Right from the lead actors, to the director, to the story there can be many factors which might make us spend the bucks for the
ticket. A couple of decades back the crowd used to throng theatres for the stars or the directors. But much of that has changed today. Slowly, the focus began to shift from the stars to the story.
The recent times in Kollywood have been witnessing a good trend in the way the audience has begun to choose films. Similarly the directors too have started to feel the pulse of the audience and make films accordingly. Be it a true incident, fiction or drama the directors have started to make films from the public’ s angle. A recent trend which has set in to South Indian films is the coming of period films as well as films inspired from successful novels.
The good side of films being inspired from novels is that there is a strong story background not to mention the popularity of the novel. But period films demand a lot of time from the crew members to get the props right. The costumes, the backdrop and everything connected with the film should come under that particular period under which the film’ s story is based on. The actors too will need to do a lot of homework in terms of getting into the skin of the character they play.
ticket. A couple of decades back the crowd used to throng theatres for the stars or the directors. But much of that has changed today. Slowly, the focus began to shift from the stars to the story.
The recent times in Kollywood have been witnessing a good trend in the way the audience has begun to choose films. Similarly the directors too have started to feel the pulse of the audience and make films accordingly. Be it a true incident, fiction or drama the directors have started to make films from the public’ s angle. A recent trend which has set in to South Indian films is the coming of period films as well as films inspired from successful novels.
The good side of films being inspired from novels is that there is a strong story background not to mention the popularity of the novel. But period films demand a lot of time from the crew members to get the props right. The costumes, the backdrop and everything connected with the film should come under that particular period under which the film’ s story is based on. The actors too will need to do a lot of homework in terms of getting into the skin of the character they play.
A.L. Vijay’ s ‘ Madarasapattinam’ which released in 2010 portrayed Madras during the pre-independence era. The director has taken care of even the minute details while depicting Madras (now Chennai) during the time. The backdrops, the props and even the hues in the film give us a rich feel of the Madras of the past. A lot of thought and hard work has gone into the styling of the characters as well as their looks. The film received positive reviews and was a hit. G.V. Prakash is the music director and kudos to him for creating lilting tunes which convey the mood and the scenes very effectively; it has been a great tool in carrying the story forward.
The year 2009 saw the making of yet another biopic based on the life of ‘ Keralaverma Pazhassiraja’ , a king from the royal dynasty of Kottayam. This Malayalam film was made under a whooping 27 crore rupees and starred Mammootty in the title character. The film depicted Kerala in the later part of 17th century. Director Hariharan began filming this period biopic from Palakkad. The filming took more than two years to wrap up
shoot. The film received critical acclaim after release and was screened during many prestigious functions in many countries. ‘ Isaignani’ Ilayaraja has done the background score for this film. After the release of ‘ Pazhassiraja’ there were some controversies relating to the styles depicted by the characters in the film as well as some factual errors. ‘ Pazhassiraja’ is the first regional film to have been released in blu-ray format. Actor-politico Sarath Kumar began his innings in Malayalam with this film. ‘ Pazhassiraja’ also boasts a huge star cast. The film’ s re-recording was done by Oscar award winner Resul Pukutty.
shoot. The film received critical acclaim after release and was screened during many prestigious functions in many countries. ‘ Isaignani’ Ilayaraja has done the background score for this film. After the release of ‘ Pazhassiraja’ there were some controversies relating to the styles depicted by the characters in the film as well as some factual errors. ‘ Pazhassiraja’ is the first regional film to have been released in blu-ray format. Actor-politico Sarath Kumar began his innings in Malayalam with this film. ‘ Pazhassiraja’ also boasts a huge star cast. The film’ s re-recording was done by Oscar award winner Resul Pukutty.
