Vijay’s celebrity has reached a stage where even his most unimaginative, unoriginal, and unamusing movie might bring in global box office profits of more than Rs 200 crore. This is a testament to Vijay’s ability to connect with audiences. Take, for example, his most recent picture, Beast.
‘Thalapathy’ Today, on the occasion of his 48th birthday, Vijay is a superstar of the kind that is quickly becoming extinct. In the oversaturated media ecosystem that we are currently experiencing, it is difficult to predict if any other actors will ever achieve such a level of celebrity in the future. It would appear that people only go to the movies to watch blockbusters these days. At the box office, most films that are not large-scale spectacles fail to make a significant impact. For instance, a personal drama about a main character who is going through an emotional crisis, is caught between two options, and is ruminating on important existential themes may be a good candidate for publication on a streaming service since it is so well suited to the medium. These days, a movie like that has a very little chance of bringing in huge revenues as it did in the old days, when going to the cinema was a ritual that was associated with something grand and thrilling. The age of never-ending scrolling has diminished the sense of freshness that one gets from going to the movies.
Vijay, on the other hand, shows no sign of alarm. The actor, who is maybe the last OG of Tamil box office, still commands a vast market that responds to all sorts of movies he performs. He is one of the few actors who has achieved this status. His celebrity has reached the point that even his most uninspired, unoriginal, and unfunny movie might bring in global box office profits of more than Rs 200 crore. This is a significant amount of money. Take, for example, his most recent picture, Beast. The film, which Nelson both wrote and directed, was met with widespread disapproval from film reviewers and even drew negative feedback from audiences. However, despite this fact, it was still able to generate returns for its investors. In the midst of an unconquerable epidemic, the assault of streaming services, and increasing inflation, only a true OG is capable of accomplishing such a remarkable achievement.
Vijay’s superstardom comes with a number of unpleasant trappings that he doesn’t appear to be able to avoid. His films are required to adhere to a formula, which consists of a series of dance routines and battle sequences interspersed with a handful of punchlines that may be quoted. Filmmakers are tasked with navigating around these narrative duties while also crafting engaging narratives. Because of his celebrity, Vijay is unable to integrate himself naturally into the setting of an interesting narrative. Instead, screenwriters are tasked with creating a narrative that revolves on Vijay’s appearance on screen. And because of this, there are fewer choices available when it comes to the kinds of movies that can be accommodated by Vijay’s market. Anything radical, novel, void of feeling, or out of the ordinary has an extremely low chance of ever making it to his reading table.
But if Vijay can take a chance on something as unimaginative and uninteresting as Beast, why can’t he take a risk, say, once a year, on a movie that is outside of his comfort zone? In this way, he can not only assure that he is not going to lose out on the market that he has worked so hard to gain, but he can also grow his audience even further. Additionally, not to mention the fact that it would be such a tremendous service in broadening the notion of mainstream cinema, which has such a specific connotation in our film business, this would be a terrific thing to do.