‘They want to know more about him. They want to see his films. Even those who were earlier not interested in his films want to see him now.’
Key Points
- Tamil Nadu and other states will host a Vijay film festival later this month to celebrate his political victory.
- The festival will focus on films from Vijay’s repertoire that exhibit a strong political leaning, such as Sura.
- Exhibitors note a massive increase in Vijay’s fan base, with audiences eager to watch his films to learn more about him.
To celebrate Vijay’s historic victory in the assembly elections, cinema halls in Tamil Nadu and other states will host a Vijay film festival in May.
The focus will be on films from Vijay’s repertoire where he showed a strong political leaning.
Celebrating Vijay’s Political Journey Through Cinema
In 2010, Vijay delivered a prophetic line in his film Sura: ‘I have honesty and courage in my heart. Above all, I have a crowd willing to give their lives for me.’
Sura will be one of the films screened at the festival.
Increased Fan Engagement and Box Office Potential
Roshan Singh, an exhibitor in Bihar, tells Subhash K Jha that cinema audiences are currently obsessed with Vijay.
“They want to know more about him. They want to see his films. Even those who were earlier not interested in his films want to see him now. His fan base has suddenly increased massively. Showing his old films is a better bet than releasing new Hindi films,” says Roshan Singh.
Neeraj Joshi, a film marketing expert in Mumbai, feels Vijay is the moviegoers’ top choice at the moment.
“His victory is scripted like a blockbuster film. Everyone wants to know more about him. Since he is a very private person, his films are being seen as a way to know him,” he says.
Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
