In Pics | 5 key moments for the Tamil film industry in 2020

Written by: Roktim RajpalThe year 2020 proved to be an eventful one for the Tamil film industry despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdowns. With 2021 around the corner, here is a look at the top moments from the past 11 months:

Darbar failed to make an impact | Veteran actor Rajinikanth suffered a major setback when his Pongal release ‘Darbar’ failed to live up to the expectations at the box office while receiving mixed to negative reviews. The AR Murugadoss-directed action film featured Rajinikanth in the role of a police officer, revolving around a conflict between a ‘bad cop’ and his ruthless adversary. It had a strong cast that included Nayanthara, Nivetha Thomas, Suniel Shetty and Yogi Babu. Credit: IMDb

Dhanush delivered a surprise | Powerhouse performer Dhanush scored a big hit with ‘Pattas’, which hit screens days after ‘Darbar’. The Martial Arts movie featured ‘D’ in a new avatar much to the delight of fans. The ‘Maari’ actor underwent rigorous physical training to prepare for one of the most challenging roles of his career. It starred Sneha and Mehreen as the leading ladies. The movie was later dubbed in Telugu as ‘Local Boy’. Credit: IMDb

Covid-19 pandemic roiled the box office experience | The Covid-19 pandemic affected the box office performance of Harish Kalyan-starrer ‘Dharala Prabhu’ much to the disappointment of fans. Vijay’s ‘Master’ and Ajith Kumar’s ‘Valimai’ also failed to keep their date with the audience due to lockdown. Credit: Twitter/@actorvijay

The rise of OTT | The digital medium emerged as a substitute to theatres during the Covid-19 pandemic. Films such as ‘Ponmagal Vandha’l, Keerthy Suresh’s ‘Penguin’, the Diwali biggie ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and Atlee’s ‘Andhagaaram’ skipped the theatrical route and released online. The Tamil anthology movie ‘Putham Pudhu Kaalai’, an anthology shot during lockdown and released on Amazon Prime, was very well received. Credit: PR Handout

Kamal Haasan is still the ‘Bigg Boss’ | Kamal , the face of ‘Bigg Boss Tami’l, returned to host the fourth season of the popular reality show much to the delight of the TV audience. The shoot of his eagerly-awaited movie ‘Indian 2’ hit a roadblock when three people were killed in an accident on the sets of the biggie. Kamal signed the movie ‘Vikram’, marking his first collaboration with filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj. Credit: YouTube/Screengrab