There’s a smile on Madhavi Mahesh’s face as she speaks about the film she’s watching this Pongal. “Sivakarthikeyan padam , Rajini Murugan ,” she says. Her husband had earlier been given the arduous task of booking tickets for a first-day, first-show for their family of four. Unfortunately, he could not, and so, she’s resigned to watching it sometime this weekend. “I like that boy’s films,” she says of Sivakarthikeyan. “They have something for everyone. There’s humour, fights, and plenty of sentiment. I think it’s worth the money I spend on the ticket,” says Madhavi, who works as a domestic help.
As many as four Tamil films were released, this Pongal: Rajini Murugan , Thaarai Thappattai , Gethu , and Kathakali . But it’s again Sivakarthikeyan that auto driver V. Deenadhayalan is banking on. “I liked the title. My second option would be Kathakali ,” he says. He hopes to catch at least one of the releases with his friends at Sangam cinemas. And if he likes what he sees, he’ll take his family too. “After the rush abates, I’ll take my family, and watch it again.” He says he’s a bit confused that so many films have released this Pongal, as opposed to just one or two, like in previous years. This “But we all love Sivakarthikeyan; so we’ll watch Rajini Murugan first.”
While Madhavi and Deenadhalayan have veered towards the masala side, G. Sai Shyam, a film enthusiast who works as a content manager at Magzter , bats for Bala’s Thaarai Thappattai . He’s also quite miffed that so many films are being released together. “I think it’s unhealthy for the industry,” says Shyam, who used to write on films. “The viewers may be happy to choose among them after the initial reviews are out, but it’s definitely bad for the films. All four films have a credible cast and crew, but have sadly lost out on a wide release due to the bad scheduling.” Festival films are usually made with higher budgets, and so, there is greater importance on securing a wide release. He adds, “Initial reviews can make or break a film. I’m worried that some films may not get a fair chance to prove themselves.” Shyam, a self-confessed Bala fan, is watching Thaarai Thappattai first, and he will be going alone, “because the experience is something else.” He intends to take his wife and watch Gethu . “I’m quite kicked about Gethu , as Udhayanidhi seems to have tried a different genre. The trailer looked promising.”
For Rajasekar Rajendran, a BPO employee who grew up in Thanjavur, Thaarai Thappattai holds special relevance. He still has memories of his visits to the oor thiruvizha ,and the karakattam troupes that danced away through the village lanes. “For that reason, I want to watch Thaarai Thappattai . It will be like an ode to my childhood, and a reminder of the lovely times we had, thanks to the dancers. I remember how we would stay up all night to watch karakattam; the dancers were always delighted to see us kids among the crowd. The more the crowds, the happier they were. After I moved to Chennai, I’ve rarely seen karakattam. I’ve also been reading about how director Bala has tried to showcase the lives of these dancers in his film. So, my vote is definitely for his film,” he says.
And, then, there is college student Aishwarya Chandrashekar, who has decided that she will not watch any of these films, till she gets to see a reliable good review. “I had my exams, and very little to think much about the Pongal releases. The problem with these festival films is, they are usually made for fans. So, I’m going to wait and watch, and then decide on the film I want to spend my pocket money on.”
