Pongal films have come and gone without creating much of a wave but the pre-Pongal "Kaadhal", released with no fanfare at all, is still going strong.

Films like "Ayya" and "Thirupachi" were hyped to the hilt but failed to evoke a chord in the public. "Kaadhal" succeeded because it did not create an urban-rural divide. This is mainly because of the realistic approach of the director.

Even after a month of its release, "Kaadhal" tops the list.

1. "Kaadhal": Balaji Shaktivel, an assistant to Shankar, might not have expected his small film to strike gold at the box office. It has been a dream beginning for Shankar's production house, S. Productions, too. For hero Bharath, this is his first real solo hit though he was appreciated a lot in his last Tamil film "Chellamaey".

2. "Ji": This Ajith starrer, directed by Lingusamy, is at the number two position only because the film had a dream opening at the box office with Ajith fans going wild in the theatres. Such a great opening made people believe that the film would do exceedingly well commercially. But later reports say that once the fans left the theatre, the noise also subsided. Audiences, it seems, found the film quite tiring. This is not good news for Ajith, whose last film "Attahasam" also had a great opening but could not sustain the momentum.

3. "Thirupachi": This was a big disappointment for Vijay fans. There was not much difference between Vijay's "Gilli" or "Madurai" or "Thirupachi". Those who went to see something different in the film came back disappointed. The lesson: fans alone cannot make a film a hit.

4. "Devathayai Kandein": Everybody expected this film with a jaded look to last not even a week but it continues to run. Though it has not created any waves, it can be termed an average success. That itself is a big relief for Dhanush, who has been collecting flops one by one.

5. "Ayya": Sarath Kumar's spirited performance as father and son could not excite the audience. Perhaps people are tired of father-son confrontations. Not a good debut for Nayanathara, who is already better known as Rajni's heroine in the forthcoming "Chandramukhi".