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| Why
should Rajini and Mani work together? |
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| By
our Special Correspondent, Priya Chandran |
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October 06, 2007 |
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Even before his Sivaji lost its luster at the box
office, rumors of Superstar Rajinikanth's next project
swarmed the media. His meetings with Mani and later
with Kamal created a furor in the media over the
possibility of a magnum opus with the three titans
joining forces. Rajini was expected to star in the
film, produced by Kamal (he may even do a possible
guest role) and directed by Mani.
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Though none of them officially confirmed the story, they
didn't deny meeting each other either.
Anything and everything to do with biggies Rajini, Kamal
and Mani, is breaking news and so was this one too, topping
most coffee table conversations.
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However,
as an anticlimax, the Superstar recently went on record
to deny his prospective plans of working with Mani
or Kamal. "I haven't decided on my future projects
yet and rumors about my association with Mani Ratnam
or Kamal are not factual," the Superstar spelled
out. That left few million fans heart broken.
In retrospect, Rajini and Mani might have lost out
on a golden opportunity.
The last time they came together was for “Thalapathy”
in 1991.It was a contemporary version of the story
of Karna taken from the Mahabharata. Mani presented
a very mellow and sensitive Rajinikanth, sans his
usual mannerisms and histrionics. We saw Rajini the
“actor”, rather than Rajini the “phenomenon”.
Rajinikanth delivered a stellar performance (one of
his best to date) in spite of a stalwart like Mamooty
performing alongside him.
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Some
critical reasons as to why Mani and Rajini should join forces
after sixteen years:
• They both possess a tremendous
fan following all over the world, arguably the biggest for
an actor and director respectively. Expectations will be
sky high, giving the trade the biggest opening possible.
• They are internationally acclaimed
doyens of Tamil cinema, capable of creating the largest
platform ever to market an Indian movie overseas.
• Rajini is renowned for his larger-than–life
roles, and Mani is a director who thrives on scripting such
characters, with his pragmatic and minimalistic approach,
be it Velu Nayakar of “Nayagan” or Gurubhai
of “Guru”. It will be a match made in heaven!
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•
It would be a true challenge for both Mani
and Rajini, driving them to deliver their personal
best. We can expect nothing short of excellence and
perfection in every department.
• Mani is capable of bringing
out the best in any actor and Rajini is a director’s
delight, surrendering himself completely to a director
he trusts, making it a lethal combination.
• The present day audience
is mature, refined and has an appetite for tasteful
and innovative cinema. Rajinikanth in a Mani Ratnam
movie is the best they can ask for.
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A
solid story lays the foundation for a successful film and
hence to take our argument to the next level, we also compiled
a list of scripts that might work for this talented duo:
Script 1: The safest bet - A cinematic
memoir, based on a powerful and charismatic real - life
personality in tandem with the Superstar’s image,
this would be like performing on home ground for both of
them.
Script 2: There was a serious consideration
a few years ago by Mani Ratnam to cast Rajinikanth in a
movie a la James bond style. It was supposed to be called
“Ragasiya Police”. This project, for reasons
unknown never materialized and was ultimately shelved. This
script could be revived with a contemporary feel, as a romantic
suspense thriller, based on the life of a secret service
agent who has taken on the mission of annihilating a powerful
enemy.
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Script
3: Mani being the master political director,
and his fan fraternity ever aspiring for him to foray
into politics, Rajinikanth as an enigmatic, political
celebrity, who brings about changes to the system,
would be a treat for all his admirers.
Script 4: A superhero in a sci-fi
thriller, on the lines of Spiderman or Superman would
have his tiny tot fans go wild with delight. This
would also be a visual extravaganza for all Rajini
addicts, who already envision him as a champion of
the masses.
Script 5: Now for the nonconformists,
a simple, sweet and lucid story about family, relationships
and love featuring Rajini in a completely different
avatar, of a loving father or a devoted husband, complementing
his age and experience with some magical music, will
definitely be a breath of fresh air to all Rajini
buffs.
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After
all, isn’t the Superstar a doting father and a caring
husband in real life too? One would need immense courage
to craft such a radically different movie after “Sivaji”,
but then, doesn’t fortune favor the brave?
Their union, if it had materialized would have undoubtedly
been one of most incredible things to have happened to Tamil
cinema or perhaps Indian cinema in recent times. Let us
hope for the best. Who knows what the future holds, NOTHING
IS IMPOSSIBLE, right?!
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