Velayudham wins the Diwali race in Kerala

The Malayalam film industry stayed away from the marquee during Diwali and let Shah Rukh Khan's Hindi film Ra.One and Tamil films - Suriya's 7 aum Arivu and Vijay's Velayudham -- dominate all the theatres in the state.

But the Tamil stars have gauged the potential of the Kerala territory. Vijay was in Kochi a few days before the release of Velayutham for its official trailer launch.

The hero received an overwhelming response as hundreds of eager fans waited for hours outside the theatre for a glimpse of the Ilaya Thalapathi, as he is popularly known. Vijay later told the media, "The kind of response I have received here is absolutely exciting. I just feel like being in Tamil Nadu considering the huge turnout of fans here."

Among the three, it was Vijay who seemed to have won the Diwali race. Both Ra.One and 7 aum Arivu received mixed response while Velayudham is very entertaining.

The presence of Malayali girl Saranya Mohan in a prominent role in Velayudham has perhaps given more reason for Malayalis to cheer about.