They Don't Catch bullets Anymore
MGR, Sivaji, Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan — each of these stars held sway over audiences with their portrayals of larger-than-life heroes given to physics-defying stunts. But the leading men in mainstream Tamil cinema today are mostly low-key, realistic characters the common man can identify with,
The year was 1967. The film, Aayirathil Oruvan. Starring the legendary MG Ramachandran (MGR), Jayalalitha and MN Nambiar, the movie was playing to a full-house. A sword-fight between MGR and the villain Nambiar was in progress. At one point, the sword slipped from MGR's hand. As the helpless hero stood shocked, one of his fans jumped up from his seat, threw a knife towards the screen and shouted, "Here it is vaadhyaar. Cut him to pieces." The theatre reverberated with applause and the person who came to the rescue of vaadhyaar (or teacher, as MGR was known as) was garlanded and showered with currency notes.
The year 1973 saw the release of Vasantha Maaligai, starring Sivaji Ganesan. The crowd went berserk during the first show on the first day when they saw their hero committing suicide after being rejected by his lady love. Riots were reported across Tamil Nadu and even from the border town of Palakkad in neighbouring Kerala, where there is a sizeable Tamil population.
"KS Prakash Rao, the director of the movie, had no choice but to reshoot the ending. The hero was rushed to the hospital and was saved from the jaws of death by an expert doctor. The heroine rushed in and fell into the arms of the hero and the movie turned out to be a box-office hit," remembers K Sundar Das, a veteran film critic, who has seen both the versions.
That was the kind of hero worship actors received in Tamil Nadu — MGR was Makkal Thilakam (Star of the People) while Sivaji Ganeshan was Nadikar Thilakam (Star among actors)!
Star appeal not enough
On screen, the heroes were the embodiment of all that was good. They never smoked, they didn't drink, and they never wooed the heroines (it was always the other way round). The movies were shot in the backdrop of opulent palaces and magnificent gardens though cities in Tamil Nadu were notorious for their slums and mountains of garbage.
Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth, who emerged as heroes after MGR and Ganesan, continued to play larger-than-life characters. Rajinikanth's physics-defying stunts are the stuff of legend, while in Dasavtharam, Kamal Hassan played ten roles. The only exceptions to the rule were protagonists in movies made by directors like K Balachander, J Mahendran and Bharati Raja.
Today, while people continue to worship giant-sized cutouts of mega stars, there is a tangible shift in how the audience perceives their on-screen heroes. The poor performance at the box-office of films like Baba (2002), and Dasavatharam (2008) only shows that stars, and the mega roles they play, are no longer enough to attract audiences.
On the other hand, films like Aadukalam (Playground) (2011), Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (Azhagarsami's Horse) (2011) and Deiva Thirumagal (God's Own Child) (2011) received critical acclaim and found resonance with the public. All three have entered prestigious film festivals across the world.
Das is blunt, "The days of megastars are over. In recent times, a number of movies with Vijay, Ajith and Kamal Hassan have bombed at the box office. Vijay had to seek the help of Malayalam movie maker Siddiq to resurrect his sagging career. Tell me how many Kamal Hassan movies made it to the top during the last decade?"
Idiots or crooks
New age Tamil heroes like Dhanush, Sasi Kumar, Jay, Kaasi, Samuthirakani and Vijay Vasanth fit into any roles, ranging from village idiots to small town crooks. Take the case of Naadodigal (Nomads) (2009). The three protagonists are unemployed youth of the kind you would find in any small town. They do not have any qualms about cheating or tricking others. They are not good samaritans. Similarly, in Subramaniapuram (2008), the heroes are part of a small town gang who are capable of taking up any kind of job, including beating up innocents, stealing, and even murder.
And of course, these heroes don't need to possess the handsome, aristocratic looks of MGR, Sivaji or Gemini Ganesan. No more single-handed fights with large groups of gangsters. Literary Tamil language has given way to slang. The way these heroes talk, walk, and live are similar to the people we see in reality.
According to filmmaker Vetrimaran, "Television channels dedicated to movies and the availability of DVDs from around the world exposed filmmakers and audiences alike to 'real movies'. The thumbs up from the audience to films like Aadukalam (2010) and Thenmerku Paruvakkaatru (2010) only shows that the trend is here to stay."
VN Bagavatsingh, 35, who'll make his directorial debut next year, couldn't agree more. "I had been looking for a producer for almost a decade. I owe it to directors like Sasi Kumar, Surgunam, Vetrimaran, Solomon and Ramaswamy who convinced producers that it is possible to make movies without megastars."
