AND THE CREDIT GOES TO....

AND THE CREDIT GOES TO....

Endhiran, which was released a fortnight before has brought life to an age-old debate. No! We are not going to discuss about Endhiran. The debate is actually on a larger perspective. A scale which is larger than that of Endhiran's! What is it that actually makes a movie work? We all know that the making of a movie is no less than weaving a magic spell on the audience. But it is also a collective effort, a combined effort of hundreds of individuals.

So who takes the larger share of the pie here? Everyone involved in the movie has the right to claim that the movie's success is theirs. The director, producer, cinematographer, musician, lyricist… everyone has an equal part to play in a movie. The phenomenal success of Endhiran has added a new dimension to the topic. Is a big-budget movie a recipe for success? Analysts will argue that a small budget movie like Kalavani was also a huge success. OK!

There have been so many instances in the past where big budget movies have fallen and small timers have tasted huge success. A very obvious example is that of Pasanga. A movie which featured school children and was targeted mostly at children was a huge success. It reaped rich harvests across the world with so many awards in International film festivals and four national

awards. So, are story and direction keys to success? In that case, movies like Anbe Sivam and Virumandi should never have been flops. Actor Vijay tasted huge success with a string of hits movies like Gilli, Sivakasi, Tirupachi and Pokkiri. So, is star value the focal point to the movies success? Think about Vijay's movies of the recent past and we can say it is not.

Music has played a very important role in Indian movies, Kollywood in particular. There have been movies in the past that have become hits only because of songs and romantic numbers. Is music instrumental in the movie's success? Well, directors of late have opted to choose scripts which take a detour from the normal. Kamal Hassan starrer Unnaipol Oruvan succeeded without a single romantic number. Same goes with other departments which have equal contribution in the making of movie. So what is it that makes a movie click?

If we take a look at this year's hit movies, we can possibly have an idea (not a conclusion) of what it takes to strike gold. We have star value in Sura, Singam and Asal, musical hits like Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya and Paiyaa, experiments like Ayirathil Oruvan and Raavanan, comedy in movies like Boss Engira Baskiran and one movie which had all, Endhiran. This has made the situation hazier than before. We can only infer that success of a movie is about street smart direction. The difference here is between having food at home and in a restaurant. It is about cooking the recipe with all the required ingredients.

Endhiran has only emphasized this very fact. It has the required star value, peppy songs, great locations, the required computer graphics and the right script which can make the audience think about the movie after leaving the movie hall. Such a budget was required because the script required it. We may again be proved wrong if a movie of such extravagance fails in the future. For now, the credit goes to ... the smarter brain!