North Chennai spells success for Kollywood

After gaining international acclaim for 'Visaranai' director, Vetrimaaran is all set to begin his two part series 'Vada Chennai' with Dhanush , Vijay Sethupathi, Samantha and Andrea in the lead roles. North Madras has been the backdrop for his 'Polladhavan' too and it is clearly evident that not only him but other directors and heroes too have found immense success with films having the original Chennai as their backdrops telling the stories of the lives of these colorful people who retain their originality and charm even now when the rest of the city is globalized. Here we take a look at some of the acclaimed and commercially successful films that carry the North Madras tag.

'En Uyir Thozhan'

Director Bharathiraja deviated from his village themes to make 'En Uyir Thozhan' that received critical praise even though the box office receipts were modest but one feels that the film is ahead of its times and if released today would have given decent receipts. Babu lived the role of the North Chennai everyday man who would give his life for his political leader even spurning the love of a girl. The hero whose career never took off due to a tragic accident will have his own special place in the history of Tamil cinema as his dialogue delivery and body language perfectly represented the area.

'Gemini'

The film that kick started the commercial star career for Chiyaan Vikram, 'Gemini' dealt with the story of a North Madras rowdy with a golden heart. The AVM Productions film became a huge success and the 'O podu' gesture was the rage of the time.

'Polladhavan'

Vetrimaaran made his debut with a bang by directing 'Polladhavan' which dealt about the prevalent rowdyism in North Madras and how an ordinary young man brings down a ruthless enemy. The film pushed Dhanush into the big league and the director got instant recognition and the box office results complemented the facts.

'Deepavali'

Jayam Ravi played the role of a golden hearted Kasimedu rowdy who falls for an amnesiac girl Bhavana. The film had a strong Vada Chennai flavor which added to the attraction of the love story and the film was both a commercial and critical success for producer N.Linguswamy and director Ezhil.

'Idharkuthane Aasaipattai Balakumara'

The anthology film directed by Gokul had four stories all set in different parts of North Chennai and what a delightful time Vijay Sethupathi gave the audience with his perfect Vada Chennai slang with Mottai Rajendhran and Jangiri Madhumitha scoring their own as the illegal lovers. An important film in Vijay Sethupathi's career.

'Sundattam'

A film that dealt with the carom gambling in Royapuram starring Irfan and Kalaivani deserves a better deal than what happened to it, but still was critically acclaimed and remains as one of the countable films in India that had carom as its subject.

'Madras'

Relatively unknown director Pa Ranjith who had the moderate hit 'Attakathi' to his credit made the brilliant 'Madras' that exposed the political scenario of North Madras which redeemed Karthi's sagging career and also a huge commercial and critical hit. One of the most authentic films about Vada Chennai got the director the most coveted reward of them all, directing Superstar Rajinikanth in 'Kabali'.

'Maari'

Director Balaji Mohan touched the subject of Pigeon breeding and racing of North Madras and Dhanush as the rowdy Maari tasted great commercial success as the producer and the 'Senjiruven' gesture has caught on like wildfire amongst people.

'Vedhalam'

Though only the flash back is set in North Chennai it added to the larger than life image of the hero Thala Ajith. One of the biggest all time hits of Kollywood with a limited Vada Chennai touch.

'Uppu Karuvadu'

A delightful comedy set in Kasimedu, director Radha Mohan depicted the ordeal of a struggling film director Karunakaran, who has to cope up with extracting work from a non actor heroine brilliantly played by Nandita Shwetha. The film had many scenes where the seafood is on display in vintage North Chennai style and a glimpse of the life of the fisher folks. A critical hit hampered by the Chennai Floods at the box office.