MGR, Sivaji, Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan — each of these stars held sway over audiences with their portrayals of larger-than-life heroes given to physics-defying stunts. But the leading men in mainstream Tamil cinema today are mostly low-key, realistic characters the common man can identify with,
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The year was 1967. The film, Aayirathil Oruvan. Starring the legendary MG Ramachandran (MGR), Jayalalitha and MN Nambiar, the movie was playing to a full-house. A sword-fight between MGR and the villain Nambiar was in progress. At one point, the sword slipped from MGR's hand. As the helpless hero stood shocked, one of his fans jumped up from his seat, threw a knife towards the screen and shouted, "Here it is vaadhyaar. Cut him to pieces." The theatre reverberated with applause and the person who came to the rescue of vaadhyaar (or teacher, as MGR was known as) was garlanded and showered with currency notes.
The year 1973 saw the release of Vasantha Maaligai, starring Sivaji Ganesan. The crowd went berserk during the first show on the first day when they saw their hero committing suicide after being rejected by his lady love. Riots were reported across Tamil Nadu and even from the border town of Palakkad in neighbouring Kerala, where there is a sizeable Tamil population.
"KS Prakash Rao, the director of the movie, had no choice but to reshoot the ending. The hero was rushed to the hospital and was saved from the jaws of death by an expert doctor. The heroine rushed in and fell into the arms of the hero and the movie turned out to be a box-office hit," remembers K Sundar Das, a veteran film critic, who has seen both the versions.
That was the kind of hero worship actors received in Tamil Nadu — MGR was Makkal Thilakam (Star of the People) while Sivaji Ganeshan was Nadikar Thilakam (Star among actors)!
Star appeal not enough
On screen, the heroes were the embodiment of all that was good. They never smoked, they didn't drink, and they never wooed the heroines (it was always the other way round). The movies were shot in the backdrop of opulent palaces and magnificent gardens though cities in Tamil Nadu were notorious for their slums and mountains of garbage.
Kamal Hassan and Rajinikanth, who emerged as heroes after MGR and Ganesan, continued to play larger-than-life characters. Rajinikanth's physics-defying stunts are the stuff of legend, while in Dasavtharam, Kamal Hassan played ten roles. The only exceptions to the rule were protagonists in movies made by directors like K Balachander, J Mahendran and Bharati Raja.
Today, while people continue to worship giant-sized cutouts of mega stars, there is a tangible shift in how the audience perceives their on-screen heroes. The poor performance at the box-office of films like Baba (2002), and Dasavatharam (2008) only shows that stars, and the mega roles they play, are no longer enough to attract audiences.
On the other hand, films like Aadukalam (Playground) (2011), Azhagarsamiyin Kuthirai (Azhagarsami's Horse) (2011) and Deiva Thirumagal (God's Own Child) (2011) received critical acclaim and found resonance with the public. All three have entered prestigious film festivals across the world.
Das is blunt, "The days of megastars are over. In recent times, a number of movies with Vijay, Ajith and Kamal Hassan have bombed at the box office. Vijay had to seek the help of Malayalam movie maker Siddiq to resurrect his sagging career. Tell me how many Kamal Hassan movies made it to the top during the last decade?"
Idiots or crooks
New age Tamil heroes like Dhanush, Sasi Kumar, Jay, Kaasi, Samuthirakani and Vijay Vasanth fit into any roles, ranging from village idiots to small town crooks. Take the case of Naadodigal (Nomads) (2009). The three protagonists are unemployed youth of the kind you would find in any small town. They do not have any qualms about cheating or tricking others. They are not good samaritans. Similarly, in Subramaniapuram (2008), the heroes are part of a small town gang who are capable of taking up any kind of job, including beating up innocents, stealing, and even murder.
And of course, these heroes don't need to possess the handsome, aristocratic looks of MGR, Sivaji or Gemini Ganesan. No more single-handed fights with large groups of gangsters. Literary Tamil language has given way to slang. The way these heroes talk, walk, and live are similar to the people we see in reality.
According to filmmaker Vetrimaran, "Television channels dedicated to movies and the availability of DVDs from around the world exposed filmmakers and audiences alike to 'real movies'. The thumbs up from the audience to films like Aadukalam (2010) and Thenmerku Paruvakkaatru (2010) only shows that the trend is here to stay."
VN Bagavatsingh, 35, who'll make his directorial debut next year, couldn't agree more. "I had been looking for a producer for almost a decade. I owe it to directors like Sasi Kumar, Surgunam, Vetrimaran, Solomon and Ramaswamy who convinced producers that it is possible to make movies without megastars."
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