After a year of headlines because of the huge box office successes of Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ponniyin Selvan-1’ and Kamal Haasan’s ‘Vikram’, the Tamil film industry hopes to pull off a repeat performance in 2023 with a slew of big-ticket movies that are lined up for theatrical release.

The top stars of the Tamil film industry – Rajanikanth, Kamal Haasan, Vijay, Ajith, Vikram, Jeyam Ravi and Dhanush – are competing for the attention of the audience in 2023.

The movie ‘Jailer’ by Nelson Dilipkumar will have Rajanikanth in the title role and is expected to open internationally on April 14. The sequel to ‘Indian 1’, with Kamal Haasan in the lead and directed by S. Shankar, ‘Indian 2’ will be released in October.

The two major superstars of the Tamil industry, Vijay and Ajith Kumar, are also in the fray for the vote of the box office.

‘Vaarisu’, the Vijay-starrer, is scheduled to be released in the Pongal week – at the same time as ‘Thunivu’ with Ajith in the lead role.

The producers of ‘Vaarisu’ had to face the ire of the administrators of the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai after fans damaged the seats during the release of the movie’s soundtrack on December 24.

The hopes of the industry are pinned on the two big-time Pongal releases. Will the two movies set new benchmarks for the Tamil movie industry?

‘Thunivu’ had a dream promotion with the first poster of the movie launched from a parachute in Dubai. Naturally, it has heightened the expectations of fans and the industry alike.

R. Aroghyasamy, a Tamil movie industry watcher and film critic, said in a conversation with IANS: “It is healthy competition between Vijay and Ajith and this competition will take the Tamil movie industry to a higher plane – both commercially and as an entertainment vehicle.”

Madras Talkies and Lyca Productions, makers of ‘Ponniyin Selvan-1’ (PS1), have announced the release of the movie’s sequel, Ponniyin Selvan-2 (PS2). The star cast of this historical, which is based on Kalki’s Tamil classic centred around the Chola period, will include Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Aiswarya Rai, Trisha, Karthik, Jayaram and Aishwarya Lakshmi.

PS2, according to its producers, will hit the screens around the world on April 28 and the industry is all agog about it. ‘Ponniyin Selvan 1’ was the highest-grossing Tamil film in Tamil Nadu and it collected more than Rs 500 crore globally. The makers are expecting PS2 to make more.

Interestingly, the young superstar of the Tamil industry, Dhanush, will be seen from February 17 in ‘Vaathi’, directed by Venky Atlluri and produced by Sithara Entertainments. The movie also features Samyuktha Menon and Samuthirakani as lead actors.

A week after the release of ‘Vaathi’, ‘Borrder’, directed by A. Venkitachalam with a star cast of Arun Vijay and Regina Cassandra, will hit the big screen on February 24.

On the same day, ‘Run Baby Run’ directed by Jiyen Krishnakumar will also be released. The movie has an impressive cast comprised of R.J. Balaji and Aishwarya Rajesh.

‘Rudhran’, directed by Kathiresan and produced by Five Star Creations, is another movie that has raised expectations. It will be released in the middle of April. And its star cast includes Raghava Lawrence and Priya Bhavani Shankar.