Rajini and Kamal, two pillars of Tamil cinema

Actor Kamal Hassan is an actor who is always in the quest for a challenge and so playing just one role is not enough. Instead, he released in ten faces and the Kamal mania hit it's peak as the actor's fans celebrated the arrival of Dasavathaaram.   Kamal Hassan's fans went mad for the actors ten faces in his latest release, however, just one face of Rajinikanth in Sivaji was enough to send the crowds into a tail spin a year ago.   The filmy frenzy in Tamil Nadu was at it's peak when Rajinikanth's Sivaji hit the theaters.   "Rajinikanth is the stylist. He can bring life to even a dead film and Kamal Hassan is an actor who needs a strong script and powerful performances," says director, P Vasu.   Together Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan are known as the two pillars of Tamil cinema. Rajini is a complete entertainer, a super star who with his inimitable style sets the box office burning. In contrast, Kamal Hassan is the reclusive actor who's experiments and acting talents have won him awards and critical acclaim but not always box office success.   "To me, making a film is a holiday," says Kamal Hasan.   Unlike the rationalist Kamal Hassan, Rajinikanth's holidays have often been in spiritual silence at Hrishikesh.   Rajini's super stardom has often moved beyond films to a cult following in real life and that following has always raised the question on whether he will play a real life political leader.   However, not too sure if he would enter politics, Rajinikanth says, "God only knows if I will enter politics."   The mass super stardom gave way to huge political success for MGR in Tamil Nadu and NT Rama Rao in Andhra Pradesh. The sheer brilliance of their acting gave eternal space to the legendary Sivaji Ganesan and now Kamal Hassan.   The two sets represent two different lenses for south Indian cinema, however, the fact is that both sides exist is a reminder that no matter how star struck south Indian cinema may be, there's always room for the real performer.   Video : http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/67464/rajini-and-kamal-two-pillars-of-tamil-cinema.html   http://www.ibnlive.com/news/rajini-and-kamal-two-pillars-of-tamil-cinema/67464-8.html

Rajni mania back in USA

There is something about Rajinikanth that attracts every one. Obviously, the actor's handsomeness and intense eyes will attract everyone. But these days, the Rajni mania is reaching great heights, like it did way back in 2000.   A few years ago, a famous pop artist in America wore a T-shirt in one of her videos with Rajinikanth's face on it. Pretty soon, in another hip-hop video, a dancer wore a T-shirt, again with Rajinikanth's face. Then it became a rage in the US, wearing T-shirts with some Hindi inscriptions or Gayatri Mantra.   Then came the style of wearing T-shirt depicting Hindu Gods, the most famous being Lord Ganesha. Now, the Rajinikanth T-shirt is back in America, just like Che Guevara T-shirts. Rajinikanth T-shirt is also famous in Japan; most of the T-shirts feature his eyes alone with the intent gaze that was seen in Basha.   Rajinikanth is so famous in Japan that he chose to include two Japanese characters in Baba. Not only in Japan and America, Rajinikanth's fame reached Europe too. In fact, about two years ago, a French movie, Prête-moi, which was showcased in Cannes, borrowed a few scenes from the Rajni hit Muthu.   These scenes appear in the film when the lead actress is shown watching them on TV and remarking to the visitor that she is watching Muthu, a must-see Indian movie.   We are lucky to have great icons like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. It will be wonderful if these two great actors act in a film together like Jackie Chan and Jet Li did recently in Forbidden Kingdom. The day they do it, Tamil Cinema will reach its summit.   Recently, the actor heaped praises upon Kamal Haasan after watching Dasavathaaram (also spelt as Dasavatharam) in a special screening. Stay on Galatta.com to know more about it.   http://www.tamilwire.com/rajni-mania-usa/

சாதனை பட‌ை‌த்த குசேல‌ன் ஆடியோ ‌வி‌ற்பனை!

