by Ramkumar Mohan
[box]What’s an edition on ‘Fun’ without an article on the man who epitomizes it? Here’s a die-hard Rajinikanth fan pouring out his admiration for his Superstar, the man of the masses! Read on to know why his fans adore him and worship him! Ramkumar Mohan also promises a bonus. Here’s a review of the latest sensation, Endhiran (Robot).[/box]Writing anything about Rajinikanth is quite a daunting task, I must say. Five years ago, I would have belligerently condemned individuals who were ignorant of his existence. But the release of the costliest movie ever made in Asia, Endhiran, is a good time to write about Superstar and use the opportunity to extol his virtues.
The first intellectual discussion any Tamilian partakes in is ‘Are you a Rajini fan or a Kamal fan?’ Ironically, this would turn out to be the most life altering decisions anybody could make, and dear reader, let me tell you why. For one, Kamal was endowed with charming looks. He came from a family of lawyers, completely unaware of the abject poverty which was an integral part of the lives of a majority of the people in the state. Everything came naturally to him – he was a brilliant dancer, multi-lingual, and in short, any director’s golden gift. He never had to try hard to succeed; success came to him on a platter, wrapped in coloured paper right at his doorstep.
On the other hand, we have Rajinikanth who started out as bus conductor Shivaji Rao Gaekwad. His mother passed away when he was just five years old; his passion for movies drove him to Chennai even when his family was unable to afford a square meal a day. When he came knocking on the doors of renowned Tamil Director K.Balachander, seldom did Tamil cinema realize that the era of the Superstar was about to begin. His debut was modest, a five-minute appearance as the estranged
husband of Kamal Haasan’s love interest in the movie ‘Apoorva Ragangal’. And then, there was no looking back. He romped through the eighties and nineties giving hit after hit, his fan following grew and the masses idolized this man who epitomized style in its entirety. Who can forget the Superstar in landmark movies like ‘Thillu Mullu’, ‘Moondru Mugam’ and ‘Thambikku endha Ooru’? Or his smashing hits like ‘Thalapathi’, ‘Ejamaan’, ‘Annamalai’, ‘Muthu’ and ‘Veera’?
His inimitable cigarette flicks, his unique dialogue delivery and most of all his style propelled him to new heights of popularity. I still remember my octogenarian grandmother glued to the television watching ‘Padayappa’ for the fifth time. Such is his mesmerizing power. But off screen, Superstar is an embodiment of humility and simplicity. Unlike the current crop of actors, he speaks candidly during interviews and openly admits his shortcomings and more importantly, never hesitates to heap praises on others when necessary.
For his fans, the release of a Rajini movie marks a year-long celebration – that is how long his movies are screened in Tamil Nadu. Large cut-outs are placed outside the theatres and fans shout ‘thalaivaaaa’ (leader) and the release happens amidst much fanfare. Nothing brings a true Rajini fan more joy than to see the holy ‘first day first show’. Well, one doesn’t catch much of the movie during this show, it is simply a show of strength, love and admiration we have for our Superstar. Everybody is left standing on their seats trying to catch a glimpse of the movie, people throw confetti right through the movie with screams of ‘thalaivaaaaa’ and after each song, cries of ‘REPEAAAAT’ ensue. Thus, after nearly four and a half hours of quality movie time (thanks to every song being repeated at least thrice), the Rajini fan comes home with a look of complete satisfaction.
Now, here’s a topic that seems to be generating more publicity than the Ayodhya verdict and the Commonwealth Games put together, as rightly pointed out by columnists and bloggers all over the nation! Endhiran!
A Bentley approaches a heavily guarded fortress. A robot opens the door for Rajini and Aishwarya Rai and salutes their general, with its fist on its chest. When the robot faces the screen, one realizes that it is none other than the Superstar himself. And so is every robot soldier in the scene while Rajinikanth strides in, with a wicked smile on his face with Aishwarya by his side. This, dear reader, is every thalaivar fan’s dream – to witness a shot in world cinema where every character in the shot is Rajinikanth himself. This movie portrays a side of thalaivar which is seldom seen in his other movies. He plays the negative character to perfection, with his thunderous laughter and scheming unscrupulous methods – a la Netrikann. I can proudly proclaim that I was one of the many fans who cheered the loudest when he mouthed the dialogue ‘Enna yaaralayum azhikka mudiyadhu!! (I am invincible!)’.
In a nutshell, Endhiran is about a scientist who creates an andro humanoid robot, which turns rogue thanks to the handiwork of a fellow scientist. The movie is a visual treat, with the CGI work carried out to perfection by the Avatar crew. The visuals involving the robot parts, the assembly, the software, etc., are simply breathtaking. The director’s effort in concentrating on the finer details is apparent with even the jokes involving the robot being laced with scientific humour (the robot gives its IP address when asked its address, for example). Every character in the movie has done his or her job well, but Superstar steals the show as usual, impeccably essaying the role of both the scientist and the rogue robot, Chitti, with panache.
The last time we saw Rajini play a character with a negative shade was in Chandramukhi, and that left us wanting for more. This time around, Rajini delivers, with the second half completely about the rogue robot vs. rest of the world.
The scene where the robot taunts Aishwarya, attempting to spot the intruder, is villainy at its best. Rajini makes us laugh as the lovable robot, cheer as the badass rogue robot and shed a tear in the climax. Such versatility in acting from an actor who has nothing left to prove to anyone, simply displays the love and respect he has for Tamil cinema. I definitely hope that this movie hushes up a section of the populace that has been crying out endlessly, complaining about Rajinikanth’s histrionic abilities, or lack of thereof.
It is common knowledge that SRK turned this movie down a decade ago calling the script ‘half baked’. Kamal Haasan soon followed suit, claiming that the robot character didn’t offer enough leverage to showcase his ‘talent’. I, along with my fellow Rajini fan brethren, thank them profusely for this kind act; how else would we have seen thalaivar essay this role to perfection!
Endhiran is nothing short of a benchmark movie, setting new standards for imaginative novel films.
I desperately want this movie to succeed, which would demonstrate to the SRKs in Indian cinema that christening oneself ‘Raj Aryan’ and running around wooing women, with stuttering speech and a rose in either hand, is alone not the formula for success. It is indeed sad that novelty in Indian cinema is completely restricted to nomenclature, with K3Gs and KANKs. On the other hand, we have purely artistic low budget movies with the entire movie shot in a house in dim lighting with four and a half people and a baby.
I am delighted that Endhiran has successfully combined grandeur, art and intelligent screenplay, and thanks again to Shankar for showing Indian cinema how to go about doing just this. This is the digital era and who else would place his feet firmly over the threshold than thalaiver himself! So beware, Indian cinema! The bar has been raised, higher than you can ever imagine. Fans all over India now know that there are indeed movies which can be made outside the ambits of the polygon love law involving many a six pack. This is the age of the cyborg, so get ready folks!
[facebook]share[/facebook] [retweet]tweet[/retweet]
