|
Call
it the lull after the storm. A day after tens of thousands of people
mobbed movie theatres here for tickets to Rajnikant's 100th film
"Sivaji: The Boss", sanity returned to the Tamil Nadu capital Monday.
There
were no queues at any of the halls that had Sunday seen a mad frenzy
for tickets. "It is all quite today. There are no more tickets to be
sold," a theatre owner said.
Police, who had been on their toes Sunday, were a relieved lot.
Nothing
perhaps better illustrates the Rajnikant phenomenon more than a huge
hoarding at Gemini flyover, the busiest crossing in the heart of
Chennai. It shows the iconic superstar wearing a corduroy jacket and
with a strutting posture.
In bold letters, the hoarding says
"Boss". At 57, Rajnikant is literally the boss of southern cinema. And
his 100th film, significantly, is titled "Sivaji: The Boss".
Rajnikant's
real name is Sivaji Rao Gaekwad and his character in the film, which
shares his real name, has been created keeping him in mind.
The
actor, whose popularity has transcended India's boundaries, is more
popular than many Bollywood superstars and arguably has as much mass
appeal as Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan.
"Sivaji" is set
for release in 18 halls across the capital June 15. A week ahead, the
pictures of all other stars in the Tamil film industry had been wiped
off the face of the city.
When bookings opened for the film
Sunday, thousands returned disappointed as, hall owners say, people
lapped up all the tickets in no time.
The AVM Rajeswari theatre,
owned by the producers of "Sivaji", had a message board saying the
Rajnikant Fan Association had booked shows for three days in that hall.
Across
the state, queues for ticket bookings began at about 6 a.m. and were
"longer than the visa queues before the US consulate", a beat policemen
said.
"Watching a Rajni film on its first day of release has
become a part of my life, I have been doing it for 25 years," says
Kumaresan, a Rajnikant fan.
Some theatres saw gatherings of more than 500 people for tickets and were forced to post additional security, fearing fights.
National
award winning cinematographer K.V.Anand, who is the cinematographer of
the film, has compared Rajni's films to Hollywood blockbusters like
"Superman" and "Spiderman".
For Rajnikant's movie to become a
box-office delight, the story line does not matter, nor does the
acting. It's Rajni as a sumo wrestler, Rajni as a dancer in "Muthu",
Rajni in "Padayappa" and Rajni in "Chandramukhi" that people have come
to watch for decades.
It is his style that fans throng to see,
say film critics adding that it was the reason why Rajnikant was widely
known as the "Style Mannath", or the King of Style.
Throwing a
cigarette up before lighting it was typical Rajnikant style, which
later hurt his films like "Baba", as campaigns were run against him by
parties like PMK on the issue of smoking and drinking.
"Sivaji:
The Boss" will fulfil the desire of the viewers to see Rajnikant in
different getups and hairdos. He is also said to sport blonde hair in
the movie.
Actor Mohan, a Rajnikant fan, believes "Sivaji" will be the mother of all Rajni movies".
Born
Dec 12, 1949, Rajnikanth was the fourth child of a Maharashtrian couple
-Ramabai and Ramoji Rao Gaekwad - living in Karnataka.
He worked
as bus conductor before becoming an actor in Madras, now called
Chennai. He studied acting at the Adyar Film Institute until K.
Balachander gave him his first break in "Apporva Raagangal".
Rajnikant has ruled the Tamil film industry for around 32 years.
He
lives with his wife Latha and has two daughters - Aishwarya and
Soundarya. His elder daughter Aishwarya is married to the well-known
Tamil actor Dhanush.
His daughter Soundarya is making a film on him. Producer A.V. Saravanan has also made a movie about the making of "Sivaji".
Indo-Asian News Service
|
