Chennai: His fan following is phenomenal. His movies and mannerisms have seduced even Japan. Last year, 10 of his fans flew down from Tokyo to watch his superhit Chandramukhi. Even at 56, Rajnikanth rules. And now the buzz is that his forthcoming film Sivaji could fetch him a mindboggling, unheard of amount.
So how much would his take-home be? Upwards of Rs 20 crore if the film is a success, according to industry guesstimates. Says a Chennai film expert, “In Sivaji, as in Chandramukhi, Rajnikanth has collected just a token of Rs 1,001 as signing amount. His payment — around Rs 16-17 crore — came from the success of Chandramukhi. Sivaji may fetch him more since along with distribution rights in a few territories, the actor will get 50% of profits after cost is recovered.” In other words, it could be more than what Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan together charge for a film. He’s also the second highest paid Asian actor after Jackie Chan.
What’s the secret recipe that has created the enduring Rajnikanth mystique? Is it style? Is it action? Is it his onscreen portrayal of the common man? Is it the Robinhood image? Could it be that all these factors have combined to turn this former carpenter-turned-coolie-turnedbus conductor into a superstar. Tamil political periodical Thuglak’s editor Cho S Ramasamy, who had encouraged the actor to join politics, points out that both style and stunts come naturally to Rajnikanth but there is nothing special in his acting or the roles he has essayed. “What sells is his simplicity,” he says. “Even at the peak of his acting career he did not dye his greying hair and always presented himself as he is,” says Cho.
Rajni’s style of acting and choice of characters is original. Director K Balachander once famously said that he had seen ‘fire in the eye’ of young Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (Rajni as we now know him). He began with anti-hero and villain roles and soon made it big as a hero. The cigarette flipping, throwing back of his hair and his unique dialogue delivery enamoured him to the public.
In his later films, with an eye on politics, he played domestic help in Muthu (a superhit in Japan), a milkman in Annamalai, an auto driver in Bhasha, a don in Dalapati and a local thug in Baba. But in all these roles, he ensured the defeat of haves by have-nots. Rajnikanth is also known to be very selective about roles: he refused Shankar’s film Mudalvan for its strong political slant.
It is also known that Rajnikanth partly directs the films he acts in and stamps it with his signature. Though Chandramukhi came after Rajnikanth turned away from politics and made a departure from his Robinhood image, the film still bears his trademark: his walk, stance, stunts and sartorial style. Chandramukhi has already fetched $2.5 million from screenings abroad and broken all Indian box-office records. The official Cannes trade report on 20 Indian box-office hits pegs Chandramukhi earnings at Rs 60 crore, the highest among Indian films. This is followed by another Rajni blockbuster Anniyan (Rs 57 crore). But a film trade expert puts the earnings of Chandramukhi even higher around Rs 80 crore. Now there is higher expectation from Sivaji where he works with superstar director S Shankar, director of Anniyan. Bollywood’s loss, Kollywood’s gain
When Rajni arrived in Bollywood with his trademark cigarette flip, he seemed destined to have a long and distinguished innings in Hindi films. Long it was but hardly distinguished. Since his successful debut in Andha Kanoon (1983), Rajnikanth acted in over 20 Hindi movies over the next decade and half. But, unlike in Tamil movies, his flops far outnumbered the hits. Though his stylised mannerisms and special-effect fight scenes earned him claps and whistles from the front benchers, the gentry never warmed to him. And neither did the big Mumbai producers and directors.
Even when a Rajni film was successful, someone else got the acclaim. In Andha Kanoon and Hum, Amitabh got the credit. Another hit Chalbaaz was an out and out Sridevi flick while in K C Bokadia’s Phool Bane Angarey, Rekha had the bigger and better part.
ILLUSTRATION: NEELABH
Film trade expert Komal Nahta points out that no south Indian hero has made it big in Hindi films. Over the years many regional superstars such as NT Rama Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Nagarjun, Venkatesh have tried their luck in Hindi films. But only Kamal Haasan, who arrived with a bang in 1981 with two hits Ek Duje Ke Liye and Sanam Teri Kasam, and continues to act in the occasional movie. made any kind of impact. Yet, neither Kamal nor Rajni really became top Bollywood heroes. Box Office editor Vinod Mirani feels that a hero with moustache and curly hair, a prominent feature of most South Indian heroes, doesn’t really work in Bollywood. As social scientist Shiv Vishwanathan points out, “In Bollywood, it is the villain who had the moustache.” Adds Vishwanathan, “There’s a mindset that North is masculine and South is feminine.” Which is why South Indian heroines have ruled Bollywood. In this scenario, obviously, Rajnikanth had little chance.
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