A Still From - Tamizh Padam

Tamil Film: Tamizh Padam

           Kollywood is aghast and it has reason to be The first quarterly (Jan 1 to March 31) report card for the year 2010 of Tamil films presents a dismal picture. Of the 31 films, involving an investment of around Rs 200 crore,l that release during the quarter, only two will make profits while just one will manage to break even. the industry is estimated to lose around Rs 75 crore.

       Says a leading producer. "It is a report card that will set the alarm bells ringing. Many small producers have stopped film production as it is no longer a viable option. Nearly 40 films both small and medium are lying unsold as no distributors have come forward to distribute them."

        Says market analyst and distributor T Ramakrishnan, "The basic reason for the failure of these films is that their content was poor. Also, the cost of production has gone through the roof, thanks to artistes'[ salaries and marketing costs. A year ago, films like Subramaniapuram were made on a budget of Rs two-and-a-half to Rs three crore. To day, a similar film would require at least Rs five crore."

          Till last year , the concept of 'small is beautiful' worked big time. However, this year, there has been a plethora of  'formula small films' which the makers claim are based on real-life incidents that happened in Madurai or Chennai However, such films, including Pugaipadam, Porkalam, Yaathumagi, Maathi Yosi and Aval Peyar Tamilarasi, have failed to create an impact at the box-office.

        The biggest hit of the year so far is TamizhPadam, a spoof on Tamil films. As per trade sources, the film, made on a budget of Rs three-and-a-half crore. Will end up doing business to the tune of Rs 10 crore and can be classified as a blockbuster.

        Says CS Amudhan, the film's director, "Tamizh Padam worked big time because the audiences were comparatively new to the spoof genre and they had a hearty laugh. It does not mean the film will start a trend, but it will bring some change in the formula used to make Tamil mass movies."

          Take the case of Gautham Vasudev Menon's Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (VTV). It became a superhit because there was comething different in the romantic tale and the music sorked. Says Gautham Menon, "I believe that content is king, and if marketing is good, people will come to watch the movies irrespective of other factors."

         VTV is said to have cost around Rs 12 crore and is likely to do business worth Rs 20 crore from theatricals, television rights and probably a Hindi remake as well.

          Selvaraghavan's Aayirathil Oruvan also is said to be a hit, because of its fantastic opening. An abridged version of the film in Telugu helped producer R Raveendran to rake in the profits. The film, made on a budger of Rs 22 crore, is said to have done business worth Rs25 crore, thanks to its Tamil and Telugu-dubbed versions.

        The message emerging from the first quarter report is that audiences are looking for a change, something different from the usual formula movies. Also, a film has to open big if it has to survive which means more screens and hype.