Tamil Cinema and the elusive 1000-crore benchmark – Episode 1

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion became the first Indian film to cross the 1000-crore (Rs 10 Billion) mark in worldwide takings. There are now only 8 Indian films to cross that milestone: 4 Telugu Films (Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, RRR, Kalki and Pushpa 2), 3 Hindi films (Dangal, Jawan and Pathaan) and one Kannada film (KGF: Chapter 2). The recently released Pushpa 2: The Rule became the fastest to reach the 1000-crore mark, achieving this feat in only 8 days.

Although South Indian cinema is accepted as the leading industry in India, Tamil and Malayalam Films have not been able to get even close to crossing the 1000-crore mark. The closest was Rajinikanth’s 2018 film 2.0, which reached 800 crores. For Malayalam, the situation is worse with only Manjummel Boys crossing the 200-crore mark.

It has been frustrating statistics for the film fanatics, especially fans of the mega stars who believe that their hero deserves the elusive accolade. For the film industry in general, it is somewhat of a psychological barrier as questions are now being asked about actors, directors, content and marketing. The recent move by producers to approach the courts to ban online reviews for the first three days of screening is a sad indication of how badly affected producers have been for the relative failure of some big movies like Lal Salaam, Vettaiyan and the recently released Kanguva.

Content

The content of Tamil films over the last decade has been largely impressive. There has been a lot of innovation, a lot of newcomers and a willingness to move away from the formulaic approach to commercial cinema. Directors like Ram Kumar (Ratchasan), Karthick Naren(Dhuruvangal Padhinaaru & Nirangall Moondru) Premkumar (96 & Meiyyazhagan), Thamizharasan Pachamuthu (Lubber Pandhu), Ganesh K Babu (Dada), R Manithiramoorthy (Ayothi), Nithilan Saminathan (Maharaja), Pradeep Ranganathan (Comali and Love Today), Vinayak Chandrasekaran (Good Night), Pushkar-Gayathri (Vikram Vedha), Gautham Ramachandran (Gargi), Arun Prabhu Purushotthaman (Aruvi), Madonne Ashwin (Mandela & Maaveeran), Sudha Kongara (Irudhi Suttru & Soorarai Pottru), RS Dhurai Senthilkumar (Garudan) and Nelson Dilipkumar (Doctor & Jailer) have changed the face of Tamil cinema while more established directors like Vettrimaaran (Asuran & Viduthalai Part 1), Mari Selvaraj (Maamannan & Vaazhai), Pa. Ranjith (Thangalaan & Sarpatta Paramabarai), Mithran R Jahawar (Thiruchitrambalam), Gautham Vasudev Menon (Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu), Kamalhaasan (Viswaroopam 1 & 2) and Venkat Prabhu (Maanaadu & The GOAT) have made huge strides in cementing their place in the industry.

R. Madhavan in his directorial debut also made a bold move with the handling of his biopic, Rocketry, while Rajkumar Periyasamy (Amaran) has set new benchmarks for biopics.  Lokesh Kanagaraj (Kaidhi, Master, Vikram & Leo), in his relatively short spell in the industry, has created a cinematic universe and has done so with remarkable success.

The preceding list is not exhaustive but an indication that there is nothing wrong with the content of Tamil cinema – even if it is interspersed with mediocre films, as every film industry has its strength and weaknesses)

Presentation of Content: Glamour

Despite the positive content, cinema – being a visual medium – needs to present the content in a way that appeals to a wide range of viewers. It still appears to me that Tamil film-makers are largely limiting their aim to Tamil audiences. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but could well affect how attractive the film is to non-Tamilians.

While Hindi and Telugu films have actively changed their content to showcase glamorous content – which includes generous showing of skin, titillating dance sequences, the occasional visible kiss and a general move to accentuate good looks and glamour– Tamil cinema has, to a large extent, avoided this from many of the mainstream films. In fact, a closer look at some of the most influential films of the last decade shows a growing tendency to embrace conservative values. Whilst Hindi and Telugu films highlight the good looks of the lead stars, Tamil cinema has made a concerted effort to be truly representative in their casting of lead roles, often using people who represent the people-next-door vibe.

…To be continued