The year 2007 can be termed as a prolific year for the Tamil Cinema which saw superstar Rajinikanth storming into more than 500 theatres across the globe.
NEW DELHI: The year 2007 can be termed as a prolific year for the Tamil Cinema which saw superstar Rajinikanth storming into more than 500 theatres across the globe through his "Sivaji-The Boss", a film on social reformer Periyar and a host of "out-of-the-box" movies making huge success at the box-office.
The all-time superstar made a record of sorts this year, whose film completed 100 days in more than 102 theaters in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Malaysia, Singapore and London and still running to pack houses in some pockets of Tamil Nadueven 200 days after its release.
"Sivaji" from Rajnikanth, who has a huge following in Tamil Nadu and abroad, broke records for collections by a Tamil film not only in India but also in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Britain.
Rajinikanth did "Sivaji", about the protagonist's fight against black money in society, in his own trademark style with a combination of punchy dialogues, comedy, romance, songs and colourful costumes, which took the Tamil Film industry to the international platform.
"Periyar", a film meant to educate and inform people about the life of Dravidian stalwart E V Ramasamy Naicker, depicted the life and times of Periyar, with a brilliant performance from Sathyaraj in the lead role.
The film was partly financed by the DMK government headed by M Karunanidhi, an acolyte of Periyar, on the plea to educate the people about the legendary leader.
For the industry, the year started with the success of "Pokkiri", Tamil remake of a Telugu film by dance master- turned director Prabhu Deva, which was a neatly packed film with a mix of comedy, action, romance and songs.
Engineer-turned actor Karthi, son of veteran Tamil actor Siva Kumar, came into the limelight in his very first film "Paruthiveeran", about a "Sandiyar" (village don) set in a village milieu in Theni district in the state and is a portrayal of love and violence in its true form as found in such villages.
Tamil film buffs also got a temporary "reprieve" from the age-old "masala" stuff movies, with movies like "Pachaikili Muthucharam", "Chennai 600028", "Paruthiveeran", "Unnale Unnale", "Mozhi" and "Mirugam", which film critics say as "out-of-the-box movies".
Debutant heroes who made an impact among the audience were Karthi, Vinay, Siva and Tanisha.
"Mozhi", another feather in the cap for actor Prakash Rajs Duet Productions, is about the life of a musician, who falls in love with a girl who cannot hear music and speak.
Also films like "Kireedam", "Thamiraparani", "Vel", "Nan Avanillai", and "Karuppusamy Kuthagaikarar" also made an impact with the audience.
Though the much-awaited "Azhagiya Tamizh Magan" by actor Vijay failed to live up to the expectations of the film buffs, still it was a success at the box-office, thanks to the actors fans, who thronged theaters across the state on the day of its release.
On December 13, Ajiths "Billa", a remake of Rajinikanths film made 27 years ago, hit the screens and the actor, who made a comeback last year through his "Naan Kadavul", retained his position in the industry.
The year also saw movies by known directors bombing at the box-office like Cheran's "Mayakannadi" and Gowtham Menons "Pachaikili Muthucharam".
As usual, film personalities were also in news for all wrong reasons. Actor Khusbhoo was in trouble, yet again.
This time, local courts issued summons to her on PILs, filed by Hindu Munnani activists in the state, claiming that the actor had outraged the religious beliefs of Hindus by sitting cross-legged with her footwear on, in front of the idols of Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvathi.
Director Samy was barred from directing any movie for a year for allegedly slapping upcoming actress Padma Priya for coming late to the shooting almost on a daily basis.
His film "Mirugam", which dwells on AIDS and its aftermath, which hit the screens in the third week of December, has already won rare reviews.
With a host of actors making foray in the silver screen every year and the industry booming at all-time high, Tamil movies are no more considered as "regional movies", with more and more films hitting the theaters beyond South India.
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