Rajini - Real Boss??

What is common among the Tamilians?

He/She cannot imagine of having anything other than Idly-Sambar or Dosai-Chutney for breakfast.
The topics they commonly debate on are either politics or cinema.
One in every four guys is a Saravanan or a Srinivasan or a Karthik.
One in every four girls is a Priya or a Lakshmi or a Gayathri.
Every Tamilian is either a fan of Rajinikanth or of Kamal Haasan.
Todelly agreed. J

“Madrasi” – Well, that’s how the whole nation identifies anyone who hails from the southern state of Tamilnadu. The last one in the above list takes a lot of importance now as the Sizzling Shivaji Season has just begun. The whole nation is watching Tamil Nadu today. Coverage of the Shivaji special news for at least 20 minutes everyday on all national channels and that too in the primetime looks very unusual. Yeah, today Kollywood and Kollywood fans feel ecstatic for having groomed a ONE MAN ARMY who can single-handedly challenge any given box office record across the nation. The media terms it the Rajini Mania and it has just begun after a break of over two years.

His parents named him “SHIVAJI RAO GAEKWAD”.
K. Balachander, his cine world guru named him “RAJINI KANTH”.
His colleagues fondly call him the “SUPER STAR”.
We proud fan(atic)s hail him as our Unvanquishable “THALAIVAR”. J

He cannot do a full length Sentimental movie – Not agreeable – Go watch Aarilirundhu Arubadhu Varai.
He cannot do a full length comedy movie – Not agreeable – Go watch Thillu Mullu.
He cannot do a full length historic movie – Not agreeable – Go watch Sri Raghavendra.
He cannot do an anti-hero role – Not agreeable – Go watch Bhairavi.
No movie can be a hit for just that it has Rajinikanth – Not agreeable – Go Watch Yaar and it’s a hit also because it had RajiniKanth for one scene in it.
Can he do a villain’s role – Oh FYI, He began his career as a villain – Go watch Padhinaaru Vayathiniley.
Can he rock the crowd with an action packed movie – Oh u hafta really watch Murattukkaalai, Annamalai, Baasha and Padayappa.
Well, the list goes on and on

20 times 7 crores makes 140 crores.
This simple math was the expectation set on Super Star’s movie, Baba. “If all the seven crore Rajini fans in south India watch Baba once, on a minimum 20 rupees ticket, the movie will make 140 crores”. A prediction that failed as it didn’t live up to the expectations of Thalaivar’s fans. Well this movie by Rajini’s standards, is a flop, but still it made close to 19 crores. There was absolutely no predictions for Chandramukhi and it went on to become the Most successful movie in the history of Indian Cinema and thats when our Thalaivar’s magic stormed the box office again after a brief break. Those who complained that it’s Rajini’s act of smoking cigarette with a style is what pulls the youth to the theatres, went with their mouth shut after watching Chandramukhi, which didn’t sport much of Rajini’s traditional styles. Interestingly, he was only the second hero in Chandramukhi, but it didn’t look so when we watched it on the giant screen.

Shivaji is the most expensive Indian movie till date with a total investment of about 800 million Indian rupees (80 crores). The movie was sold out on the day it was announced by the producers and so AVM productions didn’t face much burden in garnering crores of money for the making of Shivaji. Bookings for the first three weeks were over within hours after the counters opened. The queues to book tickets in advance was longer than longest human chains formed in the city for Awareness campaigns and protests.

Many people keep asking Super Star fans like me, “Why are you a crazy fan of a cine star named Rajini Kanth. Isn’t that like making a fool of yourself?” All we managed to do in such situations was to smile at them and say to ourselves, “Poor you…!! A day will come and you’ll come to know the answer for this question on your own”. The day has come and it is dated 15th June 2007.
For those who think they are brilliant and ever asked any Rajini fan like this, now do ask yourself if you can challenge the brilliance and hardworking nature of the Japanese?
Oh! You cannot.
For your kind information, Rajini Kanth has the biggest fan-following in Japan than any other Indian Cine star. If you are even ready to term the Japanese as fools, we Super Star fans can only say that the you have to either get treated for your mental illness soon or have to be in Tamil Nadu when the Rajini Mania reigns. J

If anyone wonders what is so special about Rajini Kanth to have the biggest fan-following than any other star in the country, we fanatics can only say that it’s his sheer magic and we all fell for it. Only four Super star’s movies have released in the last 10 years. My little 7 year old cousin who lives in Muscat flew down last week to Chennai for vacation and I questioned him, which hero’s movie he likes to watch the most. Taking no time he replied, “Rajini”. When I asked him why? He said, “I really don’t know, but I liked Chandramukhi and Rajini “Lakalaka” in Ra Ra song”. In spite of so many young, well built, handsome heroes in the industry, Rajini can alone create such huge impact in the minds of the young ones and stay there forever.

