The real Aura behind the real Superstar - He’s a man who values a billion hearts much more than the millions he earns.

After racking my brains for quite some time, I still didn’t know how to draw an introduction to this blog. You generally tend to run short of words when you’re writing about something, which is of such magnitude. Words can get buried, thoughts can get stalled, eyes can get frozen, and heart can beat a million times faster. I can get this feeling only when I see some so special as Sachin Tendulkar or A.R.Rahman , but it’s now happening to me even when I think to write about this person. If you’re still guessing who I’m talking about, especially on this date (Dec-12^th), for a man who needs no introduction, the name is Rajinikanth. 

      

One always wonders what this man would have done in his previous birth for him to become Rajinikanth now. The name by itself emits a universe of power, aura & grandeur. Even a person with the squeakiest of voices, feels like he’s letting out a lion-like war cry, when he utters that word. Full credit should go to his master – K.Balachander, who identified, introduced & gave him the name – Rajinikanth. Right from the time when he made his debut by pushing away iron gates on his first appearance in Aboorva Raagangal, till the time where he gave birth to iron robots in Endhiran, he has travelled 36 kaleidoscopic years.

His Journey from Sivaji Rao Gaikwad to Rajnikanth was a turbulent one with a lot of struggles & sacrifices. But young sivaji wanted make the most of it. That was the time where he got his true friends, who would stand the test of time. It was good in a way that, he knew the value of people at a very young age. Only a person with such level head & such experiences can be humble at any peak of his career, when the entire world is celebrating him.

He was a coolie, who later turned into a bus conductor in the Karnataka State Transport Corporation, a very unique & stylish conductor though. His struggles were heard much more by his friends than god himself. That can be one of the reasons why Rajini, still keeps his friends close to his heart. His dialogues often have a lot of inner meaning to it like keeps saying in various films that, one should never forget the path that he came in, as that stands testimony to what he is now. A lot of people don’t realize that. They understand the meaning of it only after they’ve lost their ways & learnt it the hard way around.

For a man who was actively involved in stage & street plays, the baddy’s role always attracted him for some strange reason. He used to essay roles of Dhuruyodhana & Raavana with such ease, making the audience believe that actually those villains could have been as stylish as Rajini himself. His stint with the film institute after that, in my view couldn’t have helped him much apart the contact of K.Balachander , mainly because he had the style & charisma of his own which couldn’t have been taught by any film school.

An actor with no background & not the greatest of looks entered the film industry as a villain & played second fiddle under Kamal Hassan. He was happy to be under the shade of such a senior actor, but simultaneously started to churn out some stellar performances, which identified him as a fabulous actor with his own inimitable style. Movies such as Mullum Malarum, Bhairavi, Moondru Mudichu, aarilirundhu aruvathu varai had tear evoking performances that earned him much needed notice as a standalone actor.  He portrayed his characters with a lot of grit, finesse & aplomb.

This prompted a terrific gesture from his senior friend Kamal Hassan. He advised Rajini not act anymore movies along with him, as it was high time that he had created his own brand. He later went to tell Rajini that, his talent needs to be indentified separately rather than under him. Kamal said this with all great intentions and paved way to what is now one of the most revered competitive pairs of all time. The last movie that they did together as my knowledge is the musical classic, Ninaithale Innikum.

Rajini did take that friendly advice in the right spirit & charted his own way henceforth. The rest is history. His meteoric rise can be dedicated to his selection of subjects, roles & the pace at which he worked through his projects. There was once a time where he’d work round the clock to honor the commitments. The amount of money that was showered on him never had a bearing on how he spoke to people and looked at life. He’s a man full of learning from his past experiences.

The hysterical aura around him was created automatically through his natural persona. He did not have to try too much to impress people. Any word uttered by him was welcomed with fanaticism. The rajini phenomena spread like forest fire around India. Working in various languages including Telugu, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam & many more, he earned the respect from his co workers with his humble nature & simplicity.  Unlike other film stars, his image off the screen was so natural & true. His social service & his image of ‘Son of every house’ made him a household name.

