2011 serves up the super hits

After the highs reached by Endhiran, Ayyan, Paiyya, Angaadi Theru and Mynaa last year, everyone expected the 2011 releases to remain in the shadow of these giants. Instead, the upswing that began in Kodambakkam in 2010 gained momentum.

PONGAL MAGIC

THE year started off with a bang with three of the four January 14 (Pongal) releases becoming hits. The most significant of these was Vijay's Kaavalan, the film that resuscitated his flagging career. This success came despite major political pressure from the then ruling party. Kaavalan faced stiff opposition from Karthi's first dual role in Siruthai. It was, however, the dark horse titled Aadukallam that eclipsed both these films. Apart from its box-office success, Aadukallam also raked in six national awards, including best actor for Dhanush and best director for Vetrimaran.

THE AGE OF THRILLERS

FEBRUARY 4 saw the release of the first two thrillers of the year - Yutham Sei and Payanam - setting the stage for the rest of 2011. Cheran took on a new action avatar in Yutham Sei, which he would partially recreate later in the year in Muran with Prasanna. Prakash Raj's home production, Payanam, was a surprise hit, as a plane hostage drama had not been attempted in Tamil cinema before. Two weeks later, two more thrillers took the box office by storm - Aadhi's Aadu Puli and Goutham Vasudeva Menon's experimental psycho-thriller, Nadunisi Naaygall. Although the latter soon fizzled out at the box office - largely because of the film's disturbing nature and adult content - it attracted rave reviews. Nil Gavani Sellathey (March 25) and Aanmai Thavarael (June 3) continued the trend in thrillers, each attempting new sub-genres for Tamil cinema.

DIRECTORS DARE TO EXPERIMENT

APART from Goutham Vasudeva Menon's experiment, there were other directors who tried to change their styles. Actor-turned-director Thyagarajan had an unsuccessful experiment with Ponnar Shankar, a film that could not be saved by its outrageous budget. Bala (Pitha Magan, Naan Kadavul) tried a comedy-centred theme but failed to maintain this to the end although the film enjoyed significant box-office success. Kaanchana, Raagava Lawrence's experiment with horror comedy, did not impress the critics but did wonders at the box office. It was, however, Subramaniyam Siva's remake of the Malayalam super hit, Nandhanam, that opened a new page in Dhanush's achievements. Titled Seedan, it showed the lanky Dhanush in a new kind of role that had mixed reviews from the critics but became a hit with movie goers.

EXCITING NEWCOMERS

ADVERTISEMENT directors Krish (Vaanam) and P Jayendra (Nootrenbadhu) were the most promising newcomers of 2011 with each showing an eagerness to break out of the usual commercial moulds. Vaanam was a multi-starrer that was dominated by Simbhu. It gave him a brilliant succession to his performance in Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya. Siddharth's return to Tamil cinema in Nootrenbadhu gave audiences a glimpse into what they have been missing during his successful foray into Telugu cinema.

Part 2 next week includes:

• The year's biggest hits and the new record-setters.
• A peek into what 2012 holds in store for fans of Tamil cinema.

Last week's questions and answers:

Q: In which film did Prasanna make his debut? A: Five Star.

Q: Name the actress who will marry Prasanna in early 2012.

A: Sneha.

Q: In which film did Kamalhassan co-star with MG Ramachandhran?

A: Anandha Jothi.

This week's questions:

1. Which film first brought together director Vetrimaran and actor Dhanush?

2. Which Tamil film featured Sunil Shetty in a major role?

3. Which actor said: "Kamal(hassan) is the best actor next to Sivaji and no other Indian actor is equivalent to him. He deserves much more than this."