After a three-week dominance of Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Petta' and Thala Ajith's 'Viswasam' three films of different genres hit the screens this week.  The commercial entertainer from Sundar C-Simbu,  'Vantha Rajavaathan Varuven', the musical 'Sarvam Thaala Mayam' and the intense arthouse fare 'Peranbu' directed by Ram and starring Mammootty, Anjali, and Thangameengal Sadhana.

While the other two movies have a somewhat assured opening at the box office, sadly it is 'Peranbu' that will struggle to bring sell tickets enough to recoup its cost.  No doubt that the film has tasted critical acclaim on the festival circuit and deserves it too (Read our Review here Peranbu - Tamil cinema's ecstatic chapter ) but the reality is, at the end of the day the producers have to make money which will, in turn, prompt them to back more such projects.

So then what does 'Peranbu' lack for the Tamil audience? firstly we could take the casting for example.  Mammootty is one of the greatest actors ever in Indian cinema but for the common man and that too after ten years of absence from Kollywood, he is not going to set any moviegoers heart on fire and make him/her shell out the ticket price.  The Megastar is 67 and a leading man in his forties could have been more apt in helping the audience to identify with the ordeals of the father of a fourteen year old challenged girl child.   One can argue stating 'Dhruvangal 16' that was a super hit starring Rahman in the lead role.  But then it is a thriller and along with horror, these genres sell by themselves but unfortunately not individual misfortune dramas.  A Vijay Sethupathi could have done the trick for the producer in drawing the crowd and he is also the hero who does not shy away from experimenting.

Thangameengal Sadhana has put in a great effort to nail the spastic child's role but for no fault of hers, it gives the impression of great acting but not realistic enough to make a strong connection to the common man.  Mani Ratnam in a complete commercial mode made his spastic 'Anjali' an iconic character because of the manner in which he presented her to the audience.  There is actually a scene in 'Peranbu' that is a straight lift from 'Anjali' when the neighborhood association members urge Mammootty to take the child away which is a nod to that film.

Ram makes his presence felt in every frame of the film which is ok but he goes to the extent of even inhabiting Mammootty himself and the voiceovers are unnecessary as the audience is clever enough to get the messages from viewing the scenes.  It is an unsolved mystery as to why art filmmakers deliberately pace their films slowly putting in unnecessarily long takes and never-ending shots giving least thought to the viewer for whom it is an ordeal.  'Kaaka Muttai', 'Irudhi Suttru', 'Aandavan Kattalai' and 'Visaranai' are some of the recent films that are artsy but still move at a pace that keeps the general audience involved.

'Peranbu' has handled many sensitive issues that would surely bring awareness to the society on the plights of spastic children.  But there is a scene in which a father tries to get a male prostitute for his daughter's sexual needs.  It is highly controversial that the Tamil audience known for treating sex as a very private subject and the father and daughter relationship as one of the purest can digest such an idea.  A 'Pursuit of Happyness' scene too is in quite a bad taste as a child is shown being titillated by a couple in a shady hotel room.

It is high time that filmmakers with novel ideas and tackling taboo issues take a leaf out of the greats of Tamil cinema such as K. Balachander ('Apoorva Ragangal'), to make their works more people friendly so that their well-meant messages reach a wider audience.  There is no use delivering a project that is like a bitter pill and then blame the common man for not supporting self-indulgent works of art.