His movies reflected his values & love towards society, motherhood & more importantly children. As children of my generation, it would be safe say that we grew up looking at his movies. The aura around him just keeps increasing by the movie. He was getting simpler by the year. His stylish route to any character defined the lust he had for them, right from juggling his cigarettes, swiveling glass wears & riveting expressions.  

He has inspired a lot of people with his dialogues. All of his punch dialogues have the power of a volcanic eruption. His volcanic dialogues were oozing with a lot of sense that can be put to practice in everyday of life of a normal human being. Dialogues like “ Aandavan nallavangala sodhippan, aana kaivida maatan. Kettavangalukku naraya koduppan aana kai vitruvaan” (God will test the good but will always be there till the end. He will give a lot for the bad people, but will not be there till the end). This is a dialogue that can pep up anybody at times of their distress. Other dialogues which reached the mass with so much force were

·         “Naan solrathaiyum seiven, sollathathiyum seiven.” (I will do what I
say, I will also do what I don’t say)

·         “Naan oru dhadavai sonna nooru dhadavai sonna madhiri.” (If i say it once,
I’ve said it a hundred times)

·         “Naan eppa varuven, eppadi varuvennu yarukkum theriyadhu, aana varavendiya neratthil correct-aga varuven.” (When I will arrive, or how I will
arrive, nobody will know, but I will arrive when I ought to)

·         “En vazhi ? thani vazhi.” (My way is a unique way.)

·         “Paera ketta Chuma adhurudalla” (If you here my name, it simply sends down tremors)

Rajini reached a point where, money & fame was just after all part of the worldly pleasures. His realizations of life were beyond human ability. But he still lives the life his fans want. I can guarantee and say that the ever-growing loyal fan base that he has got is a god’s gift to him. The beliefs, respect, love & craze that people have on him is unimaginable & unmanageable. Though it’s a boon, I’m tempted to think that it’s a bane in its own way. Privacy is something that is obsolete in such a person’s life. He still longs for walking upto the nearest teas stall and having a smoke with that. But guess these are the tradeoffs that you’ve got to deal with when you’re superstar in the truest of senses.  But still he manages his trips to the Himalayas to the silent caves following his guru, which gives him the equanimity even at such a stature.  

Every film of his is treated as a festival around the globe. This demi-god is always bathed with Lorries of liters of milk & is served every respect an idol would get inside the temple. It is every fan’s dream to watch his movie the first day first show, which later turned to be a status symbol. Even though the movie is sure to run for about 100 days, if the movie isn’t watched within the first weekend, a fanatic considers it an insult.

In the recent past, his health was a cause of concern. After MGR, it was Rajini for whom the entire state came to standstill praying for him to get well soon. There were mass prayers in mosques, temples & churches. Various kinds of prayers such as tonsuring their heads, carrying fire on bare hands and walking to the worship place at the hill top without any footwear, were some of the million prayers dedicated to the wellness of rajinikanth. His fans waited to for his return. Slogans of ‘God, give him life by taking mine’ was the chant by his fans. Due to god’s grace, doctor’s skill and mainly the fans prayers, he slowly got back to his normal condition.  Rajini personally dedicated his recovery to the doctors & his fans. In his tearful comeback moment, he thanked the entire fan contingent at every part of the world with his fullest of hearts. That was a moment where a lot people realized that, it is his fans who gives this man the aura and they way he converts it is what makes the superstar.  

Too much said, not much covered. The world is not enough for Superstar Rajinikanth.  He is a humble human being, a fabulous actor, a simple man, a perfect father, a loving Husband, a multi faceted star, a spiritual guru.  Many actors possess these qualities. But what separates & defines Rajinikanth from the others is that he’s a man who values a billion hearts much more than the millions he earns.