The Pongal 2013 countdown is reaching its climax in the next 48 hours. Studio Green's Karthi family entertainer Alex Pandian is slated for release on Friday January 11 worldwide.

There are going to be five Tamil releases this Pongal. On January 11, there is Alex Pandian followed by Santhanam's Kanna Laddu Thinna Asai and Vishal's Samar on Sunday, January 13. And on Pongal day there are two small films Puthagam and Vijayanagaram.

According to Studio Green the response to Alex Pandian has been very good as the advance booking opened with most of the screens getting sold out for the first week. The film is opening in nearly 800 screens worldwide, which is huge.

Kanna Laddu Thinna Asai is opening in approximately 275 screens in Tamil Nadu. The film is said to be a comedy laugh riot. Vishal's Samar has also confirmed that it will release big on Sunday January 13.

In Detail
Pongal and Deepavali are very important not only for Tamils and Hindus all over the globe; these are very significant days for the entire Kollywood fraternity where producers and directors make every effort to ensure that their films release on these dates. In fact, Pongal is ever more significant than Deepavali in the Tamil context as at least 3-4 holidays are guaranteed during this time which the film-makers want to cash in on.

The number of films hitting the screens on Pongal have gone down significantly for the past few years. This year, except Kamal Haasan’s magnum opus and the highly and hugely controversial Vishwaroopam, five films were lined up to release. Films are slated to release today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to ensure that they are in theatres when the Pongal crowd throngs the cinema halls in the next 5-6 days.
With Kamal himself officially announcing Vishwaroopam release has been postponed to 25th January. Vishwaroopam drops out of the pongal race.

Among the other films slated for Pongal release, Karthi-Anushka’s Alex Pandian, releases in more than 630 halls world over, and is billed by trade pundits as well as observers it could be the first super-hit film of the new year provided it is an good entertainer. In Tamil Nadu alone, the film is releasing today in more than 375 cinema halls. The Telugu version of Alex Pandian(Bad Boy) would not be releasing today.

Now Vishal’s Samar has confirmed joining the Pongal race after over coming all financial issues, and lucky enough to have got theatres, following Vishwaroopam pulling out. Directed by Thiru, the film is likely to release in at around 200 halls in the State on Sunday (13th January).

Actor Arya’s younger brother Sathya debuts as hero in Puthagam, which also marks the directorial debut of small-screen actor and programme host Vijay Adhiraj. Rakul Preet Singh and Rachana Maurya are said to have aptly taken care of the ‘glamour quotient’ in Puthagam which is releasing on Monday (14th).

Newcomers Sivan and Haasini play the lead pair in Vijayanagaram which deals with the ‘mark-sheet’ scam witnessed in many educational institutions in the recent past. Tanveer has directed the film which has Banuchander and Aryan in the cast.

Comedian Santhanam’s home-production Kanna Laddu Thinna Aasaiya(KLTA) is the fifth film in the Pongal race which would be releasing in 225 screens, but the film has courted controversy with K. Bhagyaraj accusing the makers of ‘duping’ him and re-made his old hit Indru Poi Naalai Vaa in to KLTA without his permission.

It remains to be seen as to how all of these films perform at the box-office in the days to come!