2022 is a reminder that the Rajinikanth-Kamal Haasan-Vijay-Ajith formula has continued for the past two decades. Kamal Hassan took a step back in the box office status in the last decade but came back with old power through industry hit Vikram. It is also noteworthy that while Rajini-Kamal-Vijay‘s market is growing outside Tamil Nadu, Ajith‘s market reach is limited to Tamil Nadu.
Suriya and Vikram showed flashes to Tier-1 in the period 2005-2010 but further failures stop between Tier-1 and Tier-2. A few big budget films give Vikram a leg up but he is plagued by failures without a consistent market. Recently two content oriented super hits ( Sooraraipottru , Jai Bhim) were born but Suriya was not able to prove his strength at the box office as they were not theatrical releases. The theatrical release ET was also a dismal failure. Even Sivakarthikeyan, who came to the cinema after 2010, has been giving 100crore box office movies continuously while Suriya continues to wait for a Genuine 100crore movie.
In Tamil Nadu, dominated by the aforementioned senior players, the Tier 2 hero’s competitions have seen many changes in recent times. Sivakarthikeyan and Karthi, foray into the Tier 2 market of Dhanush – STR is very respectable. In this, Siva Karthikeyan is leading by easily overcoming the hurdle of seniority with family audience support in Tamil Nadu. A consistent market in Tamil Nadu also sets Siva Karthikeyan apart from other actors. The 100crore market entry of his last two releases Doctor and Don and the pre-release business of his Diwali release Prince indicate the rise of Siva karthikeyan. Big budget sci-fi movie Ayalaan is also gearing up for release as a fuel for the star to jump ahead.
Karthi is another star leading the Tier-2 market. Craze among mass audience is Karthi‘s strength. Ponniyin selvan is a milestone in Karthi‘s career, which has recently entered the 500crore club with its recent release. Karthi is in two important sequels that kollywood is waiting for(PS2,Kaithi2) . Strong hold in Tamil Nadu -Kerala- Andhra-Telangana markets makes Karthi stand out from its contemporaries. Perhaps Karthi is not far from reaching the Tier-1 range. Sardar as a Diwali release and Ponniyin Selvan-2 as a summer release are awaiting for release.
It is surprising that Dhanush – STR have been in the Tier-2 market since the beginning of their careers. The huge success of his first films took him to great heights, but STR went ahead in his career without proper planning and full of controversies. STR has been coming back from places where his career often seemed to be over. Those comebacks have always been proof that he is there. Although the box office stamina is less compare to tier-2 heroes ,but one or two more big hits are enough to get a foothold in the race.
Dhanush is perhaps the complete package after Kamal haasan in kollywood. The actor, who dabbles in both commercial and experimental films at the same time, and he is more popular than his contemporaries. . The actor who has acted in Malayalam, Hindi and English movies, an amazing actor who believes in content. His recent release Thiruchitrambalam was the biggest hit of his career and the only 100crore film. Dhanush‘s Popularity is not often beneficial at the box office. The highlight is that many films have gone to catch Dhanush‘s popularity in future, Captain Miller,Tamil Telugu periodical film directed by Shekhar Kamula are his upcoming pan-Indian outing.
Karthi’s Sardar and Siva Karthikeyan‘s Prince hit the theaters on the same day for Diwali to heat up the Tier War. Let’s wait for the coronation of next generation Tamil box office kings…
