Award is recognition of changing trend: Cheran

Chennai, Aug 9 (UNI) A spate of scandalous marriages involving its stars and suicides notwithstanding, Tamil film industry is on a high, winning accolades and prestigious awards at home and abroad in appreciation of novel themes it has been bringing on to the screen.

Only a slice of real life translated into reel life will hit the bull's eye at the box office and to be sure, films of the 'genre' like 'Veyil' produced by Shankar, the maker of the Rajni blockbuster 'Sivaji' and directed by Vasanthabalan, and ''Paruthiveeran', directed by Amir, have won accolades abroad.

While 'Veyil' was screened at the prestigious Cannes film festival, 'Paruthiveeran' won the best picture award and the best actress award for its leading lady Priyamani, at the Osian-Cinefan Festival of Asian and Arab cinema a week ago.

To cap it all, another young Kollywood director of this generation Cheran, who is also an actor, has won accolades at the national level. Cheran's moving saga of a sacrificing father in 'Thavamai Thavamirunthu' has been honoured with the national award for the Best Regional Film.

''I am happy not for myself but for my unit,'' Cheran said in all humility, talking to UNI from the location for his next film, at Karaikkudi.

Cheran fully agreed that the honours for his film was another pointer to the fact that the trend was changing in the Tamil cinema.

''It is the trend of reflection of a slice of real life albeit in the commercial format,'' he said.

Cheran said the award also represents improvement or change in the industry. ''It represents growth and this is welcome,'' he pointed out.

The change also means ''logicless commercial films'' will gradually be a thing of the past, Cheran added.

UNI