Ajith Kumar's Dheena re-release evokes strong response from fans; can it beat Thalapathy Vijay's Ghilli?

Tamil superstar Ajith Kumar's past blockbuster "Dheena" opened in cinemas worldwide on May 1, coinciding with the star's 53rd birthday. The film's re-release was marked by massive celebrations by fans across the world.

Earlier today, director AR Murugadoss expressed his happiness about his film getting re-released after more than 23 years. While wishing Ajith on his birthday, Murugadoss tweeted, "Happy #MayDay to all the dedicated souls out there! Excited about the re-release of 'Dheena' today, a film close to my heart! Thank you, Ajith sir, for defining #Thala. Let's celebrate 'Dheena' in theatres once again! #DheenaRerelease."

Murugadoss made his directorial debut with "Dheena," and the rest, as they say, is history. "Dheena" is a very important film in the careers of both Ajith and Murugadoss. While the film helped Ajith redefine his 'chocolate boy' image and prove his potential to lead action-packed movies, its commercial success immediately made Murugadoss a force to reckon with in the Tamil film industry.

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In "Dheena," Ajith essays the role of a gangster with a strong moral compass. Following a series of twists and misunderstandings, Ajith's Dheena is forced to go against the wishes of his elder brother Aathi, played by Suresh Gopi. The film's music album, composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, was also a huge hit. The film also earned the popular moniker "Thala" for Ajith.

Dheena celebrations go out of hand

Hundreds of fans gathered outside popular theatres across Chennai and celebrated the re-release with great enthusiasm. The fan frenzy led to several untoward incidents, with visuals showing some fans bursting crackers inside theatres surfacing on social media. Some fans also tore posters of Thalapathy Vijay's "Ghilli," which is running successfully in cinemas.

With the lack of new exciting content in cinemas, the trend of re-releasing old blockbusters has gained momentum. "Ghilli" has created a massive record by earning more than Rs 26 crore from its worldwide gross collection. It debuted theatrically by grossing more than Rs 2 crore in ticket sales and has already overtaken the re-release collections of movies like "Sholay" and "Titanic 3D" in India.

Can "Dheena" recreate the success of "Ghilli"? Only time will tell.