Yesteryear Tamil superstars like the late MGR and Sivaji Ganesan, followed by present day superstars Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth, besides Prabhu and Sathyaraj had crossed the 100 film milestone way back, but their respective 100th film seem to have not clicked at box office.
But there is is an exception.
Actor and DMDK founder Vijayakant’s 100th film ‘Captain Prabhakaran’ was a big hit. The film was released in 1991. It ran for more than 200 days. The actor is fondly called as ‘Captain’ after this movie, in which he played the role of an IFS officer. The actor went on to complete more than 150 films in his film career.
Let’s have a look at the 100th film jinx of others.
M.G. Ramachandran:
MGR’s 100th film ‘ >Oli Vilakku ‘ failed to click at the box office. Though it ran well in the then Ceylon (Sri Lanka), it failed to attract fans to the theatre back home. The film was released in 1968.
MGR, who has acted in 136 movies with ‘ Madhuraiyai Meetta Sundharapandiyan ‘ being the last, has given many hits. Hence the failure of his 100th film at the box office was a big disappointment to his die-hard fans.
Sivaji Ganesan:
Sivaji Ganesan has acted in more than 300 films and has proved his mettle in almost all of them, be it mythological or commercial. He had fit in every role with ease and brought out his best performance.
However, the great actor’s 100th film Navarathri , seems to have caught with the jinx. This, despite the ‘ Nadigar Thilagam ‘ donning nine different roles, with ease and finesse. The film was the first of its kind that time. (Kamal Haasan later broke the record in Dasavatharam by playing 10 different characters).
Though the film was not a box office hit when it was released, in the second and third releases, it did well. And till now, it is in the top 10 Sivaji Ganesan list. Savithri matched Sivaji equally in the film, which was released in 1964.
Kamal Haasan
Kamal Haasan, like Sivaji Ganesan, has added enormous value to his characters in films. He had easily fit in the shoes of Sivaji Ganesan when the latter started doing some character roles. Kamal’s 100th movie ‘Raja Paarvai’ released in 1981 was the first film produced by him. Though the music, storyline and acting were good, the movie bombed at the box office. Maestro Ilayaraja’s songs were excellent and Kamal and Madhavi did a tremendous job in the film.
Rajnikanth
The superstar’s 100th film was Sri Raghavendra , in which Rajni played the character of Lord Raghavendrar. The film was released in 1985. Though the Tamil Nadu government gave tax reduction for the film, it failed to click at the box office. Rajnikanth would say the film was done for “athma thrupthi” (satisfaction of the soul).
Prabhu
The son of Sivaji Ganesan had acted in more than 170 movies and gave many hits. However his 100th film ‘Rajakumaran’ failed to click at the box office. The film was released 1994, Though its soundtrack was a huge success, the film was a great disappointment for Prabhu’s fans. An added attraction was the comedy track of Goundamani, Senthil and Vadivelu.
Sathyaraj
Sathyaraj, who started his career as a villain and later turned in to hero, has played powerful performances in his career. His 100th film ‘Vathiyar Veettu Pillai’ bombed at the box office in the year 1989. Despite the presence of Goundamani, the film was a below performer at the box office. Sathyaraj, with Goundamani. has given many hits.
