When I attended the debut screening of “Captain Miller” earlier this year, I noticed that one audience member was unexpectedly unaware that the Dhanush-led feature also included Shiva Rajkumar, Sundeep Kishan, and Aditi Balan. This curious incident sparked two reflections: Firstly, how some fortunate individuals manage to experience a film untarnished by promotional material and, secondly, the discernible surge of multi-starrers in Tamil cinema. Setting aside landmark films such as the “Ponniyin Selvan” duology, “Jailer,” “Leo,” and “Vikram,” the industry, only two months into 2024, has already offered “Blue Star” and “Lal Salaam,” both boasting a cadre of leading actors.
The current wave of Tamil superstars are increasingly embracing the multi-starrer format. But to appreciate this burgeoning trend’s significance, one must chart its historical progression within the industry. The multi-starrer concept is by no means a novelty in Tamil cinema. Traditionally termed ‘double-hero subjects,’ these films often featured duos as friends, brothers, adversaries, or strangers thrown together by destiny, seen in classics such as “Parthal Pasi Theerum” and “Apoorva Raagangal.”
Remarkably, icons MGR and Sivaji Ganesan shared the screen just once in “Koondukkili” (1954), as did Vijay and Ajith in “Rajavin Parvaiyile” (1995), with both movies achieving modest success. The intervening era, which transformed Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth from actors to megastars, was rich with collaborations. Even so, multi-starrers like “Pazhani” (1965), featuring a trio of lead actors, remained rarities.
Notably, Sivaji’s “Bharatha Vilas” (1973), embodying religious unity and featuring actors from other regional industries, became a pivotal moment for the multi-starrer genre. By the 90s, dual leads in Tamil cinema peaked, gleaning influence from Hollywood’s buddy-cop movies, and spawning a variety of films including “Kuruthipunal,” “Duet,” and “Kadhala Kadhala.”
The millennium transition saw a shift from star-driven vehicles to family-centric narratives with a more distributed ensemble of characters—a trend propelled by filmmakers from distinct eras, from A Bhimsingh to Visu, and further by directors like K.S. Ravikumar and Sundar. C. Consequently, this era also witnessed an equitable representation of female stars, eventually giving rise to women-centric multi-starrers such as “Three Roses” and “Snegithiye.”
The film “Suyamvaram” (1999), still holds the record for featuring the most stars as well as being the fastest-made feature-length film ever completed! Mani Ratnam’s consistent creation of multi-starrer films like the “Agni Natchathiram” and “Ponniyin Selvan” series positions him as a vanguard in this realm.
The dawn of the new millennium was marked by superstar team-ups like “Kandukondain Kandukondain” and Kamal Haasan’s directorial masterpiece “Hey Ram.” While dual leads persisted, the traditional multi-starrer evolved sparingly, with a few exceptions like “Chekka Chivantha Vaanam” and “Super Deluxe.”
The groundbreaking impact of the “Baahubali” series shook the Indian film industry, altering casting approaches and inspiring pan-Indian cinema—a concept the Tamil film industry pioneered with the 1948 film “Chandralekha.” The monumental “2.0” (2018) featuring Akshay Kumar, and Rajinikanth’s subsequent work in “Petta,” with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, exemplify the current phase of diverse multi-regional casting.
This trend has trickled down to smaller-scale projects and has been further facilitated by the rise of OTT platforms, as seen in series like “Modern Love Chennai” and “Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie.” Theatrical releases continue to embrace ensemble casts with upcoming titles like “Thangalaan,” “Dhruva Natchathiram,” and star-studded ventures such as Kamal Haasan’s “Indian 2,” and Rajinikanth’s “Vetaiyan.”
As we witness the evolution of multi-starrers, the term has expanded from its original implication of equal protagonist weightage to denote films with star-studded ensemble casts. Although debatable whether all such films qualify under the traditional definition, there is no doubt that the amalgamation of talents is a welcome sight. What the future holds for this trend is a rich subject for speculation, but the silver screen is set to shine with an array of diverse, stellar performances in the years to come.
