Vijay & Ajith, Rajini & Kamal: Stardom in Tamil Cinema Is Moving Beyond the Two-Hero Formula

Tamil cinema has always had a ‘reigning pair’ of heroes — M K Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and P U Chinnappa attracting audiences with their magnetic presence and enigmatic dialogue delivery in the 1930s, larger-than-life matinee idols M G Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan in the 1960s, superstars Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan in the 1980s, followed by millennial mass entertainers

Vijay

and

Ajith

Kumar. Now, with ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay entering politics and ‘Thala’ Ajith shifting gears to Formula racing, it looks like the era of two-hero domination in Kollywood is finally hitting the brakes.New-age filmmakers no longer want to approach big stars because of budget constraints and creative differences, says director Ganesh K Babu. “With cinema evolving, we prefer to work with new faces as it benefits technicians and actors.” He adds that when he made ‘Dada’ in 2023, his producer was thrilled that the entire crew was based in Chennai. “It gave us complete control over costs.”

As for heroes, MGR entered cinema with a clear vision and projected himself accordingly, says Babu.

“Today’s heroes are more relatable, boy-next-door figures who have managed to separate their real lives from what they portray on screen. It was something earlier heroes could not do. Audiences now accept new talent.”Stardom was once a product of limited access, says Aditi Anand, producer, co-founder of Neelam Studios and founder of Little Red Car Films. “Earlier, audiences only saw their heroes on screen or in print and that distance created magic.

Today, social media has erased that wall. Fans see their favourite actors in everyday life; the mystery that built superstardom no longer exists. It’s more a shift than a loss. The connection now is emotional, not aspirational.

The audience wants to feel something real, not just larger than life.”Aditi believes the “churn” is good for the industry. “An injection of new talent and a wider playing field make the industry more dynamic.

It pushes everyone from actors to filmmakers to evolve and experiment, and earn their place through craft, not comfort,” she says.“It wasn’t always like this. In the past, actors found it difficult, almost impossible to separate their personal lives from their on-screen ones,” says director John Mahendran, referring to the 1930s when Bhagavathar, the superstar of the times, was shunned by fans overnight after he became embroiled in a murder controversy.

“The same fans who had thronged railway stations to catch a glimpse of him refused to let him board a train.

Public opinion turned overnight,” says John. “Then came larger-than-life heroes such as MGR and Sivaji Ganesan, admired as much for their conduct as their craft. MGR won hearts by staying away from drinking, smoking or scenes that involved sexual assault.”While the definition of a hero has changed with every generation, it ultimately depends on the audience.

In the late 1970s, for instance, directors such as Mahendran and Bharathiraja believed that heroes needed to be ‘real’. Bharathiraja stripped Kamal Haasan of his sophistication and made him play the rustic Chappani in ’16 Vayathinile’. Mahendran’s hero in ‘Mullum Malarum’ (played by Rajinikanth) had shades of grey, yet was relatable and unforgettable.Novelist and film critic T A Narasimhan says that the big heroes once played a key role in shaping the next generation.

“Sivaji Ganesan would never switch off after his shot. He would motivate younger actors, teaching them how to make even a small scene memorable. There was no caravan culture then; a film unit felt like a family. From light boys to heroes, everyone was treated equally. Bhagavathar and Chinnappa came from privilege.

Bhagavathar dined off gold plates, but on set, he’d mingle with everyone to maintain camaraderie. That sense of solidarity, though, began to fade after the 1970s.”John says that when MGR wanted to make a comeback in the late 1970s after facing electoral defeats, he was taken aback by how much cinema had changed in just a few years. “He told my father, director Mahendran, at a film chamber meeting, that his era was over as audiences would no longer accept him with the same adoration,” says John. “Perhaps that is what has happened today. Viewers today are spoilt for choice. They don’t want just two dominating stars anymore; they welcome a range of faces such as Dhanush, Manikandan, Pradeep Ranganathan and Joju George, breaking the old monotony.

”In terms of camaraderie between the reigning stars, too, a lot has changed, says Narasimhan. “MGR and Sivaji Ganesan had a professional rivalry, but it never got bitter. When foreign delegates came to meet MGR, he showed Sivaji’s 1968 film ‘Thillana Mohanambal’ to showcase the art form.”The era of star wars began rather mildly during the era of Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. The two shared the screen in several films before choosing to go their separate ways, realising that their individual journeys held greater promise.

Technicians, of course, benefited from the rivalry. Today, that competition has turned far more ruthless, worsened by social media. What was once fan loyalty has morphed into toxic one-upmanship.Over the past few decades, little has changed at the ground level, says director Thankar Bachan. “Only in Tamil Nadu do we tend to worship our heroes like demigods. The Lumière brothers brought cinema to India in 1904, and our first silent film, ‘Raja Harishchandra’, was made in 1913.

Yet we continue to believe that Kollywood can survive only by promoting hero-centric stories, a template that should have been done away with long ago.

”Aditi sees the way forward in making room for more creators — writers, directors and technicians who bring fresh voices into the mix.“In 1956, Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ had no hero in the conventional sense. Star power isn’t what matters. Kollywood must move beyond glorifying them and instead use the momentum for collective growth. This two-hero formula has to change, and I’m glad it finally is.”If superstar actors and superstar directors use their influence to give new talent a chance, you’ll always have dynamism in the industry. That’s how Tamil cinema keeps evolving — by staying open, inclusive, and brave enough to keep refreshing its own ecosystem— Aditi Anand | producer