[S.T.D.]

Why is it so hard to see your favorites being written off as time moves forward? Or why is it so hard when your seniors rule out your favorites saying they are not there yet, and have a long way to go!





Hubbers can try giving their opinion on this instead of declaring who is best /worst and making this thread as a fight thread.

Great subject for thread, bay. You are right, Thiru, we are going back to those silly debates.

I think we are blind loyalists sometimes. It hurts me when someone bashes NT for doing crap movies in the eighties. But I can't fight that...because it's the truth. But if I am a fanatic, I'd even say that film like Thirusoolam is an Oscar material.

I have once sat with an older guy (way older) who dismissed NT saying that he copied KR Ramasamy. But I consoled myself, saying that the whole world knows NT's acting prowess. But if I were a fanatic, I'd clobbered him saying that even VK Ramasamy is better than KR Ramasamy.

It's all in attitude. Vittu kodukka mudiyavillai. How often have NT fans encountered NT vs Kamal debate. I recall saying elsewhere that Kamal is the best product to come out of NT/MGR era. So, the debate is baseless.

But I think people of that time did not have problem moving on from MGR/NT/MSV era to Rajini/Kamal/IR era. It was a smooth transition. Very few grumbled. It was not until late eighties or early nineties that suddenly a bunch of people stood up and said, hey look they are the next MGR (Rajini) and NT (Kamal) when actually, when you look carefully, there are lot more MGR in Kamal and a heavy presence of NT in Rajini.

As for music, there were no issues. MSV even made a few films with Ilayaraja (no guessing whose influence is more). Very little comparison made. A few grumbles here and there.

And when ARR entered the field suddenly the comparison game began. And now, right when both Kamal and Rajini are at the peak, there are talking about the next superstar.

Funny thing is the debate on next superstar is heavier than the next Kamal or NT. That boggles my mind. Very few wants a great actor, most want a great entertainer, which is fine...but is not going to help with putting Tamil film in the international map.

And giving titles. Oru ellaiyee illai. But I am not complaining. But why all surrounding superstar. Ilaya thalabathi. Little Superstar. Come on. Come out with something original. Those days (with exception of a few greats) most title were related to their talent...like Nadippissai pulavar (yes, KRR again) or Nadigar Vel (MRR), or what they brought to the screen like Puratchi Talaivar (you know who) or
Ilatchiya Nadigar (SSR).

Now, I am becoming like the man who talked about K.R. Ramasamy. Can't help it.

What we old-timers had at that time was originality in talent. Individuality in look, especially the power of the actor's voice at that time. Or in case of music, a unique signature that can tell us that this is MSV or this is KVM or Vedha, then later, IR or SG or others.

Now? This is where the plot thickens. But there are some who moves on. My own parents are lot more open-minded than me, when accepting younger generation talents. It's just the ego in me sometimes that make me go all out to protect the older talents.

I am rambling. Oh yeah, I was talking about comparison and how people are more eager about superstar than a superactor.

I'd be a lot happier for the stars if they dream bigger. To reach for the stars...the goal that Kamal is struggling for. To bring the best of Tamil film out and reach people from all over the world. To destroy the imagined preconception that all Indian films are Bollywood.

I wish the debate could be pushed towards that direction, instead of who's the next superstar, so on, so forth. They should aim for their stars to be better than Rajini and Kamal, the way Rajini and Kamal aimed to bring the film industry higher than it was during MGR and NT's time.

Your question is tough, Bay. That is why you get this rambling response. But I hope you see my point.