Kollywood misses on Valentine's weekend

Some of the most romantic Tamil films in recent years, Siva Manasula Sakthi (2009) and Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa (2010), to name a couple, have released around the Valentine weekend.
Several years ago, Hollywood created the Valentine���������s weekend to create a new market for films in the romantic genre. It was later picked up by Bollywood and very recently, by Kollywood.
A few weeks back, the trade was abuzz that there would be a pitched battle this Valentine���������s weekend as Engeyum Kadhal, Ko and Vaanam were all slated for release.Unfortunately, that did not happen. This year���������s Valentine weekend will see a mass masala movie and a film on a terrorist hijack hitting screens, apart from four small movies. A week later, there���������ll be a film on a serial killer on the prowl!
Director Prabhu Deva, whose romantic Jayam Ravi-Hansika musical Engeyum Kadhal (EK) was initially slated for release on Valentine���������s Day, has now been postponed. Quiz the choreographer-turned-filmmaker about it and he says, ���������It would have been ideal for the Valentine weekend as it is a beautiful love story set in Paris with romantic songs by Harris Jayaraj. However, the producers feel that with the World Cup around the corner, it would be better to push the release date to April, which I feel is a sound decision.���������
Hansika, who was eagerly looking forward to the film, which will be her first release in Tamil, states, ���������I really wish EK had released for the Valentine���������s weekend as it was a perfect fit for the special occasion. It is such a beautiful love story with haunting songs like Nenjil Nenjil, which is my favourite.���������
Meanwhile, actress Karthika is a bit upset that Ko did not release this weekend as expected earlier. She says, ���������I had promised my friends in Mumbai that I���������d take them for my Ko this weekend! Director Anand sir has made a love story laced with action. Besides, there are mindblowing romantic songs like Venpaniye... and Ennamo....���������
Meanwhile, Chennai���������s multiplexes are peeved that there is no romantic film for the weekend.
Says a spokesperson of a popular multiplex, ���������In the last couple of years, the Valentine���������s weekend has been aggressively marketed by multiplexes and malls with a lot of promotional activity as an occasion to celebrate love. A lot of young couples would love to watch a romantic movie on Valentine���������s Day. But unfortunately, this year we don���������t have even one Tamil romantic movie to cash in on this big love weekend.���������
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