Happy Birthday Silambarasan TR: It is time for Tamil cinema’s greatest enigma to step up to the pedestal

Between Vallavan and today, helium has starred successful 25 films, including 9 cameo appearances. Hand to heart, it would beryllium pugnacious to accidental it was a aureate run. This was a signifier erstwhile actors who started with him became pan-Indian names. This was a signifier erstwhile actors who started aft him became superstars successful their ain right. This was a signifier erstwhile actors who started earlier him continued to determination up the ladder of superstardom. But this was besides a signifier erstwhile actors who started with him mislaid the plot. This was besides a signifier erstwhile actors who started aft him fizzled out. This was besides a signifier erstwhile actors who started earlier him graduated to different roles. But Silambarasan, successful his ain way… persevered. 

It was successful these 2 decades that helium had the dreamy five-film tally with Silambattam, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya, Vaanam, Osthe, and Podaa Podi. Each of these films portrayed a antithetic Silambarasan to the audience, and interestingly enough, each of these characters endeared him to a antithetic benignant of audience. People inactive curse by Thamizharasan arsenic overmuch arsenic they emotion Karthik. Their hearts inactive bushed fondly for Cable Raja arsenic overmuch they judge Arjun arsenic an unheralded leader of municipality rom-com’s. Oh, and they besides person six-pack-sporting, rhyme-dialogue spouting, badass Velan. 

But aft this, what happened is intelligibly 1 of the astir discussed downward slides successful immoderate superstar’s career. Tamil cinema has seen its stock of actors losing their way, but it hardly happened successful the nationalist oculus due to the fact that societal media wasn’t a happening backmost then. However, now… each determination oregon alternatively lack of a determination of Silambarasan became news. There was a never-ending bid of blasted games from filmmakers who accused him of being precocious to the shoots, not turning up for days, being inaccessible, being unprofessional, and a batch more. 

His films started getting delayed releases, and erstwhile again, the blasted was enactment connected him. There were besides aggregate stalled projects that buried the dreams of a mates of aspiring filmmakers. The delays started compounding, and it started affecting different films. In fact, Vaalu (2015) and Idhu Namma Aalu (2016) were delayed by a fistful of years, and this efficaciously meant the squad were stuck successful limbo for that time. This horrendous signifier besides extended to 2017 with the movie Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan, which pb to a nationalist callout of Silambarasan’s behaviour, and adjacent resulted successful the issuing of the ‘red card’ that was a prohibition of sorts for him. Now, adjacent though Silambarasan ne'er truly answered these criticisms, the penning connected the partition was getting clearer by the day. It fundamentally work that moving with Silambarasan would beryllium a nightmare, and it wouldn’t bode good for anyone who wanted to money a film, marque the film, and merchandise it connected time. 

In an manufacture similar cinema wherever word-of-mouth is paramount, specified statements should person sounded the decease knell for immoderate actor. All it takes is 1 rumour to tarnish an actor’s image, and present the accusations came flying heavy and fast, and the vigor soundlessness of Silambarasan didn’t truly assistance his lawsuit either. And then… Mani Ratnam formed Silambarasan successful Chekka Chivantha Vaanam arsenic the young and dynamic Ethirajan Senapathi. This was a relation that stripped him of each the elevations and laid bare the acting chops of Silambarasan. It besides showed to the satellite that helium wasn’t an histrion that was down and out. It proved to the discerning assemblage that the occurrence was inactive raging. 

And that’s what happened with the carnal translation of Silambarasan who had fto spell of himself. The antheral who could creation similar a dream, and tally similar the wind, had pushed himself to specified a drastic country that helium was huffing and puffing, but inactive throwing the punches. Yes, helium became the taxable of incessant trolls for his speeches. Yes, helium became the taxable of aggravated scrutiny for his views, particularly during the Nadigar Sangam elections. Yes, helium was criticised for wasting distant his premier years, and becoming the poster lad of everything incorrect with Tamil cinema and its prodigious talents.

In fact, I couldn’t assistance but wonderment what went incorrect with the lad who grew up to beryllium a antheral successful beforehand of each of us. It’s astir apt due to the fact that the lad grew up to beryllium a antheral successful beforehand of each of us. There was nary backstage abstraction for Silambarasan. Every facet of his 43-year-old beingness was determination for everyone to see. Be it romance, pursuit, anger, sadness, devastation, ecstasy, challenges, roadblocks, insults, misgivings, missteps, proven allegations, unproven theories… everything was successful the nationalist eye. It isn’t casual being idiosyncratic similar Silambarasan. He outgrew his puerility astatine a overmuch faster gait than his peers. He had to unrecorded up to the expectations of many. He had to go everything radical astir him wanted him to be, without taking a clip disconnected to conscionable beryllium what helium wanted to be. He needed clip disconnected that wasn’t connected idiosyncratic else’s time. He needed abstraction distant from everyone’s eyes. He needed to beryllium forgotten… for a while. 

The pandemic happened. The satellite was locked down. People didn’t attraction astir cinema. People didn’t attraction astir cinema stars. People didn’t attraction astir Silambarasan TR. This oblivion worked perfectly for the antheral who grew up to beryllium Atman distant from each of us. He utilized this clip to suffer weight, regain his confidence, and go an all-new rejuvenated Silambarasan. And erstwhile Silambarasan is connected song, the satellite listens. Venkat Prabhu’s Maanaadu was specified a blockbuster occurrence that radical really forgot helium did Eeswaran, and a fewer others helium did successful the interim. The video of him moving successful that airdrome country became morale boosters for galore who were adjacent to giving up connected their ain aspirations owed to assorted setbacks. The video of his authorities that sculpted him to beryllium astatine his carnal champion was the worldly of dreams. 

In fact, the changeover of Silambarasan and the occurrence of Maanadu, and the almighty performances successful Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu (2022) and Pathu Thala (2023), injected a caller adrenaline unreserved to his somewhat dormant fandom. Suddenly, helium was everywhere. He was performing successful Yuvan Shankar Raja’s concerts crossed the world. His introduction during immoderate grant functions oregon audio launches of fashionable films became the talking point. Suddenly, everyone was excited astir his prime of films. Right now, conscionable arsenic helium has launched his accumulation house, Atman Cine Arts, to backmost STR 50, directed by Desingh Periyasamy, helium has 3 much films successful the lineup that reminds america of his imagination five-film tally successful aboriginal 2010s. 

Announcement posters of STR 49 and STR 50. Courtesy: Silambarasan (Instagram)

Just similar that run, Silambarasan is pursuing Maanaadu and Vendhu Thanindhadhu Kaadu with Mani Ratnam-Kamal Haasan’s Thug Life, Oh My Kadavule and Dragon filmmaker Ashwath Marimuthu’s next, and Parking manager Ramkumar Balakrishnan’s sophomore film, earlier moving to the landmark STR 50, which is acceptable to beryllium a humanities taxable with him playing dual roles.

ALSO READ: Director Ashwath Marimuthu promises to bring backmost vintage Silambarasan TR successful AGS Productions’ STR 49

Basically… it isn’t capable that we are made to judge that the vertebrate that gets burnt to crisp and powdered to ashes is simply a phoenix. It isn’t capable that we spot that the grey wide successful beforehand of america is simply a mythical bird. That vertebrate has to emergence up from the ashes to beryllium that the story is really a legend. Well… It is time.