The re-release of Baasha has almost the same fervent energy as Kabali. I share the ‘ditto love’ for our Superstar. As the trailer clocks multilevel views, I ran an online poll to see which Kamal Haasan film people would like to watch if it’s re-released now. Before we get into the names of films that pop up in your mind as you read this piece, my question is: do we need to re-release classics in theatres today?
The answer is a thumping yes. Why? Because apart from you, the 11-year-old kid in your house also needs to fall in love with the best of the best that Tamil cinema has offered and in the case of Superstar and Ulaganayagan who are still offering to the world. While Netflix, Amazon Prime and Torrents serve as a reminder of how we used to watch the FDFS of our favourite hero, it never equals the euphoria of watching a legendary actor in a splendid movie which captures their younger selves. While some lifestyle moments and technology of a ‘mobile’ world may not be prevalent in the cinema of say 20 years ago, the story, acting and emotions still ring true.
Watch the iconic Nayagan and tell me if you miss a mobile phone in Velu Nayakan’s hand? Or would it work if Periyathevar (Sivaji Ganesan in his adaptable, remarkable best) spoke on Skype to his son Shakthi in Devar Magan? The mind-blowing film
won equal number of votes as Nayagan and they are the two Kamal movies people wanted to watch if it re-released tomorrow.
Nostalgia apart what possibly works is also the numbers. The film (product) has had its full run earlier and a re-release means just dusting off the visual specks and upgrading the sound version to Dolby Atmos. Content still works and the fan following of both stars confirm a good opening and at least a two-week run, which is a big timeline for a film to remain on-screen these days.
My second question is: apart from Rajini and Kamal, who are the other actors whose films you wish to see on a re-run in 2017? Give me a list, quick!
Sujatha Narayanan @n_sujatha08