Click to play videoChennai: Sometimes, a boy-next-door, sometimes a good son and at other times a leader.
Right from the era of MGR and Shivaji Ganeshan, Tamil cinema has often been accused of tailoring films to suit the hero's image.
Every dialogue is scripted and every song is composed to project, not just a hero but also a leader of the masses.
"The success of MGR as a film star, as a politician and today as an iconic figure is not by fluke, and not because he has a cut on his chin. He worked for it in every film of his. He worked for the exact results he wanted and got them,” says scriptwriter, Randor Guy.
The MGR-Sivaji era faded away and gave birth to the Rajnikanth and Kamala Hassan era. However, films remained centered around the big stars and experiments were rare.
The titles, the punch dialogues even the songs are mostly tuned to galvanise the star images, turning the actor into a revolutionary and larger than life hero.
There were few actors including Kamala Hassan, who experimented with roles in films. However, those films only had a fifty-fifty chance at the box office
"I think every hero wants a script that backs him. A script that is tailor-made for him. When we write, we tend to write for the hero,” says director, Gautam Memon.
However, with young entries wanting to experiment, to establish themselves in the industry, Tamil cinema seems to be hitting a new era.
Competition has become tough and even bigger stars including Vikram and Surya are willing to shed the conventional hero image.
"What we're looking for is performance-oriented roles where we can prove ourselves as actors first. After that you get into mass films and try to give a message," says actor, Arya.
What's perhaps even more heartening is the fact that several experimental films are getting a good deal at the box office.
A reminder perhaps that both Tamil cinema and the audience may be changing slowly.
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