‘Kaala’ to ‘Mercury’: Films affected due to Kollywood strike

It’s been more than a month since the Tamil Film Producers’ Council (TFPC) announced an indefinite strike against the Digital Service Providers. What started off as a protest against exorbitant prices soon snowballed into an industry revamp. The council has raised several demands that need to be met. The TFPC also requested filmmakers/producers to stall the post and pre-production work of films. Now, many Tamil films including the biggies -- Rajinikanth’s ‘Kaala’ and Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ have been affected due to the strike.

Superstar Rajinikanth-starrer is arguably one of the most anticipated releases this year. The expectations for ‘Kaala’ rose to mammoth proportions after its teaser hit the internet. Much to everyone’s expectations, the teaser set the internet on fire and has clocked in more than 20 million views so far. However, an uncertainty prevails over the film’s release due to the ongoing strike in the industry. The film was embroiled in a controversy after reports suggested that the makers were denied a No Objection Certificate by the TFPC. Nevertheless, ‘Kaala’ has successfully completed the censor formalities and has been given a ‘U/A’ certificate. Produced by Dhanush, ‘Kaala’ boasts of names like Nana Patekar, Huma Qureshi, Eswari Rao and Samuthirakani in pivotal roles. ‘Kaala’ was originally scheduled to release on April 27, 2018.

After two years, Karthik Subbaraj is back with ‘Mercury’. Touted to be a silent thriller, the film created a strong buzz on social media. But the release of the film has now been stalled due to the strike. On Thursday, producer of ‘Tik Tik Tik’ slammed Karthik on Twitter for going ahead with the release, despite the strike. Later, Karthik clarified on Twitter that the Tamil version of ‘Mercury’ will not release in Tamil Nadu. Since it's a ‘silent’ film, many were expecting that the film might release as per the plan on April 13. Interestingly, ‘Mercury’ will have its world premiere at The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) on April 12, a day before its actual release in India. ‘Mercury’ will see actor-choreographer Prabhudheva in the lead.

‘Tik Tik Tik’ is one of the big films to look forward to this year. The Jayam Ravi starrer science-fiction thriller has already created waves on the internet ever since its trailer was out. Touted to be the first Indian space film, ‘Tik Tik Tik’ is directed by Shakti Soundar Rajan. According to reports, the makers have spent a lavish amount on the VFX scenes. Also starring Nivetha Pethuraj, Vincent Ashokan and Ramesh Thilak in important roles, the film was supposed to release earlier this year. However, the release has now been pushed because of the strike. It must be noted that the film is made on a large scale.

Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ is easily the most anticipated sequel in Tamil cinema for many reasons. The first part, which released in 2013, ended with a cliffhanger. When ‘Vishwaroopam’ released after a series of controversies, it received outstanding reviews from critics and fans alike. Its sequel, 'Vishwaroopam 2', takes the story forward from where its predecessor ended. As per latest reports, the much-awaited sequel has already completed the censor formalities and has been passed with a ‘U/A’ certificate. Reportedly, the trailer of ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ is ready and will be out once the TFPC calls off the strike. ‘Vishwaroopam 2’ landed in a financial soup after its rights were bagged by Aascar Ravichandran. However, Kamal Haasan took over the project last year and the post-production work was done at a famous studio in Los Angeles.

Music composer turned actor Vijay Antony and director Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi are coming together for ‘Kaali’, which marks Kiruthiga Udhayanidhi’s second directorial after ‘Vanakkam Chennai’ in 2013. The makers unveiled the trailer recently in the hope that ‘Kaali’ might release soon. Tipped to be a psychological thriller, ‘Kaali’ has enough characters and backstories to provide us a gripping tale. Produced by Fatima Antony under Vijay Antony Film Corporation, the film also stars Anjali, Sunaina, Shilpa and Amritha in pivotal roles. Actors Jayaprakash, Yogi Babu and RK Suresh will be seen in supporting roles. The team is yet to come up with a release date.

Vishal, who is spearheading the strike against the Digital Service Providers, is awaiting the release of ‘Irumbu Thirai’, which is again made on a big budget. The film, directed by debutant PS Mithran, was initially planned for release this month. Touted to be sci-fi thriller, ‘Irumbu Thirai’ teaser was released last year and received good response from fans. Samantha has been paired opposite Vishal for the first time in her career. Produced by Vishal Film Factory, the film has music by Yuvan Shankar Raja and also stars Arjun Sarja in an important role. The makers are yet to finalise the release date of the film.

Cinematographer-turned-director Vijay Milton’s 'Goli Soda' was a sleeper hit when it released in 2014. The film won critical acclaim and became commercially successful as well. After four years, Vijay Milton is back with ‘Goli Soda 2’, whose teaser was released earlier this year. Like the first part, the sequel also talks about the lives of people from various strata of the society. The film was supposed to release to release on March 29. But it got postponed due to the strike. Produced by Rough Note, ‘Goli Soda 2’ stars Chemban Vinod Jose, Rohini, Subiksha, Krisha Kurup, Rakshita Babu, Bharath Seeni, Vinoth and Essaki Bharath in the lead. It also has Gautham Menon and Samuthirakani in supporting roles.

Sarjun became an internet phenomenon after his two short films -- ‘Lakshmi’ and ‘Maa’ became huge hits on YouTube. The short films addressed several taboos that are omnipresent in our society. Sarjun is making his directorial debut with the crime thriller ‘Echarikkai’. Like many other films, the release of ‘Echarikkai’ has been put on hold in order to show solidarity to the strike. What’s interesting about the film is that it stars ‘Baahubali’ star Sathyaraj in the lead role, while actors Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Kishore and Yogi Babu will be seen in supporting roles.