The whole industry is awe struck by the big budget game played by its two biggest stars. Superstar Rajinikanth and Ulaga Naayagan Kamal Haasan have been tough competitors for three decades. The competition has now reached new heights with the big stars are now fighting in terms of budget and grandeur.
It was said that Rajini's blockbuster 'Sivaji', produced by AVM, was made with a budget of 60 crore rupees. Oscar Ravichandran is making 'Dasavadharam' featuring Kamal in the lead role(s), with a budget that has said to be higher than Sivaji's budget.
The competition has been intensified even before 'Dasavadharam' is released. Rajini ' Shankar combination has announced 'Robot', to be made with 125 crore rupees. Then we heard that Kamal starrer 'Marmayogi', produced by Walt Disney, would have 100 crore budget. The fine print is that the expenses for the movie would shoot up as the shooting goes on and cross the budget of 'Robot'.
While this mega competition would propel Tamil cinema into international level, there is a flip side to this race. Some feel that the budget war could discourage the small players in the industry. If big becomes the in thing, then the small would become taboo and the small players with simple ideas would be sidelined, they fear.
However, some argue that, simple and small budgeted films like 'Chennai 6000028' have defied the so called trends and hence there is no need to press the panic button.