The Telugu audience witnessed the release of a period drama hitting theatres in 2009 titled ‘ Magadheera.’ The film had Ram Charan Teja and Kajal Agarwal playing the lead roles. Though the film is not inspired from a novel nor from an epic it did not fail to create a lasting impression
in the minds of the audience. The film gels the contemporary as well as the age of princes and princesses beautifully that there is no doubt in the audience minds
when the film transitions from one period to another. The film did well critically and commercially
and bagged two National Awards for Visual Effects and Choreography. The original music score of the film was by M.M. Keeravani, directed by S.S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind. The film is also the highest grosser in Telugu till date! This movie has been dubbed as ‘ Maveeran’ in Tamil and will be releasing shortly…
in the minds of the audience. The film gels the contemporary as well as the age of princes and princesses beautifully that there is no doubt in the audience minds
when the film transitions from one period to another. The film did well critically and commercially
and bagged two National Awards for Visual Effects and Choreography. The original music score of the film was by M.M. Keeravani, directed by S.S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind. The film is also the highest grosser in Telugu till date! This movie has been dubbed as ‘ Maveeran’ in Tamil and will be releasing shortly…
Back in the God’ s own country director Santosh Sivan’ s magnum opus ‘ Urumi’ received a grand opening. The film was pictured in the early 16th century and is an epic of sorts. It is based more on fiction than on facts but revolves around the time when Vasco Da Gama visited India. It sees Prithviraj as Chirakkal Kelu Nayanar and has won him rave reviews for his performance. The period drama also boasts fantastic performances from the supporting casts – Prabhudeva, Arya, Vidya Balan, Tabu, and Jagathy Sreekumar and Genelia whose role as a Muslim princess has been received well. The film is the second most expensive film
in Malayalam. The styling of the characters, the backdrop, the special effects as well as the music deserves applause in this period drama
in Malayalam. The styling of the characters, the backdrop, the special effects as well as the music deserves applause in this period drama
There are also a handful of films which are in their initial stages of production. Vikram has signed for ‘ Karikalan’ with director L.I. Kannan who does magic with VFX. The film will shift from the contemporary backdrop to the past and back; suggest sources close to the filming unit. Vikram will be pairing opposite Zarine Khan the lady who appeared in the Salman Khan starrer ‘ Veer.’ With Vikram giving his heart and soul to the projects that he commits to we can be sure this film will be a treat to watch.
Director Mani Rathnam was on the verge of beginning his dream project ‘ Ponniyin Selvan’ which is inspired by Kalki’ s novel bearing the same title. Vijay was signed to do the lead role, with a host of other actors in the process of being signed up. The film was touted to be a huge project involving 200 crore production cost. But the film has been shelved indefinitely due to the unimaginable budgets; suggest sources close to the unit.
of Superstar Rajinikanth went on
floors without much pomp and show but with the lead star falling sick and endless hospital admissions, Soundarya Ashwin, the daughter of the superstar and one of the producer’ s of the film has decided to put a hold on film. Reports suggest that the film will begin only after the superstar completely recuperates from his illness. The film is set in the 17th century and spans three generations. The superstar was touted to appear in three different makeovers in the film with three heroines. Only Deepika Padukone has been signed so far and owing to the illness of the superstar, the film is on hold currently.
floors without much pomp and show but with the lead star falling sick and endless hospital admissions, Soundarya Ashwin, the daughter of the superstar and one of the producer’ s of the film has decided to put a hold on film. Reports suggest that the film will begin only after the superstar completely recuperates from his illness. The film is set in the 17th century and spans three generations. The superstar was touted to appear in three different makeovers in the film with three heroines. Only Deepika Padukone has been signed so far and owing to the illness of the superstar, the film is on hold currently.
In Bollywood too there are a handful of period films which have become timeless classics. Right from ‘ Mughal-E-Aazsm,’ to ‘ Laagan,’ to ‘ Jodha Akbar’ each of these films have depicted a very important slice of history and have become reference materials for many more such projects which will churn out in future. There is always more to tell and today’ s happening will become history tomorrow.
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