BIG EVENT FILMS AND OTHER BOUNTIFUL PROMISES

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- PRASHANTH VALLAVAN

BIG event films are the arterial lifeline of Indian cinema, bringing festivities, year-round discussions, and new records. Unfortunately, for Tamil cinema, 2024 has been a disappointing year for big event films. Even though we had a big-budget title from most big Tamil stars, none lived up to the hype they naturally amassed when they were announced. It was the story-driven dramas like Amaran and Maharaja, and the surprise entries like Lover, Lubber Pandhu, and Meiyazhagan, that thankfully broke and far exceeded the bounds of their respective expectations. While cinema is equal parts art and business, an argument could be made that Tamil cinema has a touch more of art in its blood.

Consequently, a decline in the quality of big event Tamil films in 2024 has little to no bearing on shaping the trend of 2025, as it would in any logic-based system like business. That is perhaps why, despite the number of duds it faced last year, you can feel the excitement in the air and the resounding cheer of the fandom, as Tamil cinema loads its cannon with several big shots, as it gears up for 2025.

From Spectator to Centre Stage

From Manjummel Boys to Pushpa 2: The Rule, Tamil cinema has been in spectator mode for most of 2024. However, 2025 offers a healthy dose of bigbudget star vehicles in Tamil, from all the top guns in the industry. Right out of the gate, we have Ajith Kumar and Magizh Thirumeni's Vidaamuyarchi, blasting off with the industry's first festive season, Pongal.

Joining the Pongal race is Bala and Arun Vijay's long-awaited Vanangaan. Noticeably absent from last year, Ajith will be back again with Good Bad Ugly, his highly anticipated collaborative venture with Adhik Ravichandran. Speaking of collaborations, Rajinikanth and Lokesh Kanagaraj are serving up, what looks to be, Tamil cinema's biggest mass masala offering to a pan-Indian audience this year: Coolie.