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Journalism of Courage
On August 14, 2002, at Madurai in Tamil Nadu, as tensed cops encircled the Cinepriya theatre in the heart of the city, a thick crowd streamed in, drunk and excited. Tickets had been sold out days ago for Baba, starring Rajnikant, the superstar8217;s 150th film.
Inside the theatre, was a scene of hysteria. When Rajnikant8217;s name appeared on the screen, fans went berserk, tearing open their shirts, ripping the seats off and showering them around like confetti. They watched the film on their feet in drunken stupor, whistling and hooting.
The reception for Rajnikant8217;s last box office smash, Chandramukhi a remake of the Malayalam classic, Manichithrathazha in April, 2005, was only slightly less feverish. The film made more than Rs 50 crore as collections and the actor himself reportedly got paid about Rs 20 crore, making him the highest paid actor in the country then. The film still runs in a few theatres.
Much of the Tamil film industry continues to be in awe of Rajnikant. Despite one hit after another, over the years, the actor has changed little, exclaim colleagues and friends. Shivaji Rao Gaekwad was a bus conductor before he became a superstar. In fact, the actor rarely misses an opportunity to talk about his days as a bus conductor in the Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. He has been often heard saying: 8220;Yesterday, I was a conductor, today I am a star. Tomorrow what I8217;ll be, only He knows.8221;
M. Saravanan of AVM Productions, producer of Rajnikant8217;s latest film Sivaji once told The Indian Express: 8220;Rajnikant has never forgotten his past. Never hides it, nor is he ashamed of it. It is rare to see such a person.8221;
A 8216;disciplined actor,8217; Rajnikant is punctual on the sets, arriving even an hour before time, and has never been known to throw tantrums. When Baba, for which he had written the script and story, bombed, the actor made a rare gesture. He paid back some money to distributors to help them tide over their losses.
But while fans heartily devour Rajni fare, it8217;s the actor8217;s hesitation in taking the political plunge that has disappointed them. His 2005 patch-up with AIADMK leader, J. Jayalalithaa, who was the chief guest at his daughter8217;s marriage, deprived politics of that celluloid spark witnessed during the 1996 assembly election when the actor directly challenged Amma and was said to have contributed significantly to the DMK8217;s victory.
That his popularity has in no way been diluted over time, was evident on June 10 when bookings opened five days before the release of his latest film, Sivaji. Theatres across the state were mobbed by fans and tickets were sold out for a week within a few hours. The political spark might be lost in the celluloid fervour, but the actor continues to mesmerise fans with his signature gimmicks.
