Can Superstar Vijay Replicate His Success In Political Theatre?

The pre-release hype and hoopla for top star high budget films are hard to ignore. But Archana Kalpathi, Creative Head of Kalpathi Films has more than swivelled 360 degrees to hit the target for Great Of All Time (GOAT) – superstar Vijay’s penultimate film. The usual suspense about extra shows ended when TN cinemas announced a special 9 am show. Kerala went a step further and had a 4 am show as crazed fans from Coimbatore and state border towns pole-vaulted to Kerala cinemas. The (unofficial) ticket cost of Rs 1000 shot up to 2k. Such is the hold of superstars and the besotted fans…a launch pad for politics that TN stars transit from formula films to politics with ease. Tamil news had snippets of who watched GOAT where …top heroine Trisha watched the movie with Archana, Director Venkat Prabhu preferred Kamala cinema. If the delirium surrounding Vijay was not already palpable, another snippet conveyed that Thala Ajit was one of the first to call, and wished Vijay all the best for his mega hit. The buzz about the AI and De-ageing technology used in the film to differentiate between father Vijay and his son is sure to kindle curiosity. The last few years had a rush of filmi gossip about Vijay’s estranged parents and wife Sangeeta, even son Sanjay’s rebellion. Suddenly, photos of the entire family bonding watching the film at this time were flashed in the media.Vijay’s newly minted party TVK is now planning the mother of all public gatherings to present Vijay as the new messiah of TN. Interestingly, throughout the film, Vijay drives a car with the number plate TN07 CM 2026! Talk about subtlety!