I Preview - SWOT Analysis

With the decks cleared for I's release, the movie buffs are gearing up to watch the most anticipated Tamil movie of this decade on January 14th. Although "I" is the brainchild of director Shankar, it is Vikram's unflinching level of commitment that has made it a reality. 

Strengths

• In the battle of Superstars in Tamil cinema, Vikram has always been the unsung hero. What is the level of sacrifice or hardship can an actor undergo, just to justify a role in a film? Vikram's drastic weight loss from 90 kgs to 40 kgs shows that he has set the bar higher not just for Indian actors, but also for actors across the world. He is a treat to watch in such intense roles.
• Director Shankar exactly knows the pulse of the audience and although his films are made on a huge budget, they are actually worth much more than the money spent, with respect to the technical brilliance and the stunning visuals. The movie buffs have already witnessed traces of these in the promo visuals. Going by Shankar's legacy, this film should definitely be a notch higher than Enthiran.
• AR Rahman has come up with few experimental numbers for the film, and they have struck the right chord with the music buffs. With Shankar's trademark style of picturization, the songs will be a stunning experience. Also, as the movie has a strong emotional quotient, his background score will play a key role too.
• There are various other experts involved in the film and the list includes writers Subha, cinematographer PC Sreeram, editor Anthony and WETA people. With such a stellar crew, the movie looks like a winner already.
• The movie also boasts of an enviable star cast that includes Amy Jackson, Santhanam, Suresh Gopi, Upen Patel and Ramkumar Ganeshan. We can expect power-packed performances from all of them, as the intense script warrants.

Opportunities

•  "I" will definitely turn heads towards Tamil cinema and its success will ensure that many directors' ambitious projects can turn realities here. So far, a Tamil movie on such a large scale has never been attempted without the involvement of Superstar Rajinikanth.

Threats

• The movie's running time is 3 hours and 8 minutes. Although it looks longer than usual Tamil movies, Shankar is known for engrossing the audience for over 3 hours in movies like Sivaji and Nanban. Although it is not a major threat, it has to be seen if the pace is consistent throughout the running time.
• The expectations on the film are humongous. In the recent past, we have seen how audience trashed the movies of top ranked actors, as they did not meet the expectations. "I" has a huge responsibility to tick all the boxes, so that it will be celebrated by everyone. Also, many movies like Aambala, Darling, Yennai Arindhaal and Kakki Sattai are expected to release this month, which will make it a crowded month.

Final words

For the amount of work that has gone into this film for nearly 3 years, the "I" team deserves a blockbuster. Will the audience approve of it?

We will be back with the FDFS review!