The Return of Ilayathalapathy Vijay – A Lookback
Ilayathalapathy Vijay. This man, is nothing short of a phenomenon when it comes to Tamil Cinema. At this point of time, Vijay is a safe bet for the public and the trade together, and the release of his film is a big festival by itself. The ever-youthful, smart and energetic hunk turns 41 today, and here is a look-back at his return to stardom after a series of downfalls.
[nextpage]Problems aplenty – Sura
After the 2007 blockbuster Pokkiri, Vijay suffered from a string of flops right from Azhagiya Tamizh Magan to Sura. Sura had the worst effect out of them all, tagging a question mark on the star’s career. Vijay even went to the extent of repaying distributors for their losses after the debacle. Fans were left disappointed after the disability of their idol to deliver a decent hit, and the trade had written him off as a saleable hero. The sign of success, was just a mirage on his path. Doubts prevailed.
Back to square one – Kaavalan
When things weren’t going right in his career, Vijay went back to a reliable director in Siddique for his next film. Reworking his strategies and turning a new leaf, Vijay opted for Kaavalan, a script with more romance than action. After a flurry of release hurdles, Kaavalan graced the silver screens and tasted passable success. The experiment had worked. The slight ray of hope, had just diverged through a prism.
[/nextpage] [nextpage]Holding on to the mass image – Velayudham
Vijay and the ‘mass factor’ were inseparable. Even in a romantic film like Kaavalan, the action at the end resulted in the crowd cheers. The actor had no option, but to pay heed. Choosing the commercial track once again, Vijay teamed up with Jayam Raja for Velayudham – a colorful money-spinner with some weight in the script. Although Velayudham wasn’t something unique, it wasn’t something bad either. Safe, in all aspects.
Going big with a remake – Nanban
Vijay was always criticized for the amount of remakes in his arsenal. But when the offer comes from a director like Shankar, it is undeniable. Vijay took up Nanban, the official remake of 3 Idiots. The result, was a blessing in disguise. He took his youthfulness to the screen as a witty college student, and this is where Vijay began stealing more hearts. Nanban turned out to be a good friend of the Box Office too, ending up as a super hit in the trade. The huge reach was one of the reasons for its success, for it had a simultaneous release all around the globe.
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The Gun and the 100 Crore Club – Thuppakki
Come Diwali 2012, what happened was just unforgettable for a Vijay fan. Vijay joined hands with the mastermind AR Murugadoss for Thuppakki, which turned out to be the biggest hit of his career. The film was a step above all that Vijay had done throughout his career, bulleting him into the coveted 100 crore club of Tamil Cinema, alongside the Superstar. Be it the fight scenes, the dance or just the badass attitude, Vijay had his critics jaw-dropped with this film which was a record breaker. Party time folks.
[/nextpage] [nextpage]Trouble strikes again – Thalaivaa
When things just about seemed alright, trouble found its way back in the form of Thalaivaa, which faced a big amount of release worries. Unlike Kaavalan’s case where the reasons for the delay were wide open, a finger is yet to be placed on the reason for Thalaivaa’s problem. Thalaivaa would have been a success story, at least at the box office, had it released on time. Unfortunately, what we remember now is the frowning face of the producer and Vijay’s video message to his fans.
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The Kerala Connection – Jilla
In an attempt to woo both the Malayali and the Tamil audience with one film, Mohanlal and Vijay got together for Jilla, which was a template commercial entertainer. Apart from providing nothing new, Jilla released for Pongal 2014 along with Ajith’s Veeram which wasn’t a great move. The final result being, both the films eating into each other’s collections.
[/nextpage] [nextpage]Slice of success, second time around – Kaththi
The trustworthy duo of Vijay and AR Murugadoss patched up for the second time with Kaththi, a socially enhancing film which sent a huge wave across the state. Kaththi made its way into the 100 crore club too, making Vijay the only star along with Rajnikanth to have two 100 crore films in Tamil Cinema. Today, Kaththi is and will be remembered for the strong performance by Vijay in a dual role, along with the tantalizing background score by Anirudh.
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The tiger continues to pounce – Puli
Here comes Puli, his next project which is touted to be a period fantasy action-adventure. Directed by Chimbudevan who is known for his smart screenplay, Puli promises to be an out-of-the-box film for the Ilayathalapathy, packed with few mass moments too. The towering response for the first look and the teaser, says enough about this biggie.
Vijay is definitely going from strength to strength, especially with his script selection. In a content-driven industry, it is important to choose the right stories which will suit the actor, and also possess a share of novelty. Vijay seems to be doing that right, and one does hope he continues in the same fashion.
We are waiting. For bigger and better things to come. Happy Birthday dear Vijay!
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Compiled by Siddarth Srinivas
Follow @SidhuWrites
