OG Tamil directors under pressure after latest films tank at box office; will they bounce back?

Three of the most influential names in Kollywood, Mani Ratnam, Shankar, and AR Murugadoss, have never faced this kind of criticism from critics, who feel that neither of their most recent products has been a big success. Once celebrated for their trailblazing narratives and cinematic acumen, these filmmakers are now being called into question by fans and critics.

Shankar under pressure after Indian 2

The reputation of filmmaker Shankar has been going down after the super hits – Sivaji, Anniyan and Enthiran. His last few releases, I and the much-awaited sequel Indian 2, did not do well with the audience.

Expected for years, Indian 2 was met with poor reviews and is tanking at the box office. The VFX and storytelling – the areas which used to be the strength of Shankar, were condemned as outdated and the social media went on trolling the filmmaker. Indian 3 is even now in the production state but it is already sceptical of its destiny.

His recent film Game Changer, which has Ram Charan Tej in the lead role received backlash from audiences all across and this is something nobody saw coming.

AR Murugadoss' struggle to get his groove back

Even AR Murugadoss, who was feted at one point for his crowd-pleasing-yet-socially-relevant cinema (Ramana, Thuppakki, Ghajini), has not had a hit in a while. His last few projects have fallen short of expectations, and now fans are wondering out loud if he can turn it around.

Thug Life - one of the long list of disappointments from Mani Ratnam

The newest entrant to the line-up is Mani Ratnam, who so far managed to barely escape online mockery even when he stumbled a bit at the box office with some of his films. But Thug Life, which came out this Thursday, is something of a turning point. The movie was a disappointing venture despite big hype and a reunion with Kamal Haasan.

Many have deemed it Ratnam's weakest film yet, and social media has been alive with talk about how it drew an "OMG" response solely because of how ordinary, slow and ineffective its storytelling and impact were.

Another factor that makes Thug Life's setback more serious is that it was co-produced by Kamal Haasan himself, making the flop a double whammy. Kamal, too, was trolled online, and criticized for supporting a film that didn't work at the box office.

The surge of frustration that has greeted these veteran directors signals a change in what audiences are willing to accept. And in an age of content downloaded or streamed on demand, with a flood of fresh voices and tales to hear, fans appear to demand ever more originality, sharper writing and emotional breadth.

Though it's a bit early to pull the plug on these palace legends, the recent run of badness has hurt their formerly unsinkable legacies. Will they rebound? Only time will tell, but for now, the heat is on.