Friday, 02 April 2021 | PTI | New Delhi
There are superstars and then there is Rajinikanth, the most glittering perhaps in the Indian cinematic firmament whose demi-god status has spawned an entire “Rajini culture” of jokes, devoted fandom and box-office success that is almost always more about him than his film.
Rajinikanth, who was on Thursday named for the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the Government’s highest honour for Indian cinema, is cast in classic matinee idol mould with stories of mass adulation on a scale rare for even the biggest stars.
With his balding pate and greying hair, the 70-year-old is unlike many of the others though and rewrites many rules of traditional showbiz. The dichotomy between the reel Rajini with exaggerated, stylised movie star mannerisms and the real man with no apparent pretensions is sharp – and quite unique.
That the dazzling rise, from coolie and bus conductor to the ever-reigning predominantly South star of films such as “Enthiran”, “2.0” and “Kaala”, could be the stuff of the cheesiest movie script only adds to the mystique. People may or may not have seen his films but are most certainly familiar with the frenzy that surrounds his releases.
Fans lining up overnight in serpentine queues outside theatres for a first day-first show come rain, summer or winter, bathing his posters in milk, showering his cutouts with flowers and chucking coins on screen were par for the course for a Rajini film. This of course in the pre-pandemic era.
Popularly called “Thalaivar” (leader in Tamil), the very announcement of a new film or his birthday is regarded as nothing short of a festival for his fans, from Japan (where he is known as Baba and has a cult following) to Sri Lanka.
