Karthi's Kaashmora or Dhanush's Kodi? Race for the Diwali Tamil blockbuster of 2016 begins

All eyes in Kollywood are on the coming Diwali weekend. Dhanush’s Kodi is clashing with Karthi’s Kaashmora, along with Kadalai. Dhanush needs a hit to bounce back after the failure of his last two releases. The actor had gone on a whirlwind tour of small towns in Tamil Nadu like Tirunelveli, Salem and Tirupur promoting Kodi, which is his first dual role mass entertainer set against rural milieu. Karthi also wants to climb up the ladder and establish himself as an action hero with the big budget fantasy entertainer Kaashmora. Both the Diwali biggies are releasing wide in Tamil Nadu with nearly 450 to 500 screens each, to get that opening. Trade pundits feel that the first three days are going to be very crucial, as 90 percent of the lifetime collections are going to come in the opening weekend. [caption id=“attachment_3075650” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Karthi in Kaashmora and Dhanush in Kodi. Images courtesy: Facebook[/caption] A big hero Diwali release in Tamil Nadu always ensures extra collections (up to 5-10 %) at the box-office. For families especially in rural areas, watching a Diwali release is a must after traditional oil bath, pooja and lavish breakfast. However this year since Diwali falls on a Saturday, there is no extra government holiday, which would have boosted collections. Meanwhile the trade is worried about the North East monsoon, which normally arrives in Chennai around Diwali, as it may dampen the box-office. Last year Ajith’s Vedalam, which released on Diwali, took a flying opening and went on to become a super hit, but rains hampered the collections. After last December’s devastating floods in Chennai and surrounding areas, people are weary about the rains. Pradeep John, a reliable weatherman and blogger, reveals Firstpost: “On the opening three days, movie fans in Chennai can come to watch Diwali releases without fear of heavy rains. My forecast is, rains will hit Chennai late Sunday (October 30) or a day later.” The two Bollywood releases Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Shivaay are also opening big in Chennai and the suburbs.  ADHM is leading in advance booking at multiplexes due to the controversies surrounding the film. However multiplex programmers are finding it difficult to fit in the Hindi Diwali releases, as Tamil films which have a shorter running time are being given preference. For the first time, Bollywood releases have longer running time than Tamil —  Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (157 minutes) Shivaay (172 minutes); compared to Kodi (140 minutes) and Kaashmora (155 minutes).