PERIOD FILMS A NEW TREND IN TAMIL CINEMA.

The success of Subramaniapuram has encouraged many a producer to go in for period films. The film set in the eighties is this year’s biggest box office hit and as usual other’s having followed suit. Madrasapattinam directed by Vijay, recently launched is set in the pre- independent period and director Chimbudevan’s Irumbu Kottai Muraatu Singum is set in the 17th century. A film nearing completion is Ayirthil Oruvan which has major portion set in 18th century. It is directed by Selvaraghavan and has Karthi and Reema Sen

Tamil cinema has period films about historical characters and about Kings and their battles set in unspecified period but now stories of ordinary men set in the bygone era is something new to filmdom and the success of Subramaniapuram has inspired many felt film historian Film News Anandan. Kamal Hassan’s Hey Ram set in the partition days was a dud at the box office while his recent offering Dasavathram which starts off from the 12th century to the present era was a hit. Soon to hit the screen is Priyadarsan directed Kanchivaram set in the late forties speaks about the communist movement in the silk weavers town and Cheran directed Pokkisham has portions of the film happenings taking place during the seventies.
In 2006 Chimbudevan directed Imasai Arasan 3M Pulikesi a spoof on the palace politics set in the 18th century and was a blockbuster hit. Shooting a period film is no joke says Sasikumar who directed Subramaniapuram. “ I did lot of research about the way people looked in the Madurai of 80’s and also how the streets looked. I collected many memorabilia to put in the film scenes . Since I was doing a period film the producers would shy away because it costs more and here I had no star in the cast. So I decided to produce it myself,” says the director who recently was awarded for his work in a function organized by a Malayalam channel and a leading vernacular daily. A Tamil film director sitting with likes of Mammooty and Mohanlal and being the only non Malayalee to receive the awards was like a dream said Sasikumar.