‘Ghilli’ re-release frenzy: Why Vijay and Trisha’s masala fest still works

The re-release fanfare for ‘Ghilli,’ starring Vijay, Trisha and Prakash Raj, is a reminder of a time when masala films didn’t bank on a ton of violence and higher budgets but a terrific lead cast, an engaging screenplay and a perfect soundtrack

Nothing hits home quite like nostalgia, and as the recent trend of re-releases has proved, it is especially the case when it comes to cinema. 20 years after it was originally released, Ghilli is back on the big screen, and a matinee show on the packed main screen at PVR Sathyam cinemas on Saturday saw a crowd of fans dance to the opening beats of ‘Soora Thenga,’ as if it was one of the several First Day First Show celebrations of actor Vijay’s films that we have witnessed over the last two decades.

A remake of the 2003 Telugu film Okkadu, Ghilli follows Velu (Vijay), a kabaddi player who bravely dares to rescue Dhanalakshmi (Trisha) from a Madurai gang leader Muthupandi (Prakash Raj). The film’s plot and narrative is as simple as it gets, and yet, audiences since 2004 have gone back to it several times in the last two decades, mostly when it got aired on television and more recently on OTT. This has only led to more excitement building in the weeks leading up to the re-release, culminating in a social media frenzy thanks to fans who shared several videos of the revelry from packed theatres. So what makes a masala fest like Ghilli one of the most re-watchable movies?

Twenty years later, Dharani’s Ghilli is still regarded to have perfected a formula — as an eminently re-watchable film that has the perfect drama, song, dance, fight, romance and comedy ratio. In 2004, expectations were set, given that director Dharani was also riding high on the success of his previous films, Dhill and Dhool.

Both films, helmed by Vikram had a similar, simple premise — an ordinary man who is tasked with taking evil head-on, encounters several roadblocks, has near-death experiences, and then proceeds to unravel an elaborate plan of revenge. If Kanagavel’s plans of joining the police force are thwarted by a corrupt officer in Dhill, Arumugam in Dhool has a larger issue from his hometown he hopes the government will address — a polluted water source.

In Ghilli, Dharani’s protagonist has less to worry about. We instead explore his relationship with his family and friends (who provide much of the comic relief) and laugh at his lack of a larger ambition apart from excelling at Kabaddi. He is a loafer, but an extremely likable one with heart and spirit, especially when faced with a challenge.

Through the opening weekend, audiences have not stopped just singing along to cult favourite ‘Appadi Podu,’ but have also been loudly reciting the film’s many iconic dialogues with the actors on screen — including Vijay’s opening monologue, Ashish Vidyarthi’s ‘wrong nanbargal’, and Prakash Raj’s many declarations of terrifyingly heartfelt love. Phone cameras were also kept ready to capture Trisha’s memorable demand for kaara pori right in the middle of a heated chase sequence.

Much of the nostalgia tied to Ghilli is owing to its exceptionally fun soundtrack by Vidyasagar, in his fourth collaboration with Dharani after Edhirum Pudhirum, Dhill and Dhool. The high energy isn’t just reserved for a chase scene or a hero introduction song — even the romance here gets a high octane ‘Appadi Podu’, which remains one of the most popular Tamil dance numbers to this day.