Say, is the already low taste of Tamils deteriorating further?
Surya, who can’t act to save his life, seems to have hit a home-run with his new film Maatran.
Here’s how Maatran fared at the UK box office vis-a-vis a few prominent Tamil films:
Maatran BO – Much More than Thandavam added by SearchIndia.com on
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Actually, it’s not really a home run. True 7Aum Arivu had a five day weekend but with the market supposedly growing bigger as well as the hype being more and more, the earnings for Maattrraan, not just overseas, but even in India are being projected less than 7Aum Arivu and that lost money for its distributors.
And some say Maattrraan was sold in the hype of 7Aum Arivu’s releases for higher prices.
In fact, the nervous filmmakers chopped 25 minutes off the film after adverse reviews began coming in on first day.
The opening was bound to be big everywhere as KV Anand was coming off Ayan and Ko and he and Suriya were reuniting after Ayan.
But from one gathers it is not sustaining as well as it should. So it seems to be a step backwards for Suriya and not really growth for him.
Also in all UK compilations all other lists I’ve seen include Nanban in the +100K category at number 5 which you haven’t. If so, then Maattrraan is number 9 and not 8 on list of all openings and that isn’t particularly good as today every big budget film tries to break records.
Also English Vinglish has done more business in its second weekend in USA and UK than Maattrraan in its first. That’s something.
That said. don’t quite agree about your thoughts on Suriya though – in fact think he’s a decent actor and frankly he is the best thing in the film and does produce some brilliant moments in the film. Anyway to each his own.
A bit surprised you didn’t review the film. Anyway here’s my take on upperstall – http://www.upperstall.com/films/2012/maattrraan – Yes it’s a lousy film but then that at least was expected, wasn’t it?! 🙂
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. If Maatran turns out to be a flop, none would be happier than I.
I’ve always considered Surya to be a Thieving Asshole and hold nothing but contempt for that &(#@$*%* scumbag for his complicity in the theft of Memento. Remember Ghajini? – http://www.searchindia.com/2008/12/22/ghajini-review-why-is-aamir-khan-in-bed-with-a-thieving-swine/
We didn’t watch Maatran because we had visitors from India staying with us last week. Subsequently, we got caught up with other work.
2. That said, I must say there is more than usual interest in Maatran, perhaps because of the hype-machine. We manage several web sites in the U.S. and see many searches for “Maatran” showtimes. It’s possible that high initial interest in Maatran did not translate into high viewership and the Maatran train derailed because of negative word of mouth.
3. One of the reasons Nanban has not been included in our UK Tamil BO numbers is because of some issues relating to collection of accurate box office data. The movie released on January 12, 2012 as a Pongal debut but the UK Film Council does not seem to have included data for January 12 and only has the Jan 13-15, 2012 opening weekend figures.
4. Having watched so many foreign (non-Hollywood) films over the last 2 years, I find it hard to summon any enthusiasm for the performances of our so-called ‘actors.’ Hollywood too is disappointing lately. In recent years, I’ve been impressed only with Jennifer Lawrence, Anna Kendrick and Joseph Gordon-Levitt from the Hollywood side. As for acting, I like Korean and European films better, perhaps because the acting comes wrapped in a novel story and tight screenplay.
Bad as Indian stars are, their sins are multiplied by choosing to act in asinine films for the sake of a few silver coins.
5. Speaking in general terms, I find this notion of “in fact think he’s a decent actor and frankly he is the best thing in the film” disagreeable.
Your point has been trotted out by so many others (count me among the guilty) for so many bad Hindi/Tamil/Telugu films that it seems as if the Indians critics are forever finding excuses as to why people should watch a crappy film. If it’s not the ‘actors,’ then the music or action or photography or the item number is listed as the movie’s redeeming element.
Except, perhaps, for Abhishek Bachchan and some equally lesser names, I find most Indian ‘actors’ getting a free pass despite their manifest sin of actively participating in and profiting from trash.
Like mixed reports on the film, so too mixed reports coming in on the BO figures.
Actually if you see most of my reviews and thoughts, I normally only go by the overall film and do not ask audiences/readers to see it for the acting or camerawork or music etc.
But like you said we’ve all had our guilty moments there in the past and I’m sure I too might have done that and maybe sometimes a few years ago been kinder than needed to a film not realizing how far low we would fall with every week.
That said if I do find the odd positive in the film, then I feel it is my duty as a reviewer to mention that as well. At no point in the Maattrraan review have I ever said the film should be seen for Suriya or for this or that. But I thought he did well in the film and so I mentioned it. Overall very clearly my thoughts say the film is lousy and I don’t go for this one type watch stand that many reviewers take.
On a lighter note, being caught up with work has actually saved you from watching a lousy film!
And yes I do agree our actors are light years behind, but we try to put their performances within the context of popular mainstream Indian cinema when we talk about them and nothing more.
I remember my students (I teach filmmaking as well) telling me about liking the acting in Barfi! and then I showed them The Help and they were stunned by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.
Or whenever I show students Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot, they are totally floored!
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. The box office window of opportunity in the U.S. is very short for a Hindi/Tamil/Telugu film because by Mon/Tue/Wed the Indian grocery stores in New Jersey (and presumably elsewhere) start selling the pirated DVDs for a buck or two.
So Maatran’s fate is likely sealed here given negative word of mouth, the post-release editing/shortening nonsense etc.
2. As part of my mission to do my ‘best’ for a lousy movie, I’ve ‘pinned’ your Maatran review to the right of the SI blog under SearchIndia.com Movie Reviews with due credit to Upperstall. Will leave it there for a few days.
@SI: Surya, who can’t act to save his life, seems to have hit a home-run with his new film Maatran.
Agree.
Suriya is one of the worst rated actor in the tamil cinema industry… but actually he is better than vijay, vishal, jayam ravi, simbu, dhanush and other nonsense actors.
The only actor who is better and who has come out of his own success and his acting is attracting people and getting mass is thala Ajith buut then Suriya is a hard working actor who has done different roles in his days.
Vikram tries but some of his films are unwatchable like Kandhasamy this is one of the such movies where Suriya was wasted the blame should be on director KV Anand who thinks he is a very intellectual film maker and does cheap movies with no logic like KO and this cinema…
But then you should criticize every single actor in Tamil and Telugu industry you went with lot of praises for Ranbir but that whole film was copycat so [Trash Talk] Tamil movies are also very greater than Bollywood craps..
SearchIndia.com Responds:
1. You write: this is one of the such movies where Suriya was wasted the blame should be on director KV Anand who thinks he is a very intellectual film maker and dos cheap movies with no logic
Then why did Suriya agree to act in the film.
After all, Surya must have heard the story & looked at the screenplay before signing up.
Paisa, paisa, paisa….that’s all Surya, Ajith, Vijay, Sombhu, Vombhu, Kombhu care about….none of them care for the Tamil audience.
2. You write: you went with lot of praises for ranbir but that whole film was copycat
Mea culpa.
Sweetie, in future if there’s the slightest merit in any Indian movie I will assume that it’s stolen. 😉