After Vijay-Ajith mania, are ‘Verithanam’ fans fading in Tamil Nadu?

I have grown up watching Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan films. I have witnessed Tamil cinema craze outside theatres as fans throng the ticket counters almost killing each other to ensure they don’t miss the ‘First Day First Show (FDFS)’. I never thought I’d be one of them carrying on the legacy of fandom, but I was, when I began to worship the next generation of superstars. As a die-hard Vijay fan, I have witnessed fist fights between rival gangs on several occasions. Vijay vs Ajith or Thalapathy vs Thala are common hashtags on social media too.

As a journalist, I’ve been lucky in procuring tickets for every Vijay film – FDFS, giving me access to the thoughts and actions of scores of fans.

Tamil Nadu has kept this tradition of two-hero fandom going since the Sivaji Ganesan-MG Ramachandran (MGR) era. However now, I keep wondering if there is a next gen to this. Apart from Dhanush-Simbu fans, has there been a “I can kill for my hero” feeling running through the veins of any other fan?

“I doubt it. The mindset of film goers has changed from following films featuring favourite actors to films with good storyline,” said fashion student Mukti Swaminathan, who thinks Vijay Sethupathi is one of the latest set of actors, who seems to be the new favourite of many. True to this, he is fondly called Makkal Selvan (people’s treasure).

“Yes, Sivakarthikeyan-Sethupathi can be termed as the latest duo in Kollywood, but the aggressive hero-worship present then has mellowed down considerably,” said Guna, film PR.

Those were the days when there weren’t TV sets in every home. And the only way to catch your favourite movie featuring your favourite hero was when you manage to hit the theatres during its release. “Today, every person in every corner of this state or country has a mobile phone with access to films and entertainment news,” Guna added, claiming that there is no need to hit the theatres and thus the enthusiasm too is kept in check as 24/7 news feeds keep people abreast of events ranging from an actor misbehaving on the sets to an actor slapping a young fan in a fit of rage. “And hence, such information adds to the opinions formed by many fans,” asserted Guna.

Just like the umpteen number of news channels, talents too are way too many now, don’t you agree? Well, class X1 student from Chennai, Akshaya Subramanian, sure does. “Look at Atharva for example. For a new actor, he is really good. Be it action or comedy, he pulls it off with élan. So does Sivakarthikeyan. Thus, it’s difficult for me to claim to be a fan of just one actor or one film,” she said.

After Bigil, Tamil Nadu’s current superstar Vijay is all set for his upcoming release Master. One of the hit songs of Thalapathy is ‘Verithanam’, which means ‘aggressive’. “That verithanam for Vijay or Ajith continues to rage through southern India. I’d call it vera level (unparalleled) set of fans. That star power or aura of Vijay and Ajith hasn’t faded yet. One needs to wait to see who will be the ones holding that mantle next. That won’t be easy to predict for the next ten years,” said Ragavan, assistant director, who aspires to be an actor-director soon.

“On one hand, with OTT platforms gaining an audience, there is a section of people wanting to follow good films and promising directors. But come Pongal or Diwali, you can’t miss another set of audience waiting to catch a Vijay or an Ajith film,” added Ragavan.

Attaining that star power is surely going to take time. Like another Vijay song from Mersal or Ajith’s hit film, it will be interesting to know the next ‘Aala Poraan Tamizhan’ (the Tamilian who’ll rule), who will recreate ‘Varalaru’ (history).