Sarkar Preview – Will it be a hat-trick for Vijay and AR Murugadoss?

With the previous two films in Vijay-AR Murugadoss combination becoming blockbuster hits, there are sky-high expectations for their third outing, Sarkar, which will hit the screens on the Diwali day (November 6). The movie has reportedly made record pre-release business and according to trade pundits, the production house (Sun Pictures) has already made a huge profit.

Strengths

• ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay is the biggest crowd-puller in the film and his ever-growing fan base is sure to ensure that the movie takes one of the biggest openings in Tamil cinema.
• AR Murugadoss is one of the few directors who knows how to extract the best out of Vijay and also strike a chord with the masses. His films with social relevance (Ramana, Kaththi) have been well-received by the audience in the past. Going by the promotional videos, Sarkar promises to be a high-voltage political film, which aligns with the real-life aspirations of Vijay.

Weakness

• AR Rahman’s songs have received mixed response from the audience and only Oru Viral Puratchi has managed to generate positive vibes. This is a very unlikely scenario for a Vijay film, which usually has at least 3 chartbusters. However, it’d be interesting to see if the audience change their opinion with the visuals.

Opportunities

• The pre-release business of Sarkar in Tamil Nadu is higher than the lifetime share of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which is highest grosser in Tamil Nadu so far. The trade is betting big on the Vijay starrer to create new box office records and gross Rs 140 crore in Tamil Nadu, because only then the movie will become profitable for the distributors. If the movie manages to achieve this herculean feat, Vijay will become the numero uno actor in Tamil cinema.
• Thanks to the controversies around Mersal and the huge publicity they indirectly brought upon, Vijay’s market has been consistently growing across domestic and international markets outside Tamil Nadu. Sarkar will have 200+ fan shows in Kerala, which is in fact higher than what the Kerala superstars usually get. In the international arena, the movie is opening up many new markets in the African nations. With Sarkar’s success, Vijay’s market is expected to exponentially grow outside Tamil Nadu.
• Vijay has recently been vocal about various social issues that affect the people of Tamil Nadu. His views have been bold, clear and in sync with that of the common public. With Vijay recently making his political intentions clear, the success of Sarkar will be a big boost to his political aspirations.

Threats

• The movie is under huge pressure to take an industry-best opening to attain the break even status. If the movie releases to a mixed word of mouth, it will put the distributors at great risk.
• Piracy is an evergreen problem for any film, and Sarkar is no different. With overseas premieres scheduled across many countries, it is important that adequate measures are taken to curb piracy.

Final Words

Will Sarkar repeat the magic of Thuppakki and Kaththi and complete the hat-trick for Vijay and AR Murugadoss? We’ll know the answer on the Diwali day.