பேசாம‌ல் குபேர‌ன் எ‌ன்று வை‌த்‌திரு‌க்கலா‌ம். பட‌‌த்‌தி‌ன் ‌வியாபார‌த்தை வை‌த்து‌ப் பா‌ர்‌க்கை‌யி‌ல் குசேலனை‌விட குபேர‌னே சால‌ப் பொரு‌த்த‌ம்.

க‌விதாலயா, செவ‌ன் ஆ‌ர்‌ட்‌ஸ் இணை‌ந்து குசேலனை தயா‌ரி‌‌க்‌கி‌ன்றன. தெலு‌ங்‌கி‌ல் குசேலுடு. ‌ஜி‌.‌வி.‌பிரகா‌ஷ் கும‌ர் இசை. முத‌ன் முறையாக தலே‌ர் மெக‌ந்‌தி குசேலனு‌க்காக த‌மி‌‌‌ழி‌ல் பாடி‌யிரு‌க்‌கிறா‌ர். ல‌ண்ட‌‌னி‌ல் உ‌ள்ள புக‌ழ்பெ‌ற்ற ஒ‌லி‌ப்ப‌திவு கூ‌ட‌த்‌தி‌ல் குசேல‌ன் ஒ‌லி‌ப்ப‌திவு நட‌ந்தது.

இவையெ‌ல்லா‌ம் ‌விஷய‌மி‌ல்லை. குசேல‌ன் ர‌ஜி‌னி பட‌ம். இ‌ந்த ஒரு காரணமே ‌பிரதான‌ம். குசேல‌னி‌‌ன் த‌‌மி‌ழ், தெலு‌ங்கு (குசேலுடு) ஆடியோ உ‌ரிமை 2.25 கோடி‌களு‌க்கு ‌வி‌ற்பனையா‌கி இரு‌க்‌கிறது. ‌‌பி‌க் ‌நிறுவன‌ம் இ‌ந்த‌ப் பெரு‌ந்தொகை கொடு‌த்து உ‌ரிமையை வா‌ங்‌கியு‌ள்ளது.

தசாவதார‌த்‌தி‌ன் ஆடியோ உ‌ரிமை இர‌ண்டு கோடிகளு‌க்கு ‌விலைபோனது. சோ‌னி எ‌ம்.‌ஜி.எ‌ம். வா‌ங்‌கிய அ‌ந்த‌த் தொகையை ‌விட இது இருப‌த்தை‌ந்து ல‌ட்ச‌ங்க‌ள் அ‌திக‌ம்.

கம‌ல் உலகை‌ச் சு‌ற்‌றிய முருக‌ன் எ‌ன்றா‌ல், ர‌‌ஜி‌னி இரு‌ந்த இட‌த்‌திலேயே ஞான‌ப்பழ‌ம் பெ‌ற்ற ‌பி‌ள்ளையா‌ர்!

 

http://tamil.webdunia.com/entertainment/film/featuresorarticles/0806/16/1080616048_1.htm 

Sivaji salutes Sarkar!

Superstar Rajinikanth rates Big B's latest performance as his finest ever When Rajnikanth described Amitabh Bachchan as the true emperor of Indian cinema, he meant every word. The mutual admiration that the duo have for each other is well known and the Tamil superstar proved it again by asking for a special screening of Bachchan's latest film Sarkar Raj in Chennai. The film reportedly impressed Rajni so much that he immediately called up the Big B and told him that this was his finest performance ever and that he is going to see the film once again purely for that. Bachchan, touched by Rajini's gesture, said, "It feels nice when an actor like him compliments you." Last year, when Rajini's film Sivaji had released, the South legend had flown to Mumbai to show the film to his friend. Although the two superstars have been compared for their huge popularity, they share a great relationship with each other. Although the superstars have acted together only in a couple of films, directors have always shown interest in remaking movies of the stars. For instance, Amitabh's Don was remade in Tamil as Billa, which proved to be a milestone in Rajini's career.   Source : Times of India

