‘Chekka Chivantha Vaanam’ & ‘Vada Chennai’: The First-Look Posters That Tell Them Apart

Where we say Chekka Chivantha Vaanam could learn a thing or two from Vada Chennai

Over the past week, the first-look posters of two much anticipated films-in-the-making – Chekka Chivantha Vaanam and Vada Chennai – were released. Offering a glimpse at the characters that populate the movies – one wholly and the other partially bankrolled by Lyca Productions – the posters bore the screen-names of each actor. CCV, said to trace the lives of four brothers, and also based on modern day relationships, was the first to begin on August 12: Arvind Swami as Varadhan was introduced against a blood red sky, his expressions well in tune with the landscape. It was soon followed by Vijay as Thyagu, Silambarasan as Ethi and Vijay Sethupathi as Rasool, against a similar backdrop.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam devoted entire frames to its male leads.

Then arrived the posters with actresses Jyothika, Aishwarya Rajesh and Dayana Erappa – who makes her debut with the film. Curiously, the female leads were seen along with the actor they’re (supposedly) paired with onscreen. Both Chithra (Jyothika) and Chaaya (Diana Erappa) can be seen leaning on Varadhan (Arvind Swami) and Ethi (Silambarasan) respectively. The poster showcasing Aishwarya Rajesh as Renu features her alongside Arun Vijay’s Thyagu, and it would perhaps be safe to assume that Aditi Rao Hydari would appear alongside Vijay Sethupathi.

Chekka Chivantha Vaanam – according to lyricist Vairamuthu, who, in a recent interview revealed that it was about the struggles of modern life and relationships – may have a reason to present its cast as a unit, a couple, but that doesn’t quite explain why the men have posters devoted entirely to them when the women don’t. Perhaps it’s a tale that focuses primarily on the men, or perhaps the women don’t have prominent roles themselves, but Vada Chennai, the Vetrimaaran film which is said to have Dhanush and Samuthirakani in lead roles, and actresses Aishwarya Rajesh and Andrea Jeremiah in important roles, chose to do away with archaic poster traditions – delightfully so.

Vada Chennai, which stars Dhanush as a national-level carrom player , began with the poster of Andrea Jeremiah as Chandra – and in a lovely turn of events, she filled the entire frame, a burnished palette which characterised the other posters as well. Other images that were released featured actor Samuthirakani as Guna, Kishore as Senthi, Pavan as Venu, Daniel Balaji as Thambi, Ameer as Rajan and Dhanush himself as Anbu. Yet another surprise though, was the poster of Aishwarya Rajesh – as the beautiful Padma. This time too, the actress was presented alone – something that ought to be a regular occurrence by now, but is still celebrated for its rarity.

It is also pertinent to talk about the other movies that CCV heroines Jyothika and Aishwarya Rajesh are engaging themselves with. Jyothika, after her break-out 36 Vayathinile and Magalir Mattum, will soon be seen in Kaatrin Mozhi, a remake of the Bollywood film Tumhari Sulu which revolves around a woman – a wife and a mother – who becomes a radio jockey. A recently released first-look poster of the film featured her holding a placard that carried some ‘commandments for women’ – all brash heroism in a sari. The lines may not be well-thought out, but position her as an actress who cares about the lives of the masses that adore her. Meanwhile, Aishwarya Rajesh – who proved she was a force to be reckoned with in the rooted Kaaka Muttai that saw her essaying the role of a harassed, single mother to two young boys – plays a young girl who aspires to be a cricketer in Arun Raja Kamaraj’s Kanaa. The teaser of Kanaa was out today.

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