Double Dose of Vikram

Not much has been heard about Vikram recently. The talented, born-again actor seemed well on his way to becoming king of the box-office with both critical(Kaasi, Pithaamagan) and commercial(Gemini, Dhool, Saamy) successes. The National award he earned for Pithaamagan didn't hurt either. But his last release Arul, which came with high expectations since it reteamed him with Saamy director Hari, was a dud at the box-office. Worse, Vikram looked disinterested and jaded in the cliched role. He has since been concentrating solely on Shankar's Anniyan, which true to Shankar's track record, has taken a long amount of time to complete and has had its release date pushed back a few times already. But with the Chandramukhi-Mumbai Xpress-Sachein euphoria expected to die down now that the movies have been released, it is reasonable to expect the Anniyan hype to start building.

Vikram's next movie was widely rumored to be a remake of Mammootty-starrer Kaazcha. The film, which revolved around a young boy orphaned by the Gujarat earthquake and taken in by Mammootty, was both a critical and commercial success and earned acting accolades for both Mammootty and the boy. So it seemed like the perfect vehicle for Vikram, who has never shied away from experimenting with a variety of roles. His next project is still a remake of a Mammootty-starrer but the movie is not Kaazcha but Thommanum Makkalum. The film is supposed to be a racy entertainer with all commercial ingredients like comedy, music, dance and stunts and is a box-office success in Kerala. I am a little saddened that Vikram passed on Kaazcha but happy that he finally decided on selecting his next movie after Anniyan!

Vikram was also introduced as the new brand ambassador for Coke yesterday. The new ad with him as a Chennai rowdy sounds interesting and we have to wait and see if the ad series creates the same sensation the Aamir Khan ads(like the recent one with him dressed up as a woman) created in the North.