The year 2006 has ended on a happy note. As we welcome the New Year with a bang, we cannot but reminisce about all things good and bad, that happened in the year which just passed by. When we think in terms of good films at the threshold of 2007, director Shankar seems to be the first person to come to mind. Undeniably so, because of the quality films that he has produced in the recent past.

Shankar, as a director, is known for larger-than-life characters and expensively shot films that have grandeur in their every frame. He arrived into the film production arena with Kadhal, which went on to become a super hit. An ordinary story, narrated in an extraordinary way met with stupendous success. What surprised everyone was its unsophisticated filming that was until then supposed to be unlikely from Shankar’s stable.

The director of the film was Balaji Sakthivel, who learnt film-making from Shankar himself. Balaji Sakthivel’s first film Samurai did just average business and hence many were taken by surprise considering director Shankar’s judgemental abilities.

The next film produced under S pictures was a runaway hit too. This time, it was Imsai Arasan 23am Pulikesi, which had Vadivelu as hero and debutant Simbhudevan as the director. Simbhudevan was already well-known for his comic strips titled ‘Imsai Arasan’ in a popular regional weekly and this, director Shankar said in an interview later, prompted him to ask Simbhudevan to come up with a story in the same lines. A bold decision, considering it was a debutant director doing an experimental film which belonged to the historical comedy genre. What’s more, the hero was Vadivelu, who had donned only the comedian roles until then. Imsai Arasan proved naysayers wrong and went on to become a blockbuster and also won the appreciation of many critics including ace film critic Theodore Baskaran. Author of ‘Eye of the Serpent’, Theodore Baskaran was full of adjectives when he spoke about the film in an interview to a television channel recently.

The most recent offering from S pictures has won a lot of appreciation from critics already and is well on its way to becoming a super-hit. Yes indeed, it is Veyyil, directed by Shankar’s one time assistant Vasanthabalan who, like Balaji Sakthivel, had just an average outing in his debut venture Album. But this time, not many are surprised. Because director Shankar has already established himself as one who has a keen eye for detail and a knack for picking good stories.

If it is Dil Raju in Andhra, it is Shankar in Tamil Nadu. Or so it seems. With back-to-back hits that spell not just success but also quality, director Shankar is now considered a man with the Midas touch. As a director, he has given us many memorable films. Who can forget Gentleman, which struck a chord in many hearts, especially that of students’, way back in 1993? Or Mudhalvan, which had an unusually striking theme that is generally unthinkable by many?

Good efforts, we believe, have to be duly recognized. Producer Shankar’s intuition and intention with respect to giving us good films has to be applauded. Which is why, we at indiaglitz decided to salute his efforts on the New Years’ day.

We wish the ace director-cum-producer all the very best and many more happy new years! That we expect more such entertaining as well as first-rate films from him goes without saying…and we know only too well that he will continue giving us quality films like he has always done.