The handful of releases on Tamil New Year (April 14) confirms that the Tamil film industry, like all other language film industries in India, is going through a bad patch.
So far, 2003 has produced just one big hit, Dhool, directed by Dharani and starring Vikram and Jyothika.
Among the New Year releases, only the action film Dum, starring Silambarasan, is said to be doing reasonable business. Early indications are that though it is an action film like Dhool, it is not expected to be as big a hit.
Dum was first made in Kannada (Appu) by producer actor Rockline Venkatesh. The film was a huge hit. When it was remade into Telugu as Idiot, it smashed all records. Rockline Venkatesh, who has produced 23 films in Kannada, then decided to enter the Tamil scene with a remake of Appu.
Silambarasan, son of actor-producer-director T Rajendran, has been acting in his father's films ever since he was a kid. His debut as an adult, again in his father's production Kaathal Azhivathillai, was a disaster. Despite huge publicity, the film sank without a trace. Now he is pinning all his hopes on Dum.
Rakshita, the heroine of Dum, acted in the Kannada and Telugu versions, and has the rare distinction of doing the same role three times!
From MCA to celluloid
When the old production house AVM Studios produces a film, they do it in style. Last year's biggest hit Gemini was from AVM. Not surprising that their latest production Anbe Anbe, due for release in the first week of May, is the most talked about film now.
Anbe Anbe is directed by writer Manibharati, who had earlier assisted Mani Ratnam, Saran and Vasanth. Anbe Anbe is a love story set in a joint family with Shaam and Sharmili playing the role of lovers. According to the debutant director, the film has all the ingredients of a family entertainer -- love, action, comedy and family sentiments. It is expected that the role of a pampered youngster in the family will give a boost to Shaam's career.
To Sharmili, an MCA graduate, Anbe Anbe is a big break. As a college student, Sharmili had been rejecting all film offers that came her way to concentrate on her studies. When she found that offers did not stop coming even after her studies, she decided to take the plunge. Her first film was Aasai Aasaiyai from Supergood Films, one of the prestigious production houses in Tamil Nadu.
Then came the Telugu film Tarak, and now Anbe Anbe. Now, it is films and not computers for this MCA graduate.
Lesa Lesa jinxed
What Rojakkoottam did to Srikkant, 12-B did not do to Shaam.
12-B was a box-office disaster. And till today, Shaam has not had a hit. His much-awaited film Lesa Lesa, directed by Priyadarshan, is yet to see the light.
Summer in Bethlehem, the Malayalam original of Lesa Lesa, was a success in Kerala. Somehow, the Tamil version seems jinxed.
It was to be Miss Chennai Trisha Krishnan's debut film, but she has already had two releases now. Her second release Manasellam, opposite Srikkant, though appreciated by the critics, is doing only average business at the box office.
