ON A TITLE HUNT!

ON A TITLE HUNT!

Filmmakers are now being secretive about their movie titles

M Suganth

What's Vijay's next flick after Thuppakki? Yohaan: Adhyaayam Ondru. Right. But, what is Ajith's film after Billa 2 titled? 'Production No 4'! If it is the title that is the calling card of a film, then, films featuring stars like Ajith, Karthi and Jiiva, and one by Mani Ratnam are still searching for one.
Announcing Ajith's next after Billa 2, directed by Siva of Siruthai fame, the production team came out with prints ads that just mentioned the working title as 'Production No 4'. The film, in which Anushka is paired opposite Ajith, is said to be a commercial entertainer and the makers are looking for a catchy title like Mankatha that captures the imagination of fans. A similar tactic was followed for a Tamil-Telugu bilingual featuring Manoj Manchu (Tollywood actor Mohan Babu's son), which had the title as 'Production No 1'.
Karthi's film with director Suraaj might be in the news for its many heroines, but that film too is till looking for a title.
While it was earlier reported that Mani Ratnam had titled his next starring actor Karthik's son Gautam and Samantha in the lead, as Pookkadai, it seems that the ace director is yet to title his film. Kollywood grapevine has that another director has already registered the title (Pookkadai) for his film. Mani Ratnam is mulling whether to name his film as Kadal, and considering that the film is set in a coastal area, it suits the film better.
The team behind Jiiva's next was keen to have Kathalikka Neramillai, the title of the yesteryear classic, as the film's title, but currently is scouting for one. The film's director Ahmed had told us earlier, "Since this is a romantic film, we felt that Kadhalikka Nermaillai would be an apt title and decided to approach the producers of the original film to get the title rights. Unfortunately, we learnt the producers are currently intending to do a remake of the original with the same title. So, now, we are looking at fresh titles."
Explaining the reason for this uncertainty over titles, film chronicler Film News Anandhan, says, "Every star wants a title that is not only catchy but also one that has the potential to become a buzzword. At the same time, they also do not want their title to sound similar to another actor's film. A great title is essential especially for commercial films, as there is very little difference between them when it comes to the story."
Industry sources also point out that most producers insist on a Tamil title so that the film has a chance to get a tax exemption. And, the controversy surrounding Karikalan's title has only made filmmakers more cautious on this issue as they do not want the title to attract negative publicity.

Karthi

Ajith

Samantha