Catch Them Young or CTY is a successful initiative of the Globally Most Respected Indian Company which looks out for the talented young techies and trains them more in its own campus. One can say that, for an organization, it is not that tough to carry out such initiatives successfully.
But how about an individual doing that consistently for three decades?
Yeah, Rajini catches his fans when they are young, and ensures that he treats them well with every movie he presents to them. Shivaji is one such huge treat for us from our Thalaivar.

We educated fans know that it is impossible to get sparks from the shoes when a hero walks, We know its impossible to throw away four people with just a single punch, We know that its impossible to make an opponent fly in air when one waves his hand, We know that its highly impossible to get the shoe unlaced-hit the villain’s face-come back to hero’s feet again- and lace itself. Well, stardom is appreciated by the rural masses if a hero does all this on the screen and there is no super hero in any film industry to have not done such impossible acts on the screen. None!

Some demand respect but only a few command it. Air Force One, the US President’s official aircraft commands the American air space when it takes off the ground. The air space is cleared through out for Air Force One when it has the American President on board. Such is the esteem of a Super star’s movie when its release date is announced. Interestingly, 40 tamil movies have postponed their release by over three months not just because they can’t compete with Rajini’s movie but also in a way to honor the Evergreen King of Kollywood. Thats how our superstar is respected by everyone in the film industry.

The walk, The talk, The speed, The spectacular sunglass flip, The cigarette toss, The trademark punch lines, The enigma that creeps in during his introduction and many more are what makes him the simply special for us. His styles are inimitable. A Mangala Aarathi in the banks of river Ganga in Haridwar is so good beautiful to watch. The next best mangala aarathi for a Rajini fan is the lighting of Camphor as soon as the demigod appears on the screen in the theatre. This godly moment just thrills anybody in the theatre. Cracker bursts, Coconut breaks, Milk Abhishegams, a pleasant war among the fan clubs as to who erects the biggest cut-out of Thalaivar. Well, these are how we royally welcome our Thalaivar on the day of screening his movie screening.

All today’s successful stars have definitely struggled for identity in society in the past. When they achieve it, the next thing they did was to sell their fame in the Advertisement market. Had Rajini ever sold his familiarity in the Ad market, tamilnadu would have easily been a place with almost all the products, from Amrutanjan balm to Aeroplanes with Rajinikanth as its brand ambassador. He was never for all that and he never used his stardom to sell products in the market. If I’m not wrong, the only advertisement that featured Rajinikanth is the ‘Polio Eradication and awareness campaign’ that the government launched in the late 80’s and he featured in it as it was for a noble cause. He never went hunting for money. The tag “India’s Most Paid Actor” is something that came to him and he never went looking for it, a fact that nobody will ever doubt.

A spiritually sound personality, with a down-to-earth attitude and a man of extreme simplicity, whose attire in public (a white khadi shirt and a cotton dhoti) may not be a fitting one to walk the red carpet at Cannes, but he will forever rule the hearts of all the rich and poor, young and old, for the kind of entertainment that he has offered us in all these 30 years.

Watching Thaliavar on the mega screen on the first day of screening = Celebrating 100 Diwalis together + Enjoying 10 Summer vacations at grandparent’s place + A proposal accepted by the girl/guy u love the most + Getting paid for not working at all + A Sunday morning bed coffee + A lone walk on the sea shore + A crazy party with all your friends at your house when your parents are away. Thalaivar’s movie - First day first show is like taking a crazy walk on the wild side of your life. None can offer that excitement other than our own Super Star.

He cannot dance well. Agreed.
His movies are always of rags to riches kind. Agreed.
He pairs with an actress who is even less than half his age. Agreed.
His movies has at least one scene for brother-sister sentiment. Agreed.
He will speak in praise of ‘Mother’ at least once in the movie. Agreed.
So, what the heck?
He still proves to be the only unmatchable Super Star of Indian cinema, capable of making history by breaking the records set by others or by himself, one after the other.

Super Star’s Shivaji sees the beginning of a new era in Indian Cinema. Bollywood will no more be seen as the face of Indian Cinema. Super star’s Shivaji will prove this. Our Universal Hero’s Dasavatharam will ensure this soon.

I’m seen as acting unjust to all Thalaivar’s fans if I end this write up without a punch line that speaks in praise of the Superstar.
“If god be with us, who can be against us” – this is a famous saying in the spiritual community.
“Well, If Thalaivar be with us, who can even dare to challenge us” – a quote that will fit only for our Super Star in the world of cinema.

Rajini always steals the show,
Don’t again ask me how?
Try to watch shivaji in theatres if possible, the First day First show.
Watching him, u will definitely salute and bow.

Bravo Our Super Star.
Rajini Kanth is the true BOSS of the Indian Cine World and he is all set to violently boss around.
His Larger Than Life Image will never fade.
This write up is a royal salute to my Super Hero.
Thalaivar vaazhga!!! J

I’ll be watching Shivaji tonight at Melody theatre, way ahead of everyone, during the special screening for the fans.
How about you pal?