Dasavatharam - Pre Release Analysis

Finally, here comes the magnum opus of the greatest Star Kamal Haasan. His dedication for films is inevitable and especially his hard work has landed him up over here to this peak. Dasavatharam, the film is ready hit the screens by tonight at few theatres and morning in others. Few hours left for the release and Kollywood Today brings you some of the exciting analysis of the movie comparing to the past of Kamal Haasan's previous films.   First, let us glimpse through the box-office collections for Kamal Haasan's films. Aascar Ravichandran with a bold attempt has released the film at 22 centres in Chennai alone in order to overbeat Sivaji. But, when it comes to comparison between Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan, it is superstar who always tops the chart.   Before couple of decades, Manithan and Nayagan released together. With no doubt, Nayagan won the accolades for the stunning performance of Kamal Haasan, but superstar had his turn to picking the collections. Similar scenario showed up when Guna and Thalapathy were released together. Never seen before performance from Kamal Haasan was critically acclaimed, but Rajnikanth was again there to easily go for the box-office collections while Kamal couldn't.   Though Michael Madhana Kama Rajan had Kamal Haasan playing 4 different roles, it was really a good entertainer where it was just not the show of Kamal alone. The film had equal and powerful characterizations drawn for Manorama, Oorvasi, Nagesh, Bheem Boy and many others. Panchu Arunachalam produced the movie and Seengitham Srinivasan directed it.   But Dasavatharam has 10 roles and for the running length of 2hrs 45mins, you are going to see only Kamal and Kamal. Be it action, romance, comedy or anything, its only Kamal who will be donning it.   Might be that is the reason why Kamal Haasan cleverly handed over the protocol of direction to KS Ravikumar. He is the director who can well handle such kind of scripts in an entertaining manner adding commercial elements.   Finally, we would like to mention about the childish plays of Aascar Ravichandran. Be it any theatre in Chennai, none of the counters opened booking from Friday. But all the audiences were completely disappointed to hear that booking are opening only from Monday. The fact is that Aascar Ravichandran himself has blocked all the tickets for the first 3 days in order to create hype for his film.   Aascar Ravichandran must understand its not a matter of creating hypes, but a good film made for the audiences will always have excellent results. Also it is noteworthy that some of the journalists and photographers who were there at the theatres early on Sunday morning to take a note on crowd lining up, it was a complete disappointment to see that there were no sufficient crowd.   Then, one of the managers for the theatre located at Central Chennai had his staffs getting in 100 people with more difficulty to pose in line for the photographs. At this moment, speaking on this, the same manager says that people flocked in crowd to book the tickets for Sivaji at around 2 in the morning…   So, Let's wait and see how does Aascar's technique works out. If the film clicks well at the box-office, it is not due to his works of gimmicks, but the hard work of Kamal Haasan and K.S. Ravikumar….   Kollywood Today wishes for the best success of Dasavatharam bring more light into Kollywood.   http://www.kollywoodtoday.com/news/dasavatharam-pre-release-analysis/

K.V. Anand Interview Extract

The fulfillment that got from shooting Thenmavin Kombatu, did you feel that way about Sivaji, too?   They are both different films. Thenmavin was a little realistic. I didn't have any pressure in that film. But Sivaji was loaded with expectation. I had to look at so many details. Is Rajini Sir looking okay, stylish, like an NRI? Rajini Sir was first priority. Before I started shooting for Sivaji, I thought this is so completely Shankar and the Superstar's film, that I'm hardly going to be noticed. But interestingly, after the movie came out, many people have now begun to refer to me as K.V. Anand, the man who shot Sivaji. In other words, this movie has brought me more fame and glory   http://www.behindwoods.com/features/Interviews/interview-5/kv-anand/index.html

­Robot in trouble

The soon-to-release futuristic sci-fi Bollywood film Love Story 2050 under Harry Baweja's direction starring Priyanka Chopra, has put director Shankar in a dilemma.   Shankar is in the final stages of wrapping up the script of his sci-fi Tamil film Robot . The 120 crore budget film has Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai in the lead. Rumours say that both Love Story 2050 and Robot have a similar storyline — that of man and machine (robots). In Love Story 2050, Boman Irani plays an eccentric scientist who invents a time machine. On this time machine, the lead pair Priyanka and Harman Baweja set forth on a journey to the year 2050. They land in futuristic Mumbai amidst flying cars, robots, Indian Ninjas, androids, and laser guns.   Sources reveal that there is kid version of the lead pair with X-box games and Priyanka is said to be accompa nied by a pet robot, a robotic bear with a blue mohawk.   Shankar is in a 'wait and watch' dilemma so that he can modify his screenplay if need be after Love Story 2050 is released.

