Kaavalan, Aadakulam, Siruthai, Ilaignan in the Pongal race

The festive season has already started in Tamil Nadu as Pongal has arrived again with as many as four big movies hitting the screens this weekend. Like previous years, Kollywood has geared up for yet another clash of big movies. This time, it is Vijay"s Kaavalan, Dhanush"s Aadukalam, Karthi"s Siruthai, and Namitha"s Illaignan, which are all releasing for Sankranthi. Expectations from the audience are sky high for all these latest outings and trade analyst are also not lagging behind as they have engaged in movie predictions. Now, let us have a brief look at all these movies.

Kaavalan
Starring: Vijay, Asin Thottumkal, Vadivelu
Director: Siddique
Music Director: Vidyasagar
Genre: Comedy - Romance
After a series of flops, Vijay is back with Kaavalan, which will eventually decide his film career in Kollywood. He is desperate for success and he hopes that the lady luck would favor him this time. The movie has been in troubled waters from the day one. First, it was Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association, who openly threatened that they will not screen Vijay"s movie until he pays a portion of the loss of his earlier movie Sura. The lead actress also landed in trouble after she dared to attended the IIFA Awards function in Srilanka, which had also created stir in the industry. However, the movie is a remake of Malayalam blockbuster Bodyguard and the makers of the film are expecting the same magic in Tamil version. The audio and movie trailers have already impressed the audience and his hardcore fans are hoping that the movie would become a milestone in Vijay"s career. His histrionics, Asin"s chemistry with the actor and Vadivelu"s rib-tickling comedy are the highlights of the film.

Aadukalam
Starring: Dhanush, Tapasee, Sindhu Menon
Director: Vetrimaaran
Music Director: GV Prakash Kumar
Genre: Action - Drama
Polladhavan hit combination is back with another mass film Aadukalam. The super combo of Dhanush-Vetrimaaran-GV Prakash Kumar is ready to create the magic again. This time, it is said that the director has chosen a real life story, which occurred during 1970s in Madurai. The trailer of action-filled drama has created a lot of curiosity among the audience and the songs of the film have added fuel to their expectations. The actor will face tough battle from the other big releases and this will be his third face-off with actor Vijay. Dhanush"s performance, stunning actions and powerful dialogues are the highlights of the film.

Siruthai
Starring: Karthi, Tamanna Bhatia
Director: Siva
Music Director: Vidyasagar
Genre: Action - Comedy
Having given four hit movies in a row, Karthi is returning with Siruthai. He has paired Tamanna Bhatia for the second time. Their chemistry, which had mesmerized in Paiyaa, is ready to create the wonders again. For the first time, Karthi is essaying dual role of a thief and a cop. The movie is a remake of Telugu blockbuster Vikramarkudu and subsequently remade by Sudeep in Kannada as Veera Madakari, which also went on to become a superhit. Now, director Siva has made some minor changes in the script and remade the film in Tamil to suit the tastes of Kollywood audience. The tight screenplay with a right mixture of action, sentiment and comedy are the highlights of the film.

Ilaignan
Starring: Namitha, Meera Jasmine, Pa. Vijay, Khushboo, Remya Nambisan
Director: Suresh Kumar
Music Director: Vidyasagar
Genre: Drama
Ilaignan is a period film based on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanidhi"s Thaai Kaviyam novel, which is set in the pre-independence period. The movie banks on actress Namitha as Karunanidhi himself confessed that the script is written keeping the actress in mind. She is playing an out and out negative character in the film. The movie also marks the silver jubilee film of director Suresh Kumar. It is obvious that the audience will expect something special from this movie. Watch our for Namitha's new avatar and the storyline of the film.

Well, now the obvious question, which comes to one"s mind, is that which among these films will win the race. Fans of respective actors will always hope that their favorite actor should be on top. But it is general audience, who decides the fate of the film. Trade analysts say that the big releases at a time will certainly affect and it will eat each other"s business. They also points out that these movies will also face theatres issues like shortage of theatres, getting good cinema halls etc. However, if all these movie gets good review from the critics, then it will be a happy headache for the audience, says a positive trade analyst. He also adds that though the big releases would hamper initial collection but it will not affect in long run.

Meanwhile, advance booking for Kaavalan, Aadukalam and Siruthai are in full swing. It is said that tickets for this weekend for all these movies have been sold out in most of the parts in Tamil Nadu.