When Gods Are Us: The Superstars Of The South

Down south, when one goes towards a 70mm screen, the gods you and I pray to everyday (for a raise or a better spouse) send their divine manifestations to an audience aka devout devotees. Here, what you see is what you believe, albeit flying fists ramming cars, dodging bullets as if they were peanuts- but you see what you believe. In such a film industry, some actors synonymous to godsends have more followers than Sachin Tendulkar on Twitter. They grab headlines, eyeballs, box-offices and everything in between.

RAJNIKANTH

Google his name and you’d find a lot on him. But Google won't find Rajinikanth because you don't find Rajinikanth; Rajinikanth finds you. But there was a time, when he used doors not walls, when he was called Shivaji Rao Gaikwad who struggled as a coolie and a conductor till his relative put him through Madras Film Institute after which Gaikwad debuted in Apoorva Raagangal in 1975. It was only after this that he met his mentor, director S.P. Muthuraman who would make the Rajni image which eventually lasted this long.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

The one which made people believe that the scars given to Harry Potter & the Joker were given by him. That if Rajinikanth would get into a knife-fight, the knife would lose.

It was only in 1978 that he did his first solo act with Bairavi. He did quit acting in between, but his followers couldn’t really accept another deity- so he gave blockbusters like Billa, Murattu Kaalai, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Mahaan Alla and Moondru Mugam. When the superstar decided to pen a script, countless crowds succumbed to Badsha.

When Rajnikanth is asked to kill someone he doesn't know, he shoots the bullet and directs it the day he finds out.

His film Muthu was the first to be dubbed in Japanese and grossed a record $1.8 million in 1998.

Rajnikanth faced what anybody in his position would- doubt and lack of patience.

What the audience expected was an epiphany to come alive in his home production Baba, but Rajni didn’t think about preaching-leaving his followers disappointed. While many critics wrote” the gold has finally stopped glittering”, Rajni pointed to his gold watch meaning time will tell. And then he smashed them (metaphorically here) and revenue earnings with Chandramukhi in 2005.

In 2007, he went back to his off-screen name, he’s Rajnikanth-he can do anything. So he starred in a much anticipated movie Sivaji made by S. Shankar. While frenzy took to the country, Rajni didn’t need a visa to travel abroad- he topped flick charts in the UK & South Africa.

He was the second highest paid actor in Asia after receiving 26 crore for Sivaji. And when the world went 3D and Asimo the robot was just pathetic with his violin playing abilities, he made a 162 crore budget movie, Enthiran, where he made Missus Bachchan fall in love with his robotic alter ego. It spread like virus over the web, pulp and the reel grossed 250 crore worldwide.

What will happen when Rajni turns warrior in his 3D next animation flick Hara? People will forget Avataar. It could happen.

CHIRANJEEVI

Next up is the megastar of Tollywood, the man who danced faster than the beats of every song he damced to- went and got a degree in Commerce before going to Madras Film Institute. Leaving Siva Shankara Viraprasad at home, he got a screen name of Chiranjeevi Punadhirallu in 1978. Dance sequences and a climax with a social message- that’s what you get in each of his flicks. And following this, he had 8 films released in 1979. 1980 saw 14 of his movies at the box-office. In four years, he had done what anybody in Bollywood really hasn’t- he had acted in 50 movies which had done considerably well. That didn’t keep him assured. He re-vamped his image as the action hero by breaking doors, noses and more in Kodandarami Reddy’s Khaidi. The duo of Reddy and Chiranjeevi worked together for 23 films, most of which were huge box office blockbusters. After making people dance off their seats and re-enacting fight sequences in street fights, Chiru decided to show his lighter side in flicks like Pasivadi Pranam, Yamudiki Yonugu & Manchi Donga. With successes like Raja Vikramarka and Gang Leader he was soon called “Bigger than Bachchan”. He was called “the new money making machine” by The Week, after his movie Indra enthralled audiences and ran for 227 days. We know why 2011 is going to be a good year- because this star is planning to make a comeback then.

KAMAL HASSAN

An actor, screen writer and film maker, he has tried songwriting, playback singing and choreographing. Kamal Hassan is now on his 51st year in Indian Cinema. He is currently promoting his latest flick Manmadhan Ambu for which he went a long time on a cruise ship. His earlier movie, Nayagayam back in 1987 with Mani Ratnam was ranked by Time as one of the best films of all times. From portraying as a drunkard classical dancer in Sagara Sangama, an amnesiac in Vetri Vizha to a deranged obsessed protagonist in Guna, his method acting captured the attention of audiences across the country. From a mime like Pushpak to a rip-off of Mrs Doubtfire, Avvai Shanmughi, Haasan was lauded for his performance and direction in Hey Ram, based on the controversial subject of Gandhi’s assassination. After playing good cop in Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu, 2008 saw Haasan take on 70mm with Dasavataram, the film got him critical acclaim and went on to become the second highest grossing film in Tamil Cinema.