Will Vijay Antony's Saithan bring demonetisation-hit Kollywood some box office cheer?

Vijay Antony was a successful music director, who switched to playing hero in Tamil films. Today Vijay Antony is a sought after hero, who features among the top 10 saleable heroes in Kollywood. And on 1 December, his new film Saithan in Tamil and Telugu is getting ready for release in nearly 1500 screens worldwide. [caption id=“attachment_3132200” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Vijay Antony in ‘Saithan’[/caption] Antony’s last release Pichaikkaran is the number one film of 2016 in Kollywood as far as return on investment is concerned: made on a budget of Rs 6 crore, along with its Telugu dubbed version Bichagadu, the film has grossed approximately Rs 42 crore worldwide, phenomenal by any yardstick! When Pichaikkaran was recently telecast on Sun TV, it had the highest TRP among all films shown on television in south India during this year. All eyes are now on _Saithan’_s release and trade experts are hoping that the film will lift the gloom on Kollywood post-demonetisation. Vijay Antony films have a huge appeal among all sections of the audiences and he works with directors who understand the mass market in rural Tamil Nadu. Antony turned hero with Naan (2012), a hit, which was followed by Salim (2014; a super hit) and then he had an average grosser in India Pakistan (2015).  In four years he has done four films including Pichaikkaran (2016), a blockbuster. His films work because they are targeted at the mass audiences and are laced with an iissue-based story as well as commercial elements like action sequence, songs and drama. A lot is riding on Saithan for Antony. It is a psychological thriller directed by Pradeep Krishnamoorthy and has Arundathi Nair playing Vijay’s heroine. There have been reports that the story was adapted from the novel Aaah, written by the late Sujatha Rangarajan. In a bold marketing move, Antony and Auraa Cinemas (who are marketing the film) released an 8-minute opening video on You Tube. In the opening scene, Antony is shown as a guy with a psychiatric problem and in search of  one Jayalakshmi, to solve the mystery surrounding his past. The teaser leaves you wanting to know more about the film. The opening video with the tag line – ‘Saithan: hunt for Jayalakshmi’ has crossed 1 million views in two days and created a huge buzz around the film. One thing is clear from the advance booking: Saithan is going take a phenomenal opening, as the promotions have created a huge buzz around the film. If the film becomes a hit, Antony, will be a force to reckon with in Kollywood as his next, Yeman, is getting ready for release in January. Yeman is being produced by Lyca Productions, the producers of Rajinikanth’s 2.0, which is sure to push the soft-spoken and non-controversial actor to new heights.