Chennai: As the political air gets rife with action and anxiety and election heat picks up in Tamilnadu, the question that everyone is asking is: When is Vishwaroopam-2 releasing? Because in this State, cinema trumps everything. It is a place where it is not uncommon to hear film songs played at funerals
There are two schools of thought on why Kamal is not releasing Vishwaroopam 2 even though the film is long complete and the actor has actually moved on to his next project, Uttama Villain, in which he plays two roles one of which seems a typically weighty one, in that he has a pretty heavy make-up. It may have reached the level where Kamal picks only roles that allow him the creative space of not being himself on his selfie.
Anyway, Crank’s News went around Kollywood to get a lowdown from sources close to Kamal on the possible reasons for the delay over Vishwaroopam 2’s release.
Kamal is always ahead of the times. For instance, his song Ilamai Idho Idho with its iconic shout ‘…wish you a Happy Yew Year’ was shot in October itself. ‘If that was not ahead of the times, we don’t know what else can be,’ sources explained.
‘The thing is many Kamal movies in the past became acceptable only in their future,’ the sources added, sounding almost like Kamal in incomprehensibility. Anbe Sivam, which didn’t do well when it released, is now, over a decade later, being talked of (by some sections) as being a classic.
At the time of its release, Anbe Sivam was pitted against Dhool, a robust masala entertainer replete with action, comedy, songs, and a story that was shorter than some of the attire that Reema Sen wore in that film. Anbe Sivam’s story, on the other hand, was pretty nuanced in that it had the contours of a Communist ideological film that talked of the importance of godly belief, eventually forcing the viewers to philosophically ask the question: “Did Sundar C actually direct this?”
Mumbai Xpress was another Kamal film that didn’t do well when it made it to the theatres. It was a different type of comedy movie in that Kamal attempted, after a long time in his humour oeuvre, the evolved technique of not allowing K S Ravikumar direct it. Mumbai Xpress now enjoys a cult status of sorts among the cognoscenti, who are basically the people who manage to spell that word.
Considering all this, Kamal is said to be veering around to the view: ‘if my films find acceptance only tomorrow why should I release it this Friday?’
When translated to normal words, Vishwaroopam 2 may release sometime the year after or the one after that when the larger public may be deemed ready for it.
But it is also being said that Kamal is also toying with the plan to not release Vishwaroopam-2 at all because that is one sure-fire way to help keep interest on the film alive always among the people.
‘Vishwaroopam was a rage because there was a possibility that it could go un-exhibited. But all that died the moment it hit the theatres,’ Kamal is said to have confided to his close friends (note to editorial desk: Insert pic of Jayaram or Ramesh Aravind or Ku Gnanasambandam).
“I might have created Vishwaroopam. But Vishwaroopam 2 was created out of Vishwaroopam. There is two because there was one. So technically it is the father, and I am, well, the grandfather. So it is also a moral question whether I should be involved in Vishwaroopam 2’s release at all,” Kamal was quoted as saying. “It is like Srinivasan having a say in Shruthi’s life. It sounds so absurd, especially since Srinivasan is long dead,” Kamal said slipping in a typical personal line that you can understand only if you are familiar with his family tree.
But if there is pressure from the public and other forces on Kamal to release Vishwaroopam 2, the actor categorically said he would have no other option but to take refuge in some other country.
But even if Vishwaroopam 2 is not released it may not enjoy the tag of being the best unreleased Kamal film. That record is jointly held by Marudanayagam and Marmayogi. They are the best unreleased Kamal films because they never got made in the first place. They were so far ahead of the times that even Kamal was not ready for them.
(Disclaimer: Kamal has actually said that ‘Vishwaroopam-2 is both a sequel and prequel to Vishwaroopam’. With such quotes ready on tap, it boggles our own mind that we still bother to spoof him with the made-up lines)