Nayan's solo song in Kuselan

Nayanthara is on a song, as she is there in all the scenes featuring Rajinikanth in P.Vasu directed Kuselan. Now as a bonus comes in a solo song being picturised on Nayan for the film at Ramoji Rao studio by director Vasu. The buzz is that this song is a nice feel-good number shot on Nayan and lot of kids. Remember that in the original Malayalam film on which Kuselan is based, the character of Nayanthara comes in just one duet with the superstar. In the Tamil version, Nayan's character has been created by Vasu to add glamour and glitz to the film. Vasu is a smart guy who knows how to package a Rajinikanth film for the masses. Rajinikanth said at the 'pooja' of the film, that he may occupy only 25 percent of the running time. But now it looks like he will be there for nearly 50 percent of the time! http://sify.com/movies/tamil/fullstory.php?id=14689437

5ம் தேதி ரஜினி இமயமலை பயணம்

மேலும் புதிய படங்கள்சென்னை: நடிகர் ரஜினிகாந்த் வரும் 5ம் தேதி இமயமலை செல்கிறார். இரண்டு வாரங்கள் அவர் அங்கு தங்கியிருப்பார்.

வழக்கமாக ஒரு படம் முடிந்தவுடன் ரஜினி இமயமலைக்கு போய் விட்டு வருவார். இந் நிலையில் இப்போது பி.வாசுவின் இயக்கத்தில் குசேலன் படத்தில் நடித்து வருகிறார்.

இதன் முதல் கட்ட படப்பிடிப்பு ஹைதராபாத்தில் ராமோஜிராவ் பிலிம் சிட்டியில் ஒரு மாதம் நடைபெற்றது. பொள்ளாச்சியில் 2வது கட்ட படப்பிடிப்பு நடந்தது.

இப்போது குசேலனின் இறுதிக் கட்ட படப்பிடிப்பு கேரள மாநிலம் ஆலப்புழா அருகே உள்ள குட்டநாடு பகுதியில் நடந்து வருகிறது.

அங்கு நயன்தாரா, மம்தா மோகன்தாஸ் ஆகியோருடன் ரஜினிகாந்த் ஆடும் பாடல் காட்சி உள்ளிட்ட காட்சிகளும் படமாக்கப்பட்டு வருகின்றன.

வேம்ப நாடு ஏரி பகுதியில் படப்பிடிப்பு நடக்கிறது. ரஜினி வந்துள்ளதை அறிந்து அங்கு ஏராளமான கூட்டம் கூடியதால் போலீஸ் பாதுகாப்புடன் சூட்டிங் நடக்கிறது.

ஆலப்புழாவில் ஒரு கடலோர தங்கும் விடுதியில் இருந்தவாறு நடித்து வருகிறார் ரஜினி. இந்த படப்பிடிப்பு வரும் 5ம் தேதியுடன் முடிவடைகிறது.

