RAJNI- The Superstar

I initially wanted to call this piece -‘Sivaji-The Boss’. But lest people misunderstand and come to their own conclusions about whom/what I am talking about and for the underlying fear that I have developed for Airtel since the Lakshmana Kailash episode, I have referred to the protagonist of this piece by his popular name. (Airtel - Please note that I do not use your internet service :) )

Since my childhood, I have grown up on a staple diet of Rajni flicks. It is mind numbing to imagine the craze, excitement and euphoria that this man can generate among people (within and outside of both his fan community and our country).
I was in Boston when his latest blockbuster - ‘Sivaji’ was released. I was amazed when I learnt from one of my colleagues (who is a native of Boston) that even 15 days into its release - he could not get a ticket to the movie and that the first few days saw tickets being sold in black for about 5-10 times its cost! I was also surprised at the amount of national press and air time that was devoted to his movie. No wonder that the movie’s release was termed a festival of sorts in Tamil Nadu and his fans went into a tizzy.

Rajni is a mega brand. He sells across all ages, genders and continents. You do not need to understand the language to understand or enjoy his movies - his gravity defying stunts, fire power in his shoes, feet that possess tornado creating abilities, a bullet that retraces its path/ a bullet that can be sliced into two by a razor, the flick of the cigarette, the tossing of the coin, the revolver changing hands ala a Hrithik dance routine, his muscle power, his dance sequences are enough stuff to keep you hooked to him. And for those who understand the language - his dialogues, his action and his comic timing is enough feed for entertainment.

I still remember the goose bumps :) that I got while watching one of the scenes in his movie - Padayappa. It was the post-interval scene where Rajni goes to meet Ramya Krishna (the antagonist) to ask her nephews hand in marriage to his daughter. Before he comes into the living room, she has all the chairs removed. The director evokes a momentary sense of anticipation/suspense as to where would Rajni sit. Then, Rajni enters the room, looks around, walks a couple of steps, uses his shawl and pulls down a bundled up “joolah” and sits on it like a king on his throne (all this accompanied by an exhilarating background score by Rahman).
One of the other things I enjoy in his movies is one of the first slides - where the letters ‘RAJNI’ come flying by accompanied with stars and a theme that sounds straight out of a ‘Bond’ movie.
I also remember a fellow student who distributed sweets in our hostel mess on the occasion of the release of one of Rajni’s movies.

His movies may not necessarily appeal to the artistic, thoughtful or critical set of movie goers; the underlying theme in all his movies may seem similar, some may have no element of logic or may not be realistic. But all this not withstanding, he still is the ‘Superstar’ - he can influence thousands, entertain millions and ring crores at the box-office.

Let me end this piece with a typical thalaivar style punch dialog- “Rajni is an experience that you don’t want to miss. You have got to feel it to know it!! “
or "Pera keta chumma adharadhu ille!" :)