The Name is Rajinikanth

12/12/12 is a special day as this series will not appear in calendar for another 100 years. It is even more special for cine goers because it is the birthday of the biggest super star of India. Well there are no guesses on this as there is only one super star and there is only one Rajinikanth.

Tamil cinema has produced many legends over the past 5 decades or so. To start with M.K.Thyagaraja Baghavathar was the first super star of Tamil cinema. Following him, we had the likes of MGR, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Savitri, Nagesh, Rajinikanth and Kamal Hassan to name a few. Each one of them is brilliant in their own way. Sivaji Ganesan, Nagesh and Kamal Hassan were the best method actors India has ever produced whereas MGR and Rajinikanth were massive crowd pullers. Even if they appear on the screen for 30 mins, the movie is a sure shot success. Such were their charisma that people used to throng the cinema hall to catch a glimpse of their hero first day first show.

Rajinikanth is probably the biggest of them all for a simple reason. His style and charisma is second to none. I started enjoying Rajini’s movies ever since I started watching movies. His movie Baasha has become a cult movie which ran successfully for more than 100 days. Annamalai, Padaiappa, Muthu, Sivaji to name a few were some of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil cinema. He is reported to be the second highest paid actor in Asia after Jackie Chan. Despite achieving success of this big, he remains down to earth and simple. It is his ability to treat everyone equally with respect regardless of his or her status earned him the respect all over the world. When he fell ill a year back, people all over Tamil Nadu prayed for his recovery is evident for people’s love and respect for this man.

It is not possible for me to answer the question, When did I become a Rajini fan. I am sure every person in Tamil Nadu is a fan of Rajinikanth. I still remember when he received the NDTV Indian of the Year award, the dignity and simplicity with which he spoke of truly moved me. I am sure people like me who have achieved none compared to what he has done are not that simple. From being a bus conductor to super star, his journey has been a tough one, but he travelled with ease taking success and failures in similar stride. That’s why he is the super star of India and that is why he is RAJINIKANTH.  If there is one smile that can move the whole of Tamil Nadu, that has to be of Rajinikanth. Long live Rajinikanth, long live super star.

Wishing you a Happy Birthday Thalaiva!!!!

My favourite Rajini Movie: Baasha

My favourite Rajini Song: Vetri Nichayam from Annamalai.

My favourite Rajini dialogue:அதிகமா ஆசை பாடுற ஆம்பளையும் அதிகமா கோபம் படுரை பொம்பளையும் நல்ல வாழந்ததா சரித்திரமே இல்ல.

So what is yours?