Topic started by Venu Gopal (@ 203.116.61.131) on Sat Nov 1 20:29:39 EST 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I notice that Vikram's realistic film such as Sethu, Kaasi and Pithamagan are doing well throughout Tamil Nadu. But for Kamal movies such as Anbe Sivam, Hey Ram and Maga Nathi are flops except for Chennai.

Why is it so?

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: kalyan (@ 61.247.249.174) on: Mon Nov 24 05:42:17 EST 2003
  
  
  "pithamagan" surely deserves applause for the natural picturisation of a simple story, but the appreciation stops there. it has faltered tremendously in the characterisation of "chithan".there was actually not much room for Vikram to act in the movie, as chithan is portrayed as a man of enormous strength, with hardly any brains. naturally, he doesnt think, and Vikram , therefore didnt have to express the flight of thoughts and emotions of the character in his face, except giving a vacant stare everytime but for the climax sequence. i dont underestimate the capacity of Vikram as an actor, but "chithan" is not one of those roles which would bring about the best in an intelligent actor.
  in pithamagan, the protagonist "chithan" is portayed as a man with unlimited physical strength with little brains and emotional commitment, the combination of a typical "kollywood action hero", who is enormously favourite with the frontbench audience. hence no wonder the movie became a hit. if u scrutinise a bit further, all the hits of vikram are only those movies in which he played an action hero of superman mould. all those movies in which he played "the average guy" like kanden seethaiay, kaathal sadugudu, king, vinnukkum mannukkum etc, were total disasters at the box office. one should also consider that any mediocre guy(even simbu for that matter) can deliver a hit with a "superman" kind of role. but to give hits consistently, playing the "average guy" roles is the ultimate acid test for any good actor, and only a select few like sivaji ganesan, gemini ganesan, kamalhaasan, bhagyaraj etc, have achieved that status. hence if one wishes to compare Vikram's "realistic" films with that of Kamal's, Vikram should at least deliver 3-4 hits with "average guy" roles.
  
  
• From: Mythili (@ lan-202-144-61-145.maa.sify.net) on: Wed Nov 26 06:09:49 EST 2003
  
  Please do not compare Kamal with Vikram. Kamal belongs to a separate class, and he has CLASS !!!! He is so full of ideas and the picturisation of each and every scene is so meticulously done and the themes of his movies are so different from each other and he definitely takes pains and a lot of effort and that is seen in his films. He is a cut above the rest and cannot be compared with people who are only a few films old. He is an ocean, a mountain. The others are just rivers that may dry up soon.
  
  Vikram does well, no doubt. But comparing him with Kamal and talking about him in the same breath as Kamal !!! Ridiculous to the core !!!! Vikram acts well and what the director asks him to do, he delivers. Just by doing a movie that is different, he cannot become qualified to compete with Kamal. No way !!!! Kamal's movies may be failures because his movies are for the thinking minds, for the intellectuals. Kamal takes his movies so seriously which i doubt any other actor would do. Kamal can be compared to only one person and that is Kamal himself. He has to try to do better and better, so that he is better day by day.
  
  Please guys, do not compare Kamal with upstarts like Vikram.
  
  
• From: joel (@ ppp-219.65.96.203.chn.vsnl.net.in) on: Thu Nov 27 12:23:14 EST 2003
  
  Mythili,
  
  You were the one who passed some stupid comment about Ayya
  
  Regarding your comments about Kamal- Dream on. He is the best actor in India for stealing with absolutely no originality
  
  May be in next life, he will be what you said and hopefully there will be no dark man to spoil his party again
  
  
• From: Kumar (@ 203.63.55.177) on: Thu Nov 27 18:21:01 EST 2003
  
  This is one of the reasons why good Tamil movies and good actors never get the recognition they truly deserve.
  
  I seriously don't get how Tamil cinema audience can tolerate (in fact many of them WANT)the same old masala junk over and over, again and again. The same cheap set up, the same characters, the same song set ups, etc etc.
  
  Suddenly when a Tamil movie comes along with a theme based on an English movie, people become SO intolerant and are unhappy because it's a 'copy'.
  They are not concerned if it's been adapted for Tamil aidience, or whether the acting was good, or the production was good, etc. In fact most people don't even realise it's based on another movie until someone else tells them; and most of them would not have even seen the English version, but cry foul anyway.
  
  Sometimes the accusations of copy are so far fetched that people are willing to compare one scene and say it's a copy.When photo stills of Aalavandan was released before the movie, people were saying it's a copy of Green Mile (because Kamal was bald and bulky just like the Green Mile character). Then someone said it was a copy of Hannibal. Another person went as far as to say it was a copy of Terminator.
  
  Before that, there was a review of Thenali before the movie was released. Some journalist saw the still shot of Kamal and a mouse and said that Thenali was based on Mouse Hunt. (In fact, Thenali was based on What About Bob, which was cleverly adapted for an Indian audience).
  
  So what if Indian movies are based on English ones. Julie Ganapathy was based on Misery, but it was like a breath of fresh air: no masala, no manmatha raasa.
  
  I once saw a Malayalam movie which was excellently made; great acting, exceptional cinematography, good music. One of the best I've ever seen. It would be silly of me to force myself not to enjoy and appreciate it just because it was based on Shakespear's Othello (which had been done as several English movies).
  
  Joe,
  Soukiyamaa?
  
  
• From: joel (@ cprnt002.satyam.com) on: Fri Nov 28 00:47:02 EST 2003
  
  Kumar
  
  I am good thanks. As I said copying from English movie is not a crime. Everybody does it in India
  
  Do not blow your own trumpet saying that I am original , fit to be only in Hollywood, bla bla bla
  
  I still have a hunch that The unnamed movie of Kamal will somewhat vaguley resemble "GANGS OF NEWYORK
  
  Let us wait and see.
  
  I am a hardcore Rajini fan but will admit that Kamal is the best actor in India. He is very good for Indian standards but worth all the crap you fans talk about. I watch movies from all language and do not cry foul without seeing any movie
  
  That Balu Mahendra is the worst thief. Everything about him hid dodgy- his personal life and his movies. There was an article in Illustrated Weekly around 10 years back which claimed that every movie of his is a copy
  
  
• From: Thamizhan (@ ppp-219.65.106.142.chn.vsnl.net.in) on: Fri Nov 28 01:21:52 EST 2003
  
  //'I still have a hunch that The unnamed movie of Kamal will somewhat vaguley resemble "GANGS OF NEWYORK '//
  Oh,joel has some ESP(Extra sensory power) it seems.
  
  
• From: Kumar (@ 203.63.55.177) on: Fri Nov 28 02:20:13 EST 2003
  
  Joel,
  Thanks for your response.
  (the 'Soukiyamaa' was for JOE, aka, Milton, but I'll extend it to you too).
  
  I have to agree with you that credit should be given to the original source. BUT, this issue of giving credit is not practiced everywhere, even in Hollywood. The movie 'Dave' was based on 'Moon over Parador'. But no credit was given.
  
  You are a hard core fan of Rajini; although I am a hard core Kamal fan, I think Rajini is a great actor who has done some really good movies. But being a Rajini fan, you would have noticed that Arunasalam was based on 'Brewster's Million'. No credit given. 'Talapathy' was based on Karnan/Mahabaaratha. No credit there either. But the movies were good enought for people to enjoy.
  
  I personally think Kamal's new movie is based on Gangs of NY, only because the announcement of Kamal's film (then named Sandiyar) was announced way before Gangs of NY was released.
  
  And Tamil films about gang/ group rivalries have been around for quite some time starting from Karnan to Dhevar Maghan.
  
  
• From: Kumar (@ 203.63.55.177) on: Fri Nov 28 02:21:41 EST 2003
  
  My mistake:
  
  "I personally think Kamal's new movie is NOT based on Gangs of NY,
  
  
• From: Joe (@ palo5.pacific.net.sg) on: Fri Nov 28 05:27:10 EST 2003
  
  Dear Kumar,
  Thanks.Naan miha sowkiyam.Hope you also.Have you been to singapore recently.I missed your information in one thread on your visit.read it recently.sorry about that.
  
  regarding this copying,I can tell only one thing..Take this story...A guy murdered by villain while the guy's wife is pregnant..then the wife make a revenge resolution that he will make her son kill that villan after 25 years..then our hero become man and rest you know...This same story repeated atleast in 100 movies in tamil only..This is not considered as copying..Instead eventhough it is new to Tamil,if you bring some ideas from other movie and completely make it fit for our culture and atomosphere,intelectual people jump immediately to show them they are very keen and know all these already.But at the same time their favourite stars can do all nonsense again and again repeatedly,they never open mouth,ofcourse,there is nothing to discuss .
  
  
• From: Kumar (@ dialup-56.40.194.203.acc01-wick-bne.comindico.com.au) on: Fri Nov 28 21:41:31 EST 2003
  
  Joe,
  """"This same story repeated atleast in 100 movies in tamil only.."""
  
  Sorry I cannot agree with this... it should be "in 1000s of movies...." :)
  
  This has been the theme for countless movies but you are right, people don't seem uncomfortable about this, especially if it's their favourite star.
  
  Yes, I was in Singapore during the last 2 weeks of October. I was hoping to meet with you. Maybe next time.
  
  
• From: joel (@ cprnt002.satyam.com) on: Sat Nov 29 00:57:16 EST 2003
  
  Joe and kumar,
  
  I agree with your points about copying
  
  But people who do it do not blow their own trumpet or ask their respective fans to say things lie
  
  
  His Fans say
  1)Thalivar should be born only in Hollywood
  2)It is pity that he is compared with the dark skinny hero who selfproclaims him to be a superstar
  3)Our man is better than the Superstar in all aspects including collections
  4) Amitabh is jealous of him and ruined his career after EDKL( Ek Dujye)
  
  5)Tamil audience cannot understand the class of our hero (which is the joke of the century). I am not sure how the same audience like Vikram
  Oscar is too demaeaning to Kamal
  and further
  BLA BLA BLA
  
  The super actor himself talks low about Oscar awards and denies vehemently that Avai Shanmugi had nothing to do with Doubtfire and it was his own idea
  
  
  The moral is Kamal is great actor almost on par with Sivaji but that is where he should draw the line
  
  
  

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