From Prashanth to Rajinikanth, life after a hit Shankar film goes downhill for actors

Vikram has outdone himself for director Shankar’s magnum opus I – he lost 35 kgs, had a tooth taken out and gave up two and a half years of his life for this film. The actor had been having a bad run at the box office after Shankar’s Anniyan and no doubt all his hopes were pinned on I. Now that I has had a stellar opening, it would seem like Vikram’s dry run has ended. But is that really true? If you see the careers of other actors, the post-Shankar life doesn’t go well for most of them.

Usually, one hit for an actor is a prelude to more hits. A hit film with Shankar means incredible success, which is fantastic but also a very hard act to follow.

Take Prashanth, who started his career at 17 with Vaigasi Poranthachu and was a rising star when Shankar signed him for Jeans in 1998, opposite Aishwarya Rai. At the time, Jeans was the most expensive Indian film to be made and was a runaway hit. Post Jeans, however, Prashanth struggled in the film industry. Many projects didn’t take off and those that did, produced by Prashanth’s father, failed at the box office.

Arjun, who was the star of Gentleman, has a similar story. He started his career in the Kannada film industry in 1981 and began to make mark by the mid ’80s. In 1993, Shankar cast Arjun as the vigilante in Gentleman and the actor became a household name. He went on to do Mudhalvan, again with Shankar, which was also a hit. It was when Arjun started working with other directors that his films started failing. Initially, the patriotic themes in his films clicked with audiences, but soon their popularity too fizzled out and then Arjun was seen in B-grade films that weren’t applause-worthy.

Even “Superstar Rajinikanth” isn’t an exception to this rule, it turns out. Rajinikanth’s recent release Lingaa opened to mixed reviews and despite the production team proclaiming it a superhit, the distributors are up in arms and want a refund because the film hasn’t earned as much as was expected. Some claim Rajinikanth may have lost his magic touch, but it’s worth keeping in mind that the actor’s most memorable releases of late were those directed by Shankar: Sivaji (2007) and Enthiran (2010). In between these two, Rajinikanth was seen in Kuselan (2008), directed by P Vasu and it bombed. Apparently, the actor is now eager to work with Shankar again.

What sets Shankar apart from other directors in the Tamil film industry is the unpredictability of his films. He prefers original scripts – he says they’re more stimulating – and has vowed never to work on a remake after his experience with Nanban(2012), the Tamil version of 3 Idiots which didn’t do well at the box office.

When he’s telling his own story, Shankar is ready to dabble in different genres, from a film about a vigilante to science fiction, psychological thrillers and political thrillers. Add to that his lavish budgets, exceptional music by A R Rahman, visual effects wizardry and Shankar’s creative use of technology, and the audience gets a fabulous spectacle for the three hours that they spend at the cinema.

Most other Tamil directors have some almost trademarked aspects to their filmmaking. Ace director Mani Ratnam, for instance, is renowned for strong screenplays that explore relationships. Romance has been one of Ratnam’s favourite themes and one that has brought him a lot of praise and success in the past, but it hasn’t found much popularity at the box office of late. K S Ravikumar is known for his action comedies and for working with stars like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan whose cult status is a key factor in his films’ success.

Perhaps Shankar’s strongest competitor as a director is AR Murugadoss, who works in both Tamil and Hindi. Unlike Shankar, Murugadoss works only with A-listers and most of his films are action-romances. Like Shankar, Murugadoss knows how to tell a story that will hold his audience’s attention.

In the Tamil film industry, Shankar’s eagerness to be original – both in terms of story as well as what he does with technical tools like visual effects – has played an enormous part in his continuing popularity. Considering how the director is ready to spend as long as two and a half years working on a film, it’s clear that Shankar is a perfectionist and very clear about what he wants a film to be. With few exceptions, Shankar works with new actors, which means he the actor will do what he wants and needs them to do. Even when he casts a big name, it’s on the understanding that they will give 200% and follow Shankar’s lead. In return, the director offers them larger-than-life roles in movies that break regional barriers and become pan-Indian sensations.

So what happens next? In the PS (post Shankar) phase of their careers, how do actors give audiences the kind of entertainment they expect from directors who aren’t Shankar? Most of Shankar’s heroes have struggled to find box office success after working with Shankar, possibly because the audience expects them to appear in films that are as lavish as Shankar’s. Today, Vikram is being widely appreciated for his performance and dedication to the role in I, but the actor’s next film is with Vijay Milton, who has worked mostly as a cinematographer. Titled 10 Enradhukulla, it’s a road thriller and is produced by Murugadoss. It’ll be a very different film from I. The lavish sets, exotic locations and technical dazzle of a Shankar film will be missing. But will the audience appreciate Vikram for his acting talent and not compare 10 Endhrakulla to I? We’ll just have to wait and see.