Release of Ajith Film is a Festival in itself : UT

A string of big-budget films likeViswaroopam and Billa 2 are aiming for a June-July release

Whether it's Kamal Haasan's Viswaroopam being made at a whopping '150 crores, Billa 2 starring Ajith Kumar, Karthi's Saguni, or K.V. Anand's Maatran, the next couple of months are likely to witness a box office boom.

Breaking the trend of releasing the films around festivals, directors, producers and distributors have slotted big releases in the months of June and July irrespective of the box office outcome. Film critic Anandan points out, "These days, it does not matter when a film is going to release. The big films will rake in big bucks at the BO either way, and both actors and distributors are likely to benefit."

About the strategic placement of releases involving big stars, he says, "From the time of MGR and Sivaji Ganesan, films have released on the same date and gained momentum at the BO despite this factor."

"Until the movie is actually screened at the theatres, one can't rely on the dates being announced because last minute changes have become part and parcel of the industry," he adds.

G. Dhananjayan, Chief of the South Film Business of UTV Motion Pictures, a banner currently producing films such as Thaandavam and Mugamoodi, explains, "Normally, the hype always surrounds the actor. For example, Billa 2 does not require a festival for it to hit the screens because the release of Ajith's film is a festival in itself. This is called the 'festival film' factor. Films that have Ajith, Suriya, Kamal H a a s a n , Rajinikanth, Vikram, and Vijay are all films that don't depend on a festival to attract a grand opening at the BO. On the other hand, some actors may have to depend on the festival factor in order to ensure that a sufficient amount of hype is garnered around the time of the film's release."

Parvathy Omanakuttan, former Miss India World and lead actress in Billa 2, can't stop raving about the 'Ajith' factor. Her Kollywood debut with the superstar has raised expectations from her fans, and she states, "For a film with a star like Ajith, it does not matter when it's going to release." She adds, "It is too big a film for us to reveal the suspense and that's another reason why I haven't even talked about my role so far."

Viswaroopam's shooting and post-production is said to be nearly complete, and inside sources reveal that the muchawaited film will hit the screens in June or July. The FEFSI strike affected the completion of films such as Maatran and Billa 2 as well. Cinematographer Santhosh Sivan, who is presently working with Murugadoss in Thuppaki, says, "The distributors and directors are the ones who actually decide on a suitable date for a film's release."

Dhananjayan sums up, "At the end of the day, it is the content of the film that will decide its fate at the BO."