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A glance at our top ten would reflect we have gone by content & not by box-office performance to arrive at our 2014 Top 10. However, these are not the only ten films that had something to be spoken about which is why we have come up with a detailed summary on the noteworthy releases of 2014 and the reasons why they were The Good, The Bad & The Ugly!
The quarter that went by had an eclectic mix of films. Vijay’s Deepavali release Kaththi & Rajinikanth’s Birthday release Lingaa were hugely star driven. While the former turned into a superhit, the latter received mixed response. Director’s films that were looked forward to from the quarter were Vasantha Balan’s Kaaviyathalaivan, Mysskin’s Pisaasu & Prabhu Solomon’s Kayal. The first two didn’t disappoint. The quarter also featured what has now become a trademark – Films from new directors/actors that attempt to break away from stereotypes. Of this lot, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan’s Nerungi Vaa Muthamidaadhe & Caarthick Raju’s Thirudan Police clicked!
Death has often shook the very life out of anyone. To quote J. K. Rowling, "It (Death) is the unknown we feat when we look upon death and darkness". Now let us tell you why this article has such a start. Suddenly, Indian Cinema, especially Tamil Cinema is feeling a void left with someone's passing away. Someone who came from a very modest background to making the audience turn to strong scripts from star gazing. Someone who revolutionised the institution of cinema to its stronger roots with hard-hitting stories. Someone who dared to explore the unexplored, even better at making it a trend and becoming one of a founding father. Someone who at the time where a hero-centric script was doing the rounds, turned heads when there were strong female characters who formed the crux of a movie. Last but not least, someone who was impeccable at creating legends. Of course it is no secret now who we are talking about. The one man who does not conform to one style.
The ageless maverick celebrates another birthday today. On this day, we look at few things that make him what he is – An Inimitable Wonder.There are 2 types of people. One, A normal person who loves New York city and wishes to go there at least once in his/her lifetime. And then, there is Woody Allen, who adores New York City and also almost always shoots his film in New York! He loves New York so much that when his film is shot in a different city, his characters are at least from New York! The more movies of Woody’s you watch, the more you would want to visit New York!
Today marks the birthday of a man who redefined acting, one who can occupy a complete chapter in books if it were to talk of his talent, his abilities and so forth. Born in a small town in Paramakudi, a young boy named Kamal Haasan, a trained Bharathanatyam dancer, started acting in child roles. He rose to instant fame when introduced to filmdom as a hero in Apoorva Raagangal by Dadasaheb Phalke winner K. Balachander. Soon Kamal, as he is fondly called, rose to stardom for his acting skills, and more importantly, his devotion to a wide repertoire of roles which he used to essay with relative ease. After ruling the roost in the Tamil, Kamal took up a pan-India image by working in Hindi movies too, with Ek Duuje Ke Liye and Sadma, notwithstanding his portrayals in film industries of languages like Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.
Over the first three months of the second half of 2014, there were a lot less stars on the Kollywood skies but it did shine bright as ever, nevertheless! If it was Dhanush's Velai Illa Patadhaari which kick-started the quarter pleasing the masses, the increasing significance of Content over the Star in a slow-but-sure shift in valuation of films by the general audience was evident when Karthik Subbaraj's Jigarthanda was the talk of the town in August & Ranjith's Madras took the honour towards the end of the Quarter. This was also the quarter that can be fondly remembered for the money-muscle Kollywood has that brought Schwarzenegger to Madras for the launch of 'I''s music.On the flip side, the biggest star outing of the quarter, Anjaan turned out to be a Box office disaster & took some toll on the public image of its director Lingusamy. Off to the SIX K-town films that were our picks from the quarter that flashed by.
Today, Sep 10th marks the birthdays of two members of the film fraternity who contribute to it in quite different ways. What unites them is that they stand-out in some ways from their peers in their respective fields. The point of this Birthday tribute is to bring to your notice some unique things that make make them inimitable.
With summer vacations offering free time in abundance & the Air-conditioned theatres offering solace from the scorching heat, the quarter from Apr-Jun used to be the one when a lot of Big films release but this is all a matter of the past. In these days of split ACed & LEDed homes and IPL action on screen with Pizzas giving company, films involving huge budgets consider it a risk to release films during the sporting carnival. Due partly to this & also because of delays in films like Ai, Vishwaroopam 2, this year, we didn't have any mainstream commercial extravaganza but the caricature of the Superstar came to the quarter's rescue! More on the films that fared well over the quarter below.
The last time I watched a Vijay movie back home, I heard him nonchalantly utter the words – “I am waiting” and the whole theatre ruptured, creating a huge frenzy not just among his boisterous, most ardent and zealous fans but also among those quiet movie watchers who just went about soaking in that atmosphere. Though Vijay had a couple more releases after Thuppaki, that dialogue does still stand out. I guess you wouldn’t disagree with me. It isn’t ingratiation that the actor-director duo that gave us an enthralling experience in ‘Thuppaki’ is joining hands to give us another weapon. As you are reading this right now, Team ‘Kaththi’ would be basking in the release of Vijay’s first look in this flick and these days it isn’t a coincidence that teasers & trailers of huge films see daylight on the birthdays of the lead protagonists.
Often have we seen people who follow the footsteps of others; others who they look up to; who are their role-models. As time progresses, those people take to supporting their idols very religiously, thereby putting their weight on them even during adversities, thereby offering a simple show of support. How does one manage to win such confidence from the masses, let alone become a role model of them? They tell and we listen without batting the eyelid; they preach and we practice; last of all, they train and people who train under them become gems of their respective fields.
