The Pongal of 2024 for the Kollywood world has been an exciting phase with a lot happening!! Usually, the films down South witness huge competition during the festivities of Pongal, with big releases of the topmost actors in the business. We have witnessed some epic clashes that have happened between the best in the business. The likes of Ajith and Vijay clashing with film releases during Pongal, Ajith and Rajinikanth’s clash recently during the same festive time, are a few of the noted examples.
2024 has been no different!! This Pongal witnessed one of the busiest weeks in Kollywood with some big clashes!! There were four Tamil releases around the Pongal weekend. The Dhanush starrer Captain Miller, Sivakarthikeyan starrer Ayalaan, Arun Vijay’s Mission: Chapter 1, and Vijay Sethupathi’s film Merry Christmas were this year’s Pongal releases. The clashes were much talked about, as they were very different genres when compared to each other.
While Captain Miller was an adventure action film directed by Arun Matheswaran, Ayalaan was a sci-fi thriller. Mission: Chapter 1 was an action thriller film while Merry Christmas was a thriller drama. Captain Miller and Ayalaan ended up as fruitful success stories. Captain Miller entered the 100 crore club, while Ayalaan which released a day after Captain Miller, has bagged Rs 91 Crore till now.
Now, let us look at the recent epic clashes around Pongal that have made headlines!!
Ajith’s Varisu V/s Vijay’s Thunivu in 2023:
In 2023, it was the biggies Ajith and Vijay whose films clashed at the box office during Pongal. The films of Ajith and Vijay hold a record for having clashed a maximum number of times during Pongal. Varisu received mixed reviews from critics and grossed around ₹290–310 crore at the box office. Thunivu amassed ₹190–250 crore at the box office. The euphoria around both films was huge, but Vijay’s film surged ahead and won this Pongal battle.
Dhanush’s Pattas V/s Rajinikanth’s Darbar in 2020:
In 2020, it was the senior actor Rajinikanth staging a war of sorts with Dhanush during Pongal. The fans of both the actors were thrilled with the releases of their favourite films. Pattas earned ₹1.7 crore on its opening day. By the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed ₹28.7 crore and was successful at the box office. However, Rajinikanth won this race with his film earning much more than Dhanush’s film. Darbar grossed ₹202–250 crore crore at the box office, making it the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2020.
Ajith’s Viswasam V/s Rajinikanth’s Petta in 2019:
Ajith’s amazing film Viswasam found a tough competitor in Rajinikanth’s Petta during Pongal in 2019. It was a very fiercely fought battle, with both films doing well. Viswasam collected ₹180 crore worldwide in 3 weeks. Petta grossed ₹219-250 crore against a budget of ₹160 crore, thus becoming one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time and the second-highest-grossing Tamil film of 2019. However, trade analysts revealed that Viswasam did better business in the Tamil belt, while Petta did big business outside of the Tamil belt.
Vijay’s Jilla V/s Ajith’s Veeram in 2014:
The actors turned box office rivals during the Pongal of 2014. Fans assembled in big numbers, of both the stars, to celebrate the films and the releases. Vijay’s Jilla earned ₹85 crore in its entire run at the box office. Ajith’s Veeram saw a gross collection of Rs. 83 crores worldwide.
It is a fan-frenzy ambience when such biggie films clash around the festive ambience of Pongal. One can see the fans assembling in big numbers, to celebrate their favourite actor’s release. Truly, the Pongal fervour of 2024 lingers on with the films cashing in well with good business.
