Move over Amitabh Bachchan, the King Khans, and even the aptly-christened Queen of Bollywood, Kangana Ranaut.
Nobody does ‘Superstar Pooja’ like South India. I will not be surprised if the last half of the 20th century and the first half of the 21st century is dedicated by millions of fans as the Rajini Century.
Next, we need a Rajini constellation. The West will not be able to figure it out. They are forever putting men (or women) in crazy costumes, giving them bizarre superpowers or the most bloodcurdling retractable claws. And then selling them as super heroes. Or anti-heroes, to give the tale a delectable, devilish twist. None of these superheroes are real. They don’t deserve a constellation. Rajini does.
Rajini is Really a Star
It’s time for Orion, the hunter in Greek mythology, to cede space to Rajini. Orion is one of the brightest and most recognised constellations in the night sky. It is time to give it a new name.
The prominent constellation on the celestial equator, visible all over the world, should either be rechristened Rajini or Thalaivar (meaning leader in Tamil). Rajinikanth is popularly referred to as ‘Thalaivar’.
I am not saying this out of the blue. Strangely apt, considering the deep blue of the night sky. The Orion constellation, as we know it, is the hunter with the sword. The distinctive pattern of Orion has been recognised in numerous cultures around the world, and many myths have been associated with it.
The Orion is visible both in the northern and southern hemispheres. It has been used as a symbol in the modern world.
Now come to the Rajini phenomenon. India has made temples for many superstars, but Thalaivar remains The One And Only. Thalaivar is also recognised in diverse cultures around the world. The superstar’s latest magnum opus, Kabali, will run in India in Tamil, Telegu and Hindi, Malay, Mandarin and Thai.
How the Power of ‘Kabali’ Built Toilets
Thalaivar’s magic will hit theaters in the US, France, China, Japan, Indonesia and Malaysia, among others. In the US alone, it is opening to 400 screens. Corporate giants are cashing in on the Kabalifever with Rajini Sir adorning an aircraft’s fuselage, silver coins or a telecom company’s internet, recharge and sim packs.
Hotels screen his movie, and private companies declare a holiday the day his movie releases. When even Bharat Sarkar jumps on to the Rajini bandwagon, you know something phenomenal is cooking. Puducherry’s newest star, Governor Kiran Bedi, has appealed to superstar Rajinikanth on Twitter to become the Union Territory’s brand ambassador for the “Swacch Puducherry campaign”.
Bedi is not connecting with Rajini in vain. She has gifted children yellow whistles to blow when they see anyone openly defecating despite having a community toilet in the area. And she has realised that you can get people to do anything in Rajini’s name.
This is a new initiative that trumps the most creative ones that governments at the centre or at state level have been able to come up with, till now. The Puducherry government had offered residents of Sellipet panchayat free tickets for Kabali if they construct toilets in their homes. Desperate situations require desperate measures.
A survey revealed that almost 58 percent of the residents in Sellipet village were still defecating in open space, despite the government’s aggressive ‘Swachh Puducherry’ campaign. What can’t be managed with money incentives or the state’s lathi can be solved using the charm of the man called Rajinikanth. Hence, the new initiative of the Puducherry government.
And going by Governor Kiran Bedia’s tweets, the incentive seems to be working. Rajini, the Colossus of Cinema, says in his superhit Muthu, Naan eppo varuven, epdi varuvennu yarukkum theriyathu. Aana vara vendiya nerathula. (No one can tell when or how I’ll arrive-but I always do, when the time is right.)
Move over Orion. The time for Rajini is right. Right now.
(The writer is a social activist from Jammu and Kashmir and can be reached at @AfanYesvi. This is a personal blog and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)