25 years of Uyire and Jeans: Why 1998 was unique in the annals of Tamil cinema

Uyire was the last instalment in the terrorism trilogy, comprising Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995). (Image source: Twitter/Ashwin_Saravana)

1998 was unique in so many ways in the annals of Tamil cinema. Take any year in the decade and you will find it chock-a-block with blockbusters. Though 1998 had its fair share of box-office sharks, Shankar-directorial Jeans was probably the only movie that became a monster hit. However, some other movies should be mentioned in the same breath. Take, for instance, Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen (I Gave Myself To You), a movie that is oranges to Jeans' apples. If Jeans was the most expensive movie made up till that point in Tamil cinema, Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen was a plot-heavy unassuming drama. Vikraman’s movie, also a massive hit in 1998, faded from memory over the years.

It’s been 25 years since many of these movies were made and released. We will do well to remember many of them, including Uyire (From the Heart). Despite the mile-long queues for tickets, the movie flopped right in the first week. Nevertheless, I kept returning even when the audience was less than 50 people. As a huge Mani Ratnam fan, I was hellbent on staying loyal to the ace director. Shah Rukh Khan’s turn as All India Radio journalist Amarkant Varma in the movie was enchanting, and so was Manisha Koirala’s role as a terrorist torn between her mission and a stranger she's falling in love with. I was still discovering AR Rahman and found his album to be a seminal work.

I also found ‘Thaiya Thaiya’ to be one of the best songs ever picturised on a train. I also had to set aside my criticism of Malaika Arora’s gyrations and train myself to enjoy the music. Dil Se was Preity Zinta’s first movie, and she was horribly miscast as a Malayalee. But I came away forming a soft corner for her. Sanjay Mishra’s turn as a terrorist and Zohra Sehgal as Amar’s grandmother.

The movie was the last instalment in the terrorism trilogy, comprising Roja (1992) and Bombay (1995). The movie was a huge success in the overseas market, especially in the US and UK.

While Uyire was a critical success that found new audiences abroad, Jeans was a blockbuster with cutting-edge visual effects. The movie was a sentimental mush of a love story without any point whatsoever. But audiences didn’t mind, and it was a massive success at the box office.

Prashanth and Nassar act as a father-son set of twins, with the latter nailing it with the acting, while the former falls short in the scenes he has to take control.

Directed by Shankar to the magical music of AR Rahman, the film presumably tells us about marrying off twins in a family. The special effects are superb, especially when we have twins in the same frame.

Prashanth acts as Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy and are named after the Tamil film composer duo. They spend their daytime training to be doctors in the USA, while after-hours are spent assisting their father at his Indian restaurant. While on a routine visit to the local airport to deliver food, Visu runs into a stranded family of three – played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Raju Sundaram (debut) and Lakshmi – who are from Tamil Nadu and speak Tamil. He helps them sort out their visa issues and, after a bit of a mix-up with Ramu, helps them to the proper address.

Lakshmi plays Krishnaveny, who has recurring headaches due to a brain tumour and has been advised to opt for surgery in Los Angeles. Accompanying her are Madhesh (Raju Sundaram) and Madhumita (Aishwarya).

S Ve Sekhar is in his element, playing a cameo as Madhumita’s father. Also, supporting the cast are Senthil as Juno (cook in the restaurant) and Geetha, who outdoes herself as the wife of Nachiappan (Nassar). Radhika, who portrays a character with negative shades, also gets considerable screen time.

The film, the costliest ever made in Tamil at that point, was sent to the Oscars but failed to garner a nomination. Jeans ended up one of my least favourites on the list of Shankar movies. Carnatic singer Nithyasree took home the state award for best female playback singer.

Kadhala Kadhala (Oh Love, Oh Love) is a laugh riot and a much-needed one to cheer up people back in 1998. It’s a sort of movie that ages gracefully, and it doesn’t look like 25 years have passed since it was made.

