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Tamil Cinema, Sivaji the Boss, Rajnikanth
& Shriya – A fan’s Perspective! |
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By Shoaib Mohamed,
Incredibleshoaib33@yahoo.co.uk
United Kingdom. |
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August 04, 2007 |
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I wish to start by thanking the editors
of Behnidwoods.com for kindly publishing
this piece written by me, on their website.
I also wish to categorically state that
the viewpoints expressed herein are
entirely mine and in no way represents
the viewpoints or thinking of behindwoods.com
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Given
the way 2007 has unfolded so far for Kollywood,
it is safe to say that the Tamil Cinema industry
is probably enjoying it’s best year if not
the best ever year in it’s pre-eminent existence
of 75 years! The year began with the youthful exuberance
of Ilayathalapathi Vijay’s mega hit Pokkiri
and has completed its first half with the release
of the mother of all blockbusters, Sivaji the Boss,
which features the impregnable Superstar of Indian
Cinema, Rajnikanth! The first half of 2007 also
witnessed the arrival of excellent movies like Mozhi
as well! The good news for movie buffs in the South
is that Kollywood has a lot more coming in the second
half of 2007 and among them, Dasavatharam, the masterpiece
of arguably India’s most versatile actor,
Kamal Hassan, is without a doubt the most anticipated
release.
Despite it’s unquestionable quality, talent
and success, Tamil films and the Tamil film industry
has seldom made an impact outside of South India
let alone globally. However, one hopes in all earnestness
that the arrival of the BOSS with his magnum opus
Sivaji the BOSS has changed all of that for good!
The Tamil Cinema industry is hugely indebted to
Superstar Rajniknath for single-handedly putting
the Tamil Film industry not just on the map of all
India but also internationally through the unprecedented
global success of his latest film Sivaji! The economics
of Sivaji the BOSS is mind-boggling and can only
be emulated and / or beaten by another Rajni film!
It was certainly a phenomenal achievement that Sivaji
the BOSS not only made it to the UK top ten movies
in it’s opening weekend but it also beat Hollywood
blockbusters like Fantastic four, Spider Man 3,
Pirates of the Caribbean and Oceans 13, in terms
of per screen collections. Despite not having any
sub-titles the movie has been running to packed
houses even in non-Tamil speaking locations in the
North of India! |
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All
of the above and much more surrounding the
record breaking success of Sivaji the BOSS
has made people stand up and take notice of
the Tamil Film industry and this has been
due to one person and one person only and
that person happens to be the one and the
only Superstar of Indian Cinema, Rajnikanth.
A lot has also been talked about recently
regarding the over commercialisation of Tamil
films and also about certain actors sticking
to their image or playing it safe by continuing
to do what they do best. Frankly I cannot
understand what the fuss is as I don’t
see anything wrong with it! Actors who are
versatile like Vikram for example will most
certainly experiment with their roles and
try different things in their respective films.
Others who have a mass fan following will
always try and give what their fans want and
will experiment with caution! |
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The
Beatles stuck to Rock and Roll because that was
what they were good at and that was the image that
they had built for themselves around the World.
Similarly Michael Jackson the original 'King of
Pop' stuck to pop music because that is where he
excelled and that was the image that he had built
for himself amongst his millions of fans!
In Sport, Sachin Tendulkar can never be a brutal
batsman who square cuts every other ball he faces
over the point boundary for six like for example,
Sanath Jayasuriya or Adam Gilchrist! Similarly,
Jayasuriya and Gilly will never be able to play
with the class that Tendulkar does when he is on
song! Tendulkar will do well only if he sticks to
his strengths and plays accordingly while Jayasuriya
and Gilly would do the same without trying to emulate
Tendulkar. “Be yourself” “Play
your natural game” Be bold and do your thing”
are clichés that we often hear in various
stages of our life and the same applies to the film
world as well!
The simple point I am trying to make with the above
examples is that an intelligent and successful entertainer,
be it an actor, singer or for that matter a sportsman
is one that quickly identifies his or her strengths
and uses them to the max. Therefore I have no problem
with actors with a massive image sticking to what
they do best and only experimenting ever so cautiously
every now and then and giving their fans what they
want! The great thing for us Tamil film fans is
that for those of us who may prefer films of an
artistic mode, we can choose to watch those films
while for those of us who prefer the commercial
entertainer with a message, we can gladly stick
to such movies. Instead of sitting on our respective
armchairs and criticizing films and the very hard
working actors and actresses that we may not necessarily
appreciate, we could perhaps take the sensible option
and watch only the kind of films that appeal to
us personally! What irritates me the most is that
those individuals who are quick to criticize movies,
actors and actresses are the very one’s who
have no clue about what it’s like to stand
in front of a camera or the hard work that goes
into the making of a movie that we fans ultimately
enjoy with much pleasure. It’s time for us
fans to also show some appreciation for the highly
talented people of the Tamil film fraternity and
the efforts that they put in to entertain us! |
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Sivaji
the Boss or more appropriately Superstar Rajnikanth
has taken the Tamil film industry to a different
level and never before seen heights. Therefore
it would be nice to see the members of the
Tamil Film fraternity and it’s fans,
regardless of whether or not they are Rajni
fans, shedding their petty differences and
illogical partisan attitudes towards Kamal
Hassan or any other Tamil Star and instead
showing their magnanimous appreciation to
the Icon of Indian Cinema, Superstar Rajnikanth,
for the unprecedented recognition, respect
and adulation that he has single-handedly
brought to the Tamil Film industry with his
Super duper hit, Sivaji the BOSS!
There are many youngsters in the Tamil Film
industry who have followed and admired Rajnikanth
through the years and are aspiring to become
the next Superstar of the industry. For those
young men like Vijay, Ajith, and so on I have
some good news and also some bad news. The
good news is that they were very lucky to
have had an Icon like Rajni to follow during
their formative years in Kollywood. But the
bad news is that never in a million years
will a Vijay, Ajith or anyone else even come
close to the superstardom achieved by Rajni.
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His
style, electrifying screen presence, charisma and
that uncanny ability to takeover his audiences every
single time he appears on screen, has never been
seen before, is unmatched today and will be unmatched
and never be seen again from anyone else in the
future either! Legends like Muhammad Ali, Michael
Jordan, Don Bradman and Rajnikanth are Superstars
who will not and cannot be replaced ever! Many will
come along and claim to be the next Ali, the next
Jordan, the next Bradman and the next Rajnikanth.
Sadly however, they will be nothing more than a
cheap imitation of the real Superstar!
Any amount of writing or showering or praise will
never do adequate justice in my bid to articulate
the Rajnikanth phenomenon and his impeccable impact
on the Tamil film industry. Hence, I am now going
to divert my attention to the woman behind the unprecedented
success of Sivaji the BOSS, Shriya Saran!
I have been watching Rajni films for a long, long
time and I can say that for the first time in all
these years there were many moments while watching
Sivaji the Boss that I was well and truly oblivious
to the presence of Rajni, and the only reason for
this was that I was totally mesmerized by the Class
and breath taking beauty of Shriya! Not even the
famous beach scene of Hollywood beauty Halle Berry
coming out of the water in the Bond movie Die another
day froze me as much as Shriya did with her unquestionable
class and stunning good looks!
What was also heartening is that despite Sivaji
being only her fourth Tamil film, she played her
pivotal role in the movie tremendously well and
was perfect for the role and a more than perfect
match for the Superstar. I personally hope that
Rajni acts with Shriya again in his next movie as
well. Deservedly after her highly impressive performance
in Sivaji the BOSS, Shriya has been booked to star
opposite all the leading men in the Tamil Film industry
in the coming months and I wish her well!
In conclusion it is my sincere hope that the movies
slated for release in the second half of 2007 like
Dasavatharam, Azhagiya Tamil Magan, Billa and Bheema
will give Kollywood a glittering and fitting end
to what has been a phenomenally successful year
so far!
Shoaib Mohamed
Incredibleshoaib33@yahoo.co.uk |
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