound recordist Sreedhar ,film journalist Chandru, and theatre and film personality Poornam Vishwanathan were some of those who left us berieved.
Films and Politics
The politics-film industry nexus continued, with top stars Vijaykanth and Sarath Kumar launching their own political parties. The Tamil film fraternity yet again expressed their solidarity by coming together for the Tamil cause.
To Look forward to
Lined up for 2009 are some much-awaited projects. There is director Bala's 'Naan Kadavu'l, the Arya-Pooja starrer, the Surya-KV Anand-AVM flick 'Ayan', Vikram-Susi Ganesan's 'Kandasamy', Venkat Prabhu's 'Goa', And there is Rajinikanth's animation film Sultan the Warrior. 2009 could well be a turning point in the careers of two actors Arya and Tamannaah. Watch out for the duo!
expresso@epmltd.com
