Vijay is one of the most popular actors in Tamil film industry, with
terrific pull at the box-office. For the last few years there have been
rumours that Vijay is eyeing politics, as he has a huge fan base. For
this reason, established political parties like ADMK and DMK have always
eyed him with suspicion. Last Sunday his summer biggie Theri (Spark) launched its soundtrack amid fanfare at the prestigious Sathyam Cinemas.
The
link between the film industry and Tamil politics is very strong in
this part of the world. Five of the state's chief ministers, including
Jayalalithaa and arch-rival Karunanidhi, have emerged from the film
industry. Even Opposition leader Vijayakanth is an actor. The government
machinery controls the movie business in different ways like cap on
movie tickets, entertainment tax exemption while politicians are always
on the look out to bring in legislations to control the film trade.
Vijay in a screen grab from 'Theri'
In
fact Vijay’s last few films have run into trouble with the
Jayalalithaa-led government in the state. In the case of the 2013
release Thalaiva (leader), some unknown organisation raised
threats against the film, which the government said may cause a “law and
order” problem. The film could not be released in Tamil Nadu alone for
two weeks, causing great financial loss.
If the political
grapevine is to be believed, the government officials could not stomach
the poster of the film, showing Vijay from the back waving to a crowd
with the tagline - “Time to lead”.
In 2014, AR Murgadoss' Kathi (Knife)
also faced problems, again from an unknown group that hurled a petrol
bomb at a multiplex which had planned to release the film. This time the
group was targeting the London based Lyca group, who are the producers
of the film and are rumoured to be close to Sri Lankan ex-president
Rajapaksa. However Kathi released on time eventually, as a compromise was worked out, and it went on to become a hit.
Last year, Vijay’s big budget film Puli (tiger)
was released, but it collapsed at the box-office. It is said that the
film was not given entertainment tax exemption by the state government
even though it was eligible, as the satellite rights of the film was
given to Kalanidhi Maran-controlled Sun TV. And now, Vijay badly needs a
hit to overcome the failure of Puli and it looks like Theri is the answer.
Last Sunday there was a mammoth crowd at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai, to witness the Theri
audio launch. At the event, Vijay told his fans, “The achievements of
others must not serve as your benchmarks. On the contrary, your
achievements must serve as their benchmarks. Never be arrogant.”
Theri
is currently the hottest film in the circuit, as its veteran producer
Kalaipuli S Thanu is getting it ready for an April 14 – Tamil New Year
day release. Thanu has strong political links and is influential within
the ruling party. It is music director and actor GV Prakash’s (AR
Rahman’s nephew) 50th film and has veteran director Mahendran for the
first time playing the baddie. Theri also has two heroines:
Samantha and Amy Jackson. Former actress Meena’s daughter Nainika debuts
as a child artist, playing Vijay’s daughter in the film
The young director of the film Atlee, who earlier made the highly successful film Raja Rani has said, “Theri
is a commercial film meant to entertain audiences. It does not have any
political dialogues or punchlines. Vijay plays a police officer in the
film.”
All eyes in Tamil Nadu are on Theri, as it gets ready for a release at a time when the state is going to polls.
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