Useless effort?

There is this thing which has always struck me as quaint. I have heard it quite often, especially when it comes to movies that failed. People who are involved in the movie industry tend to say, "You don't know how much effort goes into it. You cannot be so dismissive about it."

I mean, come on, do you really think that no effort went into making that horrid food in that restaurant? Or that pathetic excuse for a mobile...did that thing just pop out of thin air for that brand to sell? In every area of human endeavor, there is effort, some successful, some not. The fact that effort went into something cannot automatically inoculate it from criticism.

Aaatrin varundhaa varuttham palar nindru potrinum potthuppadum  - Tirukkural.

If work be not done the proper way it'll fail no matter how many people help in the process - Loose Translation

You do not build a proper house by heaping bricks higgledy-piggledy. No matter how hard you worked at it and how many people helped you to do it. It takes proper planning, and it takes proper process to do a successful job of building a house...or any other piece of work for that matter.

The intent to work and the dedication to do so may be laudable in a person. But for the end result to be worthy of appreciation, it is never enough to merely work hard. And Tiru knew it.

So, Tiru, in his times, knew the difference between merely working hard and working smart. THAT's why the man remains relevant even unto this day.