Kollywood Pongal - Part 1

 If you are active in social media, you might be swamped with Thunivu vs Vaarisu discussion all over your time line as both are slated for released eve of Pongal.

With respect movie releases on key festival days, Deepavali was considered to be premium one for Kollywood. Every actor, director, producer wanted to enter and win this race. A Deepavali hit movie tag is more important to sell their future endeavors, will give lead in signing other projects. For actors its like CCNA, .Net Certification of 90s to upskill  and fly to US of A :-). 

Every festival days in TN will have handful of releases during 70s and 80s with almost all the top ranked stars competing with each other though healthily. One might find both MGR and Sivaji pitched in every festival release which Kamal and Rajini followed for some time too.

The dynamics of movie business changed considerably post 2000 where you might hardly see not even 2 or 3 movies getting released during Deepavali. Even the top stars don't want to get into Deepavali race. Everyone tried playing safe and no one want to lag behind or give a failure. Too much of insecurity creeped in.

While Deepavali festival is very colorful, crackers all around, it starts and ends with in 24 hours. Its like a ODI hundred. But Pongal, which is being celebrated across for nearly 5 days, laid back mode. Not like Deepavali, Pongal celebration is connected with too many cultural activities from various forms of folk arts being performances, Jallikattu, family coming together to celebrate the festival once in a year mandatorily in rural side, in Madras public thronging to Marina on Kaanum pongal day, not to forget about messing it all around, mandatory visit to Gandhi Mandapam and Snake Park during 70s and early 80s.

There was a strong sport connect to Pongal in Madras which Deepavali doesn't have was the Memorable Chepauk Tests. How one can forget the 97 Not out of GRV against likes of Roberts, Julien, Boyce, Holder, 'Vaseline Lever' 5fer, Kapil and SMH scampering for a bye to win a test against Alvin Kalicharan's WI, Neil Fosters 11 wickets, Azhar's one of back to back 3 centuries on his debut etc. Slowly this ritual also gone and for many years Chepauk didnt  get a test even during other times too.

Let us go back  to the topic  of looking back what was the scene during 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and to some extent of 90s, what Kollywood offered part of Pongal release.

Let us us delve into that from next part onwards. Till then..