With their recent productions, Kollywood's top three legendary filmmakers—Shankar Shanmugam, AR murugadoss, and Mani Ratnam—who were once renowned for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats with their flawless directing abilities, now seem to have outlived their usefulness.
 
Since his films have captivated audiences across the nation for ages, shankar was without a doubt the pioneer of the pan-India formula. He is regarded as one of South India's largest producers of commercial motion pictures.  Unfortunately, his recent attempts to wow moviegoers have failed miserably, and he is now a shell of his former self.  He had consecutive failures with Game Changer and indian 2.

The legendary auteur mani ratnam, who has a track record of creating cult classics, is another tamil filmmaker who appears to have lost his Midas touch.  Although his previous movie, Ponniyin Selvan, was somewhat successful in impressing the kollywood audience, it did not garner the anticipated level of attention throughout India.  Now, his most recent project, Thug Life, which had high hopes because of its all-star cast, began with a dismal reception.  According to trade estimates, the film is likely to suffer significant losses in every aspect as a result of the unsatisfactory ruling. 

AR murugadoss is presently in obscurity because none of his most recent films have generated any buzz at the box office. In the 2000s, he joined the likes of shankar and mani ratnam by delivering phenomenal commercial hits like Ghazini, Thuppakki, and Kaththi.  At the box office, movies like Spyder, Sarkar, and darbar were a complete bust.  He attempted to patch things up with salman Khan's Sikandar, but he was unable to make the anticipated comeback.
 
It is only a matter of time until the top three disappear from the spotlight as a group of up-and-coming talents continue to flourish in kollywood, with directors like Atlee, lokesh kanagaraj, Nelson dilip Kumar, Vetrimaaran, and H. Vinoth adopting the pan-India formula by collaborating with actors outside of Kollywood.  
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Tamil Cinema

G GOWTHAM

06/06/2025 10:36 AM