2019 Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders match is taking place at Chidambaram Stadium. Actor Shah Rukh Khan has reached the stadium to support his own team Kolkata. But after that match, trolls started flooding the social media with a photo in front. The victim of all of them was a person who was sitting with Shahrukh Khan. Social media was full of trolls and accusations because of his color, clothes and skin. He was surrounded by teasing that he would have to find out why you are wearing black clothes. He also gave a precise reply to those who insulted him at the audio launch of the next film. Hindi English is just a language and not knowledge, just like black and white is just a color, he said in front of the cheering crowd, “Thank you to whoever posted that photo.” Then three years later he did a film with Yes Shah Rukh Khan. Biggest movie of his career with King Khan of Bollywood. Despite constant criticism and mockery following him, he continued to push the boundaries of filmmaking, Atlee Arun Kumar.
A visual communication graduate from Satyabhama University, Attlee found her way into cinema through short films. A short film directed by Atlee starring his friend Sivakarthikeyan, Mukhaputhakam, was well received. Mukhaputhakam, which told a socially relevant story, played a major role in bringing the director Attlee to the cinema. And with two more national level awards for the short film ‘En Mele Vakantha Mazhai Tuli’, Atlee has confirmed her arrival in the cinema.
Attlee films have one characteristic in common. All of them are over-the-top, commercial and large-scale entertainers belonging to the blockbuster category. A commercial package that follows the time-honored format of Tamil cinema with hero love, revenge and protection, song, dance and fight. But it also had the New Gen touch of director Attlee, both in character creation and in their style. The songs that are arranged in a very grand manner are also the specialty of Atlee films. Because he came from Shankar school. Atlee has all the signs of that.
Shankar is the director who introduced the word Brahmandam to moviegoers. Yes, Atlee made her film debut as an assistant director in the director’s biggest universe, Enthiran. It was a good start. Atlee also worked on Nanpan, a remake of 3 Idiots. Atlee approaches Vijay on the sets of Nanpan and Vijay tells Atlee to approach him if he has a story that suits him. But after doing a hit film and gaining recognition and confidence, the decision to film as Mati Vijay leads Atlee to her first film Raja Rani.
Produced by director AR Murugadoss and Fox Star Studios, Raja Rani was a huge success. With Arya, Nayanthara, Jai and Nazriya in lead roles, the film was different from the later Atlee films. Made in the nature of a rom-com, the film was a complete entertainer. Munnile Attlee presented Raja Rani to the audience by combining comedy and emotion with four different actors using their plus points. The film was a success at the box office and also helped Atlee register as a director. But the film’s similarity to Mani Ratnam’s Maunaraga led Atlee and the film to controversy and criticism. The wake-up call from Raja Rani’s success gave Atlee the courage to approach her favorite hero, Vijay.
Released in 2016, Theri became a commercial entertainer made knowing the pulse of the hero Vijay. Vijay also needed a film like Theri to get over the fatigue of the massive failure Tiger. Atlee made the film by considering all the commercial possibilities and combining them to match the star value. Atlee gave the audience again the action hero and romantic icon Vijay through the film. With mass scenes to get fans clapping, memorable heavy intros and heart-pounding moments, Atlee’s film became the second highest grossing film in Tamil that year after Rajinikanth’s Kabali. Theri was a new beginning and the Vijay Atlee combo started from there.
He kept increasing the business scope of the commercial blockbuster films with each film. With Mersal and Bigil, he also created new possibilities for commercial formats. As the budgets increased, so did the collections of his films. Vetrimaran in Mersal and Rayappan in Bigil are the characters that marked the actor in ‘Vijaya’. While many directors have made stories with Vijay as the star, Atlee is different from all of them. But he also gave the fans what they wanted. When he said firmly at the Big Audio Lunch that N Annanuk it tanta naan pannuve, his admiration and love for Vijay is mixed.
Criticism followed him even as he continued to make action blockbuster films. Atlee’s movies are all copycats, he’s a bad director – etc. His career was after him. From the first film Raja Rani to Bigil, critics have been with him, blaming and belittling the talent of the director. Ever since the first look and teasers of his films came out, there have been those who have been ready to spoil them tragically. Although they do not appreciate his excellence and look for similarities, Attlee does not give up.
How did such a black man get a white wife and even his family was hounded on social media and not because of his color. But all the time, regardless of that, he continues his film career by breaking the boundaries. When Attlee shared a photo with Vijay and Shah Rukh Khan, left and right, on her birthday, it can be assumed that it was meant to silence the critics. Because the success he has achieved at such a young age is something that no one can easily achieve.
