Ilayathalapathy Vijay – The Box-Office Powerhouse: Part 1
Ilayathalapathy Vijay turns 42 today and as expected, wishes are pouring in for him from all quarters. Be it from celebs or his massive fan base, immense love is being showered on the star today, June 22. Vijay is someone who has come up the hard way, despite being from a filmy family and today he stands tall as a box-office powerhouse all over the world. Kaushik LM from Only Kollywood talked to noted industry experts in this birthday special article, to understand more about the Theri star’s standing in the TN trade.
Sreedhar Pillai – Trade expert and Senior journalist
“Vijay has phenomenal pull at the TN box-office and now worldwide too. He started off predominantly as a TN star and now has a huge fan following in the overseas market too. He is the 2nd biggest star there after Rajini, thanks to his Sri Lankan Tamils base. In Kerala, he is supreme and in Karnataka and North Indian multiplexes, he is very strong too. His reach is very good. He has come up due to his hard work, and the decision to play the mass hero has worked wonders for him. He doesn’t experiment, doesn’t change his looks and plays within the format. But, it works for him. I don’t think he’ll change his track, as all current mass heroes seem to follow the larger than life Rajini pattern. He will invariably satisfy his fans and if the content is good, it’ll click with all sections.”
Rakesh, MD – Vettri Theaters
“Vijay has started proving that he can pull off different roles with ease, of late. Be it Nanban, Thuppakki, Thalaivaa or Kaththi, his acting skills stood out. He is a family hero now and as a result he can’t try something raw, though he is capable. He is trapped in his family-friendly image and he can’t seem to go beyond that and try new films. He has to stick to family entertainers with action elements; that’s his luck. One can’t overdo family sentiments nowadays, and Theri balanced it properly. Kaththi was an ideal film for him of late. After Velayudham, no one has faulted his performance and that’s a good thing for him as an actor. His films may have failed only due to other factors.
With respect to my center, there is a huge family pull for his films and of course the famous Vijay – Vettri connect. Even his decent films will have a long run here. Theri released after 2 weeks but performed better than expected and held on for 2 weeks. We would have continued it in our small screen if the lineup hadn’t been packed.”
Harshath, Distributor, Dream Factory
“Vijay’s family audience and kids base is phenomenal. School kids, ladies and elders just love him. His fan following encompasses the 6 to 60 age group. Theri has pushed up his family, kids base even more. It seemed like a well-planned, conscious move to do Theri. In B,C centers he is very very strong and his films pull in the ladies, family audience during the 3rd and 4th weekends too. And his hit-miss-hit-miss graph is actually a plus, I feel. The hits look bigger and grander in magnitude because of these interim flops. He understands the market well and knows what will work for him.”
Naganathan – Distributor, Trade expert and consultant
“After Enthiran, it is Theri in TN, that too without a lion’s share of Chengalpet’s potential business. These are unbelievable figures. Vijay’s films consistently get TN shares in the 35 to 45 crores range thanks to his family audience and all class base. He is a minimum guarantee hero and a complete safe bet after Superstar. Even a critically panned film like Vettaikaran was commercially big. Though films like Puli do happen, a film like Theri as a festival release is safe always. He is at the peak now among current generation heroes. He has three films with more than 40 crores share in TN. He stands tall with his consistency and proven market, over a space of 10 films or so.
Going forward, I feel he can do experimental films on a lower salary. It would be even better, if it’s in his own banner. An extra brand value will also be there and the business will be different. Risks can also be mitigated.”
In Part 2 of this article, later today, we will take an inside look at Ilayathalapathy Vijay’s overseas market.
Interviewed by Kaushik LM
