I've decided to spend some time on my non-movie blog at http://screenact.blogspot.com and hence my updates here will take a hit in the next few months. More over my interests in movies have been steadily waning in spite of frequently watching good movies every week. I even have fractional reviews of Taare Zameen Par, Adaptation, 21 Grams, Amorres Perros ... I just haven't the motivation to pick up where I left and complete it. I'm not sure what's the reason. Ideally I'd like to write on one topic here and a couple of pieces at my other blog per week . But I guess I'll take my own time to settle into that pattern. Hope its not too long a break.
On Ajith's Interview
0 Comments Published by Prasad Venkat on Tuesday, January 01, 2008 at 12:59 PM.
I remember reading one of Ajith's interview (Kungumam, I guess) about 6 or 7 years back; it bubbled emotional outbursts and was marinated in teenage showmanship. After a long time, he comes to the microphone for Vijay TV after his recent success with Billa. It wasn't bad this time. He was cool-headed in delivering his lines, but his answers went harking back to his recent past where he was misquoted, misrepresented, misinterpreted, misjudged, mis.... I thought it would have done him a favor to not dwell so much on his bad days but to spend some time on his current/future projects. This is a trap most of the actors who stage a come-back fall into. Buddy, we understand you go through rough patches, but you don't need to detail it out to your audience. We understand it because we see how your movies fare, and how you must feel. Inspite of this, I thought this interview was not in bad taste.
One of the things that baffles me the intensity of his fans. When I was vacationing in Munnar last year, our cab driver had such good words about Ajith and he almost foul-mouthed Vijay. I guess most of it boils down to social graces - Ajith was friendly and down-to-earth whereas Vijay preferred an elite club, my driver told. But even that doesn't explain how one can command the loyalty of lakhs while consistently churning out bomb after bomb. I'm a fan of Kamal and when one of his movies flop, I don't trash my membership; because Kamal has such an incredible track record which makes me treat the latest failure as an aberration. When I see Ajith's filmography, I can't trace such a record.
When asked if Ajith & Vijay would endorse each other the way Kamal & Rajini do each other in public, he was evasive. Considering practical extrapolations, the question is dumb but that is what the masses want. Heck, there is even the next level of comparison - between Simbu & Dhanush, who, in movie-years are just weaned away from breast feeding. With the commercial landscape of our cinema changing rapidly, neither of the current generation actors will be able to command the long run faithfulness of Kamal or Rajini. Ajith kept saying that he will focus on features that will appease his fans. This is what Vijay has been doing. If established actors don't risk/experiment with low-budget off-the-wall screenplays, one can't dream of a dynamic movie industry.
PS: My friend said that 'Billa' is stylish walk in slow motion and nothing more. Other than the top two TN guns, style quotient in actors have been abysmally poor. I'm planning to see what they've done in this movie.
One of the things that baffles me the intensity of his fans. When I was vacationing in Munnar last year, our cab driver had such good words about Ajith and he almost foul-mouthed Vijay. I guess most of it boils down to social graces - Ajith was friendly and down-to-earth whereas Vijay preferred an elite club, my driver told. But even that doesn't explain how one can command the loyalty of lakhs while consistently churning out bomb after bomb. I'm a fan of Kamal and when one of his movies flop, I don't trash my membership; because Kamal has such an incredible track record which makes me treat the latest failure as an aberration. When I see Ajith's filmography, I can't trace such a record.
When asked if Ajith & Vijay would endorse each other the way Kamal & Rajini do each other in public, he was evasive. Considering practical extrapolations, the question is dumb but that is what the masses want. Heck, there is even the next level of comparison - between Simbu & Dhanush, who, in movie-years are just weaned away from breast feeding. With the commercial landscape of our cinema changing rapidly, neither of the current generation actors will be able to command the long run faithfulness of Kamal or Rajini. Ajith kept saying that he will focus on features that will appease his fans. This is what Vijay has been doing. If established actors don't risk/experiment with low-budget off-the-wall screenplays, one can't dream of a dynamic movie industry.
PS: My friend said that 'Billa' is stylish walk in slow motion and nothing more. Other than the top two TN guns, style quotient in actors have been abysmally poor. I'm planning to see what they've done in this movie.
