If Rajni is the opium of the masses, let's get high!

Nambi Rajan, owner of 68 year-old Aurora Theatre in Matunga, made a humble suggestion last week. It was best if women stayed away from the first day showing of Rajnikanth's new film Endhiran (Robot). We went ahead and did just the opposite. Aditi Sharma survived the shrieks, flower-showers and milk baths to catch the first-show-last-film experience at the soon-to-shut down Aurora

A newspaper vendor at Matunga looked disgruntled on Friday afternoon. "Udhar jaake koi fayda nahin. Paagalpan hai! Par jaane ka hai, toh haar aur nariyal le kar jao (There's no point going there today. It is madness! But if you must go, take a garland and coconut with you)," he muttered to a customer, his south Indian accent lacing his Bambaiyya Hindi.


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He could very well have been talking to a devotee on his way to darshan at one of Matunga's many temples. But it was Rajni Friday. He was talking to a movie goer; the disappointment evident on his face, of not having a bagged a ticket himself to watch the Southern superstar Rajnikanth's new film, Endhiran.

At Aurora Theatre, just like Disgruntled Vendor had indicated, it was madness. In a Dali-esque surreal makeover, the street was milling with a mob surrounding a horse-drawn carriage that carted the film's reel fresh from a Ram temple nearby after it had been 'blessed'. Paal kudams (vessels that carry milk to bathe deities) were emptied onto 50-feet high Rajni cutouts, while members of a fan club (he's said to have 50,000 fan clubs) provided ambient music with a thunderous burst of crackers.
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When the gates were thrown open, it was war.Inside, in the central foyer, the reel box decorated with kumkum and flowers stood beside a proud board that read 'House full'. The arrival of television crews was cue for fans to go ultra-dramatic. One man dressed in a white shirt and mundu swayed dangerously before a cameraman; the after effect of binge drinking, we guessed.
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Aurora owner Nambi Rajan stepped in, making it clear he wouldn't be allowed in. A feeble attempt at protest, and he was soon abandoned by his friends when they realised they would be thrown out too. Real drama before reel drama.

When the lights dimmed, the atmosphere turned maniacal. Somebody had carried (and been allowed to) baskets of marigolds into the balcony seating, which meant that the screen and stall fans were showered in flowers every few minutes. Usher Vijay Shelke whispered to me, "Ek dum uncontrollable hai, madam." Police constables stationed at each entry door were but bystanders. And they knew it.u00a0

As the credits rolled, the hooting got louder. I don't understand Tamil, and even if I did, I couldn't see the screen thanks to a dancing crowd, but I knew when Rajnikanth's name rolled onto screen. By now, I was on the edge, waiting for a glimpse of Rajni. He appeared, matter-of-factly tinkering with a robot.

All you saw was his profile. That's for those of us who were watching. Most of them were dancing in the aisles. The cacophony drowned out the dialogues, and that's a rarity considering Rajan admitted that with this film they had upped the volume from five decibels (for regular house full shows) to 15 decibels!

Ten minutes into the movie, Rajan and a team of 'negotiators' arrived to request the crowds to calm down, stop dancing, and do what they had paid for --watch the film. Dr Vasi (Rajni's character) had been busy creating Chitti, the Robot, and that had left girlfriend Sana upset over lack of attention.
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After a display of skills (he can scan and memorise an entire telephone directory), Chitti gets busy hanging out with Sana, the damsel-in-distress who allows Chitti to show off his powers, one of which includes running parallel to a moving train, and coolly climbing up to the roof when another train threatens to crush him. He can also shoot people he doesn't like. Without a gun.

My pick for best scene: Sana and Chitti confront hoodlums who insist on playing loud music outside her home. She argues with the leery bunch, while Chitti simply goes in and trashes the music player. Ruffians are offended. They bring out their most menacing weapons. But Chitti is Rajni! Magnetic powers turned on to full. In one clean sweep he yanks all the metal out of their hands and into his own, rearranges it in a jiffy to stand like a multi-armed deva.

Will someone please ask me what religion I follow? I have a different answer post-Friday.

The kiss
Rajni fans might accept Aishwarya as his girlfriend but we found it hard to accept the on-screen pair. In most scenes, the couple kept their distance. In one shot, Ash's character Sana kisses Dr Vasi on his cheek. That was enough to make the audience go looney for the next 10 minutes.

True rajni fans don't do black!
The first day first show belonged to Rajnikanth fan clubs from across the city, and tickets were handed out to club members. This ensured that there were nearly no tickets available in black. Harish Pillai, member of Revengers Rajnikanth Fan Club, declared, "If any Rajnikanth fan sells his ticket in black, he is not a true fan!"

Endhiran in numbers
With an estimated budget of 165 crore, Endhiran is the most expensive Asian film ever made.The movie collected a head-spinning Rs 205 crore even before one week of its release. In the US, tickets were sold out within the first 10 minutes of booking offices opening. The film has been released in over 3,000 screens outside India, which makes it the largest worldwide release after Spiderman.

This tri-