Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Endhiraned!!

The title is borrowed from my friend Krishna's Facebook status.

I watched the event called 'Endhiran' today. Do I have to even say more? THE Rajinikanth rules. To borrow from KK again: Respect. And Whoa!!!

I could never do justice to the fantastic phenomenon called Rajini. I won't even try. I have remained another of his great fans. For now, I bow down to his brilliance again. I am Endhiraned!

For a great review of the film, see Krishna's here.

Manu Joseph, the editor of Open Magazine, wrote about Rajini here. Most readers did not get the point he was trying to make. But with phrases like 'Dravidian ugliness' and 'Rajini has no talent' (no matter how he meant it), Joseph pretty much did himself in. Do not, I mean it, do not miss the comments on that article.

He was right in one thing though. Rajinikanth cannot be analysed. Dot.

5 comments:

Krishna said...

much thanks for the cross-links. analysis -- of the phenomenon he has become -- doesn't work anymore, though I get a bit wistful on the brilliance he promised as an actor before the superstar phase. now, he has to be experienced, not analysed.
Tweet by someone who watched the film: "I just had a mindjob."

Giribala said...

You are right. Krishna's has done a fine job! Manu Joseph's article is in bad taste, but it could be a calculated move to gain publicity. You never know :-)

Deepa Bhasthi said...

I know what you mean Krishna, it's no longer possible to write why he is as popular as he is. His old films were where he acted, you know...Somehow one tends to miss that..but then, I'm a hardcore fan, so as long as he is on screen, I love it!! :-)

@ Giribala: Yes, KK is a brilliant writer. As for Manu Joseph, of course he deliberately put his hand in the hornet's nest. Somewhere along the comments, he tries to justify his Dravidian ugliness comment, but it didn't make a diff, once Rajini Saar was slighted!

Debanish Achom said...

Rajini Saar is what he is because of his fans. Period. For example, where would Big B be had be been born, brought up and acted in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu only? I think he would have been like another Rajini Saar in weight -- in the minds of his South Indian fans.

It's the uncontrolled wave of madness in South Indian movie fans that made Rajini Saar larger than life (One of my friends almost got killed by a mob many years ago because he lit a laser light at a poster of Saar in Chennai). Such is the fever.

So, any analysis of the man will be an affront to the deeply-involved fans. In my opinion, you have to put that love affair with Saar aside and do a re-analysis.

Just because I liked Joseph's book doesn't mean I will vouch for whatever he writes, but his piece also made sense in the way that he cut through the flesh of this Rajini topic, which had almost become sacrosanct over time. Again, thanks to the fans who are guarding Saar like CISF jawans at airports.

In the print media, you are damned if you are right and you are dammed if you are wrong. Joseph walks on that sword. He is no attention-seeker.

He tells people what they are made of without any formality. And Joseph is no Gandhi too.

Okay Deeps! This was RSPD-DB comment. Please bear for TT's sake. Don't get RSPDB.

Deepa Bhasthi said...

Whee! That was a very RSPD comment indeed Deb! Take it easy there! :)

IMHO, the Joseph piece was intended to rustle up feathers everywhere. And its not just about fans, lots of other actors have fans. I refuse to believe the frenzy of worshipping stars is restricted to the South. Just go to a Bihari worker and ask him about Mithun Chakraborty and you will prove yourself wrong.

Rajini is not just an actor people are crazy about. There is something there that you can't point your finger at. Maybe it's because he remains so humble. I don't want to know. There is something about him that really can't be analysed. That is why even Joseph failed.