Madhavan's lucky streak continues

Madhavan, the multi-lingual star who entered the film industry via the small screen route was having the time of his life at the dawn of the new millennium. His launch which happened with a Mani Ratnam film made him the heartthrob of teenyboppers effortlessly in that phase. Despite the obvious incompatibility, he was also being referred to as 'Hrithik Roshan of the South' then by some over eager film magazines and Tamil media publications.

So when ' Minnale' was released in February 2001, months after his debut film had hit the silver screens all over, it found a quick passage to neighbouring Telugu movie industry where it was received very well, as anticipated. The film was the debut of director Gautham Menon who also had a new music director, Harris Jayaraj to compose music and the songs, which are still heard across the world over multiple media platforms. 'Cheli' was watched eagerly for its interesting mix of love and action with its two lead characters – Madhavan and Abbas – vying for the attention of the lady love played by Reema Sen, another popular star in southern cinema.

Ramesh Taurani of Tips Films, a known name in Hindi reprised it with the same hero and Dia Mirza. The film was titled ' Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein', taking the numerology issues into account and the transition was not all that successful, when it hit the theatres in October 2001. Yet, nearly two decades after its original release, it seems to have achieved a great recall value for its soothing numbers and a cloying sweetness to its romance, the feeling which rages in every adolescent's heart.

It was also a transition phase in southern cinema as one was witness to how in the two major film industries of Chennai and Hyderabad, the older lot of actors was yielding space to young 20-somethings who were appealing to the millennial audience. The new century was also about to witness tectonic shifts in the entertainment sector with the explosion of multiplexes, smart phones and dedicated video streaming channels over the Net like YouTube which increased the consumption of cinema content like never before. Some evergreen themes and genres like romance were however sustained very well by this fresh lot of viewers too, continuing the tradition and long held belief that romantic films always had a longer shelf life than action flicks.