If there is one word that can drive people go berserk, then it must be the word Thala. The name Thala fondly given to actor Ajith by his lakhs of fans is one word when uttered on the big screen can bring not only the whistles and claps but also the moolah.
It is common to expect a “Thala” tag in Ajith film. But if you are a regular follower of Tamil cinema, you will be astonished to see how many film makers are using the Thala tag for their film’s promotions.
Take the case of Sundarapandiyan. When actor Soori said “namma eppavathu oru angle la ponungalugu Ajith ahtherivom”, the entire theatre went gaga over the scene and in social networking sites Ajith fans gave enough publicity for the film Sundarapandiyan.
In the latest Thaandavam trailer there is a particular scene when Nasser asks Santhanam, “Where is Thala?,” and Sanathanam replies “Thala will be shooting in Tamilnadu.” For this scene again, Ajith fans have gone over the top in giving publicity in the social networking sites and in turn it has become an add on publicity for the film.
Similarly many heroes have played as Thala fans in Kollywood. Suriya and Dhanush played as ardent Ajith fans in Mayavi and Mappillai respectively. Simbu is a fan of Ajith both in real and reel life. Starting form his film Mandamdhan, he was open in showing his affection to Thala.
When we quizzed about this phenomenon to some of the film buffs they say “Ajith’s biggest strength is his youth fans and they go to watch first day first show for many of the films. It is very evident that Ajith has got the biggest opening when it comes to film’s releases. The film makers are now cleverly using his name for the publicity and in fact it really works in some cases.