‘Crazy’ Mohan wrote the story and dialogue, with Kamal Haasan writing the screenplay. Haasan and Prabhu Deva play two orphans willing to lie through their teeth to marry the love of their lives, played by the late actress Soundariya and Ramba. Directed by the veteran Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, the movie also showcases the comic skills of late music director MS Viswanathan as an actor of some calibre. Ilaiyaraaja’s son Karthik Raja scored the music.

Some critics were harsh on the movie for not being as funny as Michael Madana Kamarajan and Pesum Padam, which came from the same team of filmmakers.

Another film that was a tremendous success came from director Vikraman. Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen, a romance drama expected from the stable, brought people back to the theatres. Starring Karthik and Roja in lead roles, the movie begins as a comedy of errors when Selvam (Karthik in his 100th film) and his sidekick (debutant Ramesh Khanna) are trapped in Radha’s house for three days. The way Radha’s actions influence Selvam and what happens to their love story forms the rest of the movie. The movie was a massive success and ran for more than 200 days in many towns across Tamil Nadu. Roja won a state award for best actress.

Another movie that deserves a mention here is The Terrorist, directed by Santosh Sivan and starring a relatively unknown actress called Ayesha Dharker.

Inspired by events surrounding the attack on former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, the movie tells the poignant story of the terrorist who fails to carry out the assassination after finding she is pregnant. The movie won many international awards, including in Cairo and Toronto. Besides picking up a national award for best editing, the movie also won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil.

Director Ravichandran made his debut film, Kannerithe Thondrinal (She Appeared Before My Eyes) in 1998. The film, which was a box-office success, has the distinction of being made in several languages including Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu and Bengali. Vasanth, played by Prasanth, and Priya (Simran) fall in love but are reluctant to marry, fearing the wrath of Priya’s brother (Kiran). The movie is heavy on plot and includes a riveting flashback sequence. The movie has music by Deva and the soundtrack includes the hit song, ‘Salomia’.

Prasanth continued his success streak with Kadhal Kavithai (Love Poem) which was a hit with both audiences and critics. Directed by Agathiyan, the movie was initially produced by Ashok Amirtaj, who wanted to work with Prasanth again after the success of Jeans. Later, Murali Manohar took on producing responsibilities. If you don’t get your expectations too high, you can still catch this movie as it has a refreshing story and an interesting mix of characters.

Priyamudan (With Love) had actor Vijay don a negative role, which audiences had not seen before. Vijay plays Vasanth, who falls for Priya (actress Kausalya) and becomes too possessive of her. He kills twice so that he can be with her. The film was directed by debutant Vincent Selva and the music was by Deva. Critics were appreciative of the risk that actor Vijay took to portray an anti-hero.

Marumalarchi (Revival) is another hit film from 1998. Starring Mammootty and Devayani, and directed by Bharathi, the film is set in a fictional village, with the Kerala actor playing its chieftain, Rasu Padayachi. The story portrays the rivalry between two neighbouring due to certain misunderstandings.

Sollamale (Without Saying) was a low-budget drama that was well-received by audiences and critics alike when it was released for the Pongal of 1998. Sasi made his directorial debut with this movie, which starred Livingston and Kausalya. Debutant Bobby, who scored the music for the movie, took home the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Music Director.

Aval Varuvala (Will She Come Over?) was based on the Telugu film Pelli and starred Ajith Kumar and Simran in the lead roles. Ajith plays a bank manager who falls in love with a married woman with a tormented past, played by Simran. Directed by Raj Kapoor, the film was a modest success at the box office.

There were a few other movies that earn the status of honourable mentions. Ponmanam, Unnudan, Harichandra, Kadhal Mannan, and Thayin Manikodi were all released in 1998 and made beeps at the box office.

In hindsight, some things did go terribly wrong in 1998. Jeans probably didn’t deserve to go to the Oscars. But films like Sollamale redeemed things back home. Also, Uyire has over the years acquired an unshakeable reputation. Many of the movies mentioned above deserve to be seen, especially for the unique perspectives their directors brought to their projects. It would be best to summarise 1998 as a mixed bag of movies.