இதையடுத்து 5ம் தேதி மாலை ரஜினி திருவனந்தபுரத்தில் இருந்து விமானம் மூலம் டெல்லி செல்கிறார். அங்கிருந்து அவர் ரிஷிகேஷ் பயணமாகிறார். அங்கு அவர் 15 நாட்கள் தங்கியிருப்பார் என ரஜினிக்கு நெருக்கமான வட்டாரங்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

Rajini delights fans

Kuselan, the Tamil remake of the Mammootty-Sreenivasan starrer Kathaparayumbol, created ripples among his fans on the very first day of the shooting schedule. Relaxed, jovial and down to earth, Rajani was among his colleagues on the sets. Rajani arrived on Saturday evening for a four-day shooting schedule. He acted in the song sequence featuring him as a film star dancing with artistes on a houseboat. Leading south Indian heroines Nayanthara and Meena and upcoming actor Mamtha are also in the movie. The megastar reached in time on the sets arranged on the banks of Punnamada lake on Sunday morning though he went to bed late on Saturday night after watching the IPL semifinals. "He was bowled over by the beauty of the lake, while enjoying the taste varieties of Alappuzha like Karimeen pollichathu," production executive of the movie A Kabeer said. Cameraman of the movie Aravind Krishna suffered a slight injury on his leg during the shooting and he was taken to the Alappuzha MCH for treatment. According to director Vasu, unlike Mammotty, who played a guest role in Kathaparyumbol, Rajani plays the role of a fulltime character as the story revolves around him.   Indian Express, Trivandrum Edition

'Kuselan': 'Barber' is now 'Bus Conductor?

While Malayalam hit 'Katha Parayumpol' gets changed into 'Kuselan' in Tamil, a lot of things in the original are going to change in the remake. The most important one, according to the latest reports, is that the humble barber's role that Srinivasan played in 'Katha Parayumpol' will now get changed into that of a bus conductor. P.Vasu and Rajini fears that the barber's role may offend Tamil population and hence the change. `Kuselan' will give more screen space to Rajini than that Mammootty had in the original. The film will also feature five songs while the original just had two, one filmed around Mammootty and other, a group song filmed around Sreenivasan. Even though the basic storyline remains the same, the Tamil version altogether will have a different look. Rajini and P Vasu is taking even steps to inform Sreenivasan, about every change that they are making in the scripts of the remake. Sreenivasan on the other hand maintains that every changes made in the script are justified as long as the plot remains intact.   Source : Indiaglitz.com

'Kuselan' to release on September

There are lots of speculations running around on the date of the release of Rajinikanth's next film.

People are also eagerly waiting to see their favorite hero appearing in the film in the role of a superstar.

The Rajinikanth fans will have to wait till September to see the film on screen as per the information given by P.Vasu.

The director told that 80 percent of the film's shooting is over. Further schedule of the shooting will depend on the onset of the monsoon season.

He also informed that the frames of 'Kuselan' which has been shot till now has come out extremely well.

The film maker considers Pollachi as a lucky place for him.

P.Vasu's first film 'En Thangachi Padichava' which was shot in Pollachi was a hit

There is no need to mention the status 'Chinna Thampi' attained in the minds of film lovers. The location for this film too was Pollachi.

The director has shot lot of important scenes for the Rajinikanth film 'Kuselan' in Pollachi and neighboring areas.

The other locations of the film are Coimbatore, Pollachi, Udumalapet and Thirupur.

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/38899.html

Sanguine Media Forays into in-Film Advertising, completes assignment for Rajinikanth starrer "Kuselan"

Sanguine Media Ltd, a public limited Company, has now forayed into In-Film Advertising to provide more options to its clients & agencies for reaching their Target consumers. With more than 400 Films being produced in South India annually, Sanguine is very optimistic to scale new heights with this opportunity.

Sanguine has successfully completed an In-Film advertising assignment for 'Kuselan' a Tamil / Telugu film produced by M/s. Kavithalaya and Seven Arts starring Superstar Rajnikanth. This was quite challenging as Mr. Rajnikanth does not endorse any brands. The in-film avenues had to be worked out keeping this in mind.

The traditional method of displaying Brand Signages during a song or a fight sequence in a film is outdated. It Will be more effective if the brands are woven into the fabric of the film. This is more challenging as it needs expertise to blend the brand into the film keeping in focus the characters / scenes.

Brands & agencies are continually exploring various media options for mass & focused communication. Indian Film Industry with this enormous reach is one of the best platforms for the brands to reach their Target consumers in a sublime level at a relatively low cost.

D V Vinod, Managing Director, says "Sanguine's mission is to become an extended arm for brand managers and media agencies. In-film advertising will supplement our present business by giving more options to advertisers and will help film producers to generate revenues from alternative sources. This new extension of Sanguine will generate 30 - 50 INR-million revenue".

http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=30964

FIR on 'Kuselan' audio

The audio of Rajnikanth starrer 'Kuselan' set to tunes by young G V Prakash is ready. The album has five songs and the likes of Shankar Mahadevan, Udit Narayan, Sadhana Sargam amoong others have rendered their voice.

 

MGR, NTR, Sivaji thanthadhu intha cinemathan -  goes the opening song of Rajni, which is sung by Shankar Mahadevan.

 

Interestingly another song comprising the titles of Rajinikanth movies, penned by Vaali, features the actor in 20 different get-ups. Vaali has used the titles of Rajinikanth films including Pokkiri Raja, Rajadhi Raja, Polladhavan, Murattu Kaalai.

Also, Udit Narayan and Sadhana Sargam have sung a romantic duet shot on Rajinikanth and Nayantara.

 

A remake of Malayalam hit 'Katha Parayumbol', 'Kuselan' is directed by P Vasu. Pasupathy, Vadivelu, Meena and Sneha are also in the cast.

 

http://www.indiaglitz.com/channels/tamil/article/38647.html

Kuselan – the missing singer!

Kuselan is gearing up for a July release and director Vasu is leaving no stones unturned to achieve the target date. The movie is expected to be successful on par with Anbulla Rajinikanth - the superstar starrer of the eighties where he played himself in which Meena also played a significant role.

The inevitable SPB who usually has a song credit in almost all Rajini movies will not be a part of Kuselan, however, the movie will have Rajini, Meena, Pasupathy, and Vadivel straining their vocal chords for a song. Kuselan has a truckload of stars, big and small, since Rajini plays himself in the movie. Pasupathy plays the superstar's childhood school friend and has a meaty role.

 

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/may-08-03/kuselan-19-05-08.html

Rajini's 20 avatars!

Rajini in twenty different getups! No, the Superstar is not competing with his counterpart and good friend Kamal Haasan. While Kamal is donning ten roles in Dasavatharam, Rajini, currently working with director P. Vasu for Kuselan, will appear in about twenty getups in a song. The star had already tried this in his film Baasha for the song Azhagu? Nee

Nadanthal?where he appears as a police constable, rowdy, bus conductor etc. But twenty different getups are really astounding. Now, isn't that yet another reason to watch Kuselan?

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/may-08-02/kuselan-13-05-08.html

Rajini's new hairstyle in Robot!

The superstar is almost done with his part in Kuselan and is all set to sail towards his next magnum opus Robot. Expectations are skyrocketing as Rajinikanth, for the first time, will be starring opposite Ashwarya Rai. Made on a mega budget, Robot is a joint venture by Ayngaran International and Eros International.

According to industry sources, director Shankar and Rajini will fly down to the US to finalize the make-up for the latter. While Rajini's make-up in Sivaji came in for some rave reviews, Shankar wants Robot to be even better. It is said that Robot will feature a younger Rajini sporting a different hairstyle. Also, the Robot team intends to bring in professionals from Hollywood to work on Rajini's make-up.

http://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movie-news-1/may-08-02/robot-16-05-08.html

Rajini's legacy continues

Rajinikanth has yet again proved that he is the King of Kollywood. His ‘Chandramukhi’ and ‘Sivaji’ went on to create all box office records, while expectations are very high on his ‘Kuselan’ to be released soon.

Meanwhile, a yesteryear hit of Rajinikanth ‘Baasha’, has been re-released considering his fame among the film-buffs.

The movie featured Rajinikanth in an action-packed role is directed by Suresh Krishna. Nagma, Raghuvaran and Devan among others form part of the movie.

A movie based on underworld in Mumbai, ‘Baasha’ is one of the biggest hits in Rajini's career and a trend-setting movie in Tamil cinema.

The movie re-released after 12 years is still drawing good crowds in over half-a-dozen screens where it is being screened.

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Nostalgia: Superstar in Mudhalvan launch

You can see Manisha, Arjun, Superstar, Shankar, Kamal, KB, Rahman & Sujatha. Madhesh too (Director of Arasangam who was then Shankar's associate).

Shankar spoke in this event about his strenuous attempts to make Superstar to come for this launch. And he said that he will be grateful to him for that.

Rajinikanth is the boss, there's no doubt about it

It is perhaps befitting that when at last India's English-language media decides to go into overdrive over the release of a regional film, it does so for Shivaji: The Boss. Befitting, not because the film is in Tamil, but because it stars one of India's truly larger-than-life cinematic icons, Rajinikanth.

The unprecedented hype surrounding the film goes beyond Bollywood's wildest dreams and as the movie mandarins in Mumbai watch with their mouths agape the wave of excitement that has taken over the southern states and beyond, even the media has been forced to take note - and action.

So, the coverage begins with apologetic debates on comparing Bollywood's biggest star, Amitabh Bachchan, with Rajinikanth. The fans of Rajini, as he is fondly referred to, will tell you there is none.

And that's not because of the finances. Commanding Rs170 million per film, Rajini rakes in more than what two of Bollywood's best manage to take home. And it's not because of the marketing. While his contemporaries in the movie industry in other parts of India have entered the endorsement race, Rajini, the fans inform, never has and never will sign up for a commercial. And it's not because of the image. When he's not on-screen, Rajini remains true to his off-screen persona, often making him unrecognisable to those less familiar with the dynamics of Tamil cinema.

No comparisons, because their icon has never hinted at any rivalry with any of his colleagues. Nor has he entertained the trivial Bollywood versus others debates.

In creating his own brand and staying away from others, Rajinikanth has ensured that there is no comparison simply because from his point of view, there is no competition.

From his modest life as a bus conductor, Rajinikanth, whose real name is Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, is not even originally from Tamil Nadu. The earlier part of his career saw him work on the so-called "off-beat" films that actors traditionally embark on after establishing themselves. So when the 50-something old is criticised for adopting a formulaic approach with a singular focus on entertainment, the reality is that Rajinikanth's experiments with roles and histrionic challenges came at a time when any actor with superstar ambitions would have been busy creating and cultivating an image.

At first watch, a typical Rajinikanth film might seem shallow, over-the-top, high on brand Rajini, and even low on intellect. But, to those seeking a genuine understanding of world cinema's various sensibilities, a genuine Rajinikanth experience is a must. His audiences are not the intelligentsia - although they are welcome and can even be spotted on many an occasion. His scripts may not necessarily be tight and well-crafted - although every time he delivers a thunderous dialogue, his viewers clap, whistle and whip up a frenzy in the front-row seats. He lights cigarettes with bullets. He flicks his hair and his enemies quiver. He shifts from slapstick to serious with ease within the same movie.

Deifying actors

It was the fans of Rajini, who created the trend of deifying actors. They quite literally, and honestly, worship him. His appeal extends to Japan among the Japanese community, where his face can be found on all sorts of memorabilia, as is revealed through a visit to www.rajinifans.com, one of the many websites dedicated to him. His on-screen magic has resulted in an unexplainable and mysterious power over Tamil Nadu's masses, where even an indirect comment from Rajinikanth can dictate electoral trends in the state's political scenario. From riding a bus, to Shivaji: The Boss, it's been an interesting journey for Rajinikanth, but a far more entertaining one for his fans.

As TV channels wonder whether he has wrongly been denied the status of an Indian superstar, they might want to take a large chunk of the blame.

In not questioning the self-anointment of the guys and dolls of the Hindi film industry as ambassadors of Indian cinema and always referring to the likes of Rajinikanth as regional superstars, it might be the right time to expedite a review of terms and choice of wording in their reports.

Vinita Bharadwaj is an independent writer based in Dubai.

 

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