Tamil Features

October Rewind: Top 6 Social Media Moments

By Janani K

This month was a trip back to the 90s. A Vijay movie and an Ajith movie competing at the box office. And the ‘Oh-so-Parliament-level’ canvassing and elections of the Nadigar Sangam.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

1. Director Chimbudeven’s Puli, starring Vijay, Shruti Haasan and Hansika, seemed set for a smooth solo release on October 1. But things took a turbulent turn, after last minute IT raids and allegations of financial irregularities forced theatre owners to cancel all the morning shows. Vijay stepped in to ensure that Puli’s noon and afternoon shows went ahead as scheduled.

The last minute chaos led to some pointed questions. Politician J Anbazhagan tweeted,

And actor Mohan Raman was furious about last minute issues being thrust on big-budget films:

2. It was Ajith’s show throughout October. Teasers and the audio of director Siruthai Siva’s Vedalam were released online. Expectations ran high. But the album received mixed reviews and many said Vedalam was Anirudh’s least impressive album.

Meanwhile, actress Parvathi Nair, who shared screen space with Ajith in Yennai Arindhaal, was full of praise for the teaser.

Actor and music director Premgi Amaren, an Ajith fan, complimented Anirudh for trying out trap beats:

Basking in the overwhelming positive feedback, director Siva thanked fans for their support:

3. A real tragedy this month was veteran actress Aachi Manorama’s untimely demise. With performances in over 1500 films, her acting prowess continues to be unmatched. Celebrity after celebrity said that her death had left a vacuum in the industry. One of the mourners was Shruti Haasan, whose Twitter tribute was a remembrance of how inspirational Manorama had been for her.

An overwhelmed fan shared his feelings on Aachi Manorama’s irreplaceability.

Shortly after the news of her demise spread, a video of Manorama during the Cinema Journalists function went viral. 

4. The Nadigar Sangam elections were the talk of the town this October. And it really picked up momentum as D-Day approached. Derogatory remarks were tossed around, emotions ran high. The situation was gaining the infamy of parliamentary elections. But, as actor Sibiraj and many youngsters in the team, pointed out, the election turnout was a great step forward.

Producer Dhayanidhi Alagiri, however, felt the Nadigar Sangam election was nothing but drama:

5. Director SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali released on July 10 and the TV premiere was announced to coincide with the Hindu Dusshera festival. One fan, who hadn’t seen Baahubali in the theatre, belatedly understood the hype around the question, “Why Kattappa Killed Baahubali?”   

Rajamouli is often hard to please. But he seemed impressed with the 10 second promotional video in Hindi:

Another fan felt Baahubali had transcended regional barriers, and become a pan-Indian film.

Baahubali 3

Baahubali 3

6. On the day of its TV premiere, SS Rajamouli finally broke his silence on the third part of Baahubali. Work hasn’t yet resumed for the second part, Baabubali: The Conclusion, but why wait? Baahubali 3 is likely to have a dramatic twist in the same style as Baahubali: The Beginning.

One curious fan wondered what the third part would be titled:

Another fan, however, wanted something different from Rajamouli. Fair point!

*****

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Janani K is a Alum at Silverscreen India, and can be reached by email at jananik@silverscreen.in