The boom of Tamil-language entertainment content and the constant chatter about Kollywood on social media might deceive you, but it is no longer easy to pick a new film to watch. Tamil cinema has just gotten through a jittery five months into 2024 , with only a handful of titles tasting varying degrees of success at the box-office. Through every hopeful opening on a Friday morning, or a well-cut trailer promising to deliver the goods, fans have held their breath for a revival in the scene, only to be left underwhelmed.
But firstly, is there really an issue here, or is it an exaggerated reaction in an industry known to be quite volatile? Even in the last four years, when the industry relied on stars to clutch through the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has not been a lack of big-budget star vehicles, or smaller content-driven projects, especially in the first half of the year. 2024 paints quite a stark image in comparison. The big star vehicles that were released for Pongal — Dhanush’s Captain Miller and Sivakarthikeyan’s Ayalaan — failed to do well, and the same goes for Lal Salaam , which had Rajinikanth in an extended cameo.
However, these three titles still remain the highest-grossing films of the year. Of course, there have been exceptions, like the wonderful gem that was Lover or the mid-budget winner that Aranmanai 4 turned out to be at the box-office. Kavin’s Star made a splash on its opening weekend, and films like Blue Star , J Baby and the Vi.
