With mere hours to go before the release of the highly anticipated film Prince starring Sivakarthikeyan, the excitement is off the charts for this one. Fans, critics, as well as the general public, are eagerly waiting for the film's release. The film has been making rounds and has been the topic of conversation for many months and as we are nearing its release, there is a lot of hype around it. With the film all ready to take the theatres by storm tomorrow, October 21, marking the Diwali weekend, let us quickly piece together a SWOT analysis for Prince.
Strengths:
1) SIVAKARTHIKEYAN - Sivakarthikeyan has made a place for himself in the hearts of the people with his likeable and entertaining performances. His cute, quirky, and fun nature paired with his moving performance is something that resonates with those watching it. His films are not just meant for one type of audience but instead cater to all sorts of people, of all age groups and from all walks of life. Seeing him back on screen in Prince will remind the people why they keep going back to SK for more. SK will be going back to his roots as Prince is an all-out comedy film. His last few films were not completely comedy driven.
2) ANUDEEP K. V. - Director Anudeep is known for his Telugu comedy-drama Jathi Ratnalu which released theatrically last year. During the initial lockdown phase due to the deadly coronavirus pandemic, when people were stuck at their homes, the film became the talk of the town as its popularity started growing when people started tuning into it on Amazon Prime Video. This resulted in both the film and its director getting great praise from many. Having made such a successful film, Prince can be believed to be left in good hands under his direction.
3) S. THAMAN - Thaman has a reputation for churning out some awesome chartbuster albums and it looks like he is not stopping anytime soon. His work in Prince is no different. The film has 3 songs and with all of them released, the reception has been quite heartening. They have all ended up smashing hits because of which they are ruling the charts at the moment. And one can expect the fans to celebrate the songs during the FDFS shows.
4) SATHYARAJ - The combination of Sathyraj and SK comes under one of the most iconic duos in Tamil cinema. The two work really well with each other and the end result is seen evidently on the big screen time and time again in their previous films Varuthapadatha Valibar Sangam and Kanaa. Their dynamic is nothing short of iconic and we cannot wait to see it again in this third collaboration with one another as it is bound to be entertaining given the film is an all out comedy film.
Weakness:
This is not considered an actual weakness but it is something that could fall on that line. Directed Anudeep is of Telugu origin and has never stepped into the domain of Tamil films. He had written the story of Prince in Telugu, but the film has been shot in Tamil, and one could come to wonder how the comedies could have been pulled off given the language barriers. Would the transition from Telugu to Tamil look seamless? There is only one way to find out - we will have to wait and watch.
Opportunities:
1) HATTRICK SUCCESS - Prince is a movie like any other and there are a lot of expectations from SK for this one. This is mainly because his last two films, Doctor and Don, were both highly successful at the box office. So much so that they both ended up collecting 100 crores each at the box office. With Prince next in line for release, this is a big opportunity for SK to get his third hat trick of success which might also end up collecting another 100 crores.
2) EXPANSION OF SK'S BRAND - SK has had many films in the past which has been dubbed and released due to which a fair portion of the Telugu people are familiar with him. But since Prince is made by a successful Telugu director and with more Telugu flavour and elements in it, the film will reach a vast number of Telugu people. This will provide the opportunity for SK to further expand his market amongst the Telugu community, thereby increasing his fan base over AP and Telangana. This will lead to SK being more than familiar in their houses and might even end up being a household name other than in Tamil Nadu.
3) GROWTH FOR MARIA RIABOSHAPKA - Maria is an Ukranian-based model turned actor who will be making her Tamil debut with Prince. It is rather uncommon that we have seen foreign beauties come to our home turf to act in a movie as the lead actress. We have seen many come in as side roles or as extras but not so many in the lead. This reminds us how Amy Jackson blew up after she made her appearance as the lead in Madrasapattinam. She was instantly the talk of the town and got roles from various other people. This same opportunity can come up for Maria as well if she happens to blossom and prove her worth in the film.
Threats:
1) SARDAR - Prince is getting a mass theatrical release for Diwali on October 21. This is the exact day Karthi starrer Sardar is scheduled to hit the screens as well. This means Sardar will stand as a contender to Prince and is therefore a potential threat to the film if it ends up getting a better response from the masses.
2) TRAILER - When the makers of Prince released its trailer, a few things stood out. We are not talking about the songs, SK's screen presence, or how cute Maria looks. Instead, it is how the trailer presents a simple usual story which we have probably seen a hundred times already. It can be speculated that the since the 'almost same' storyline has been seen in countless films, it can be easily predicted which therefore might bore the audience.
3) COMEDY IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS - Comedy has always been a tricky subject to deal with. It is something that is so subjective that while crafting a joke, the makers must have the audience in mind and think about whether the people would understand rather than just a few of them. Since Prince is touted to be an all-out comedy, the jokes should perform well and have a smooth landing at the end. If not, the audience and their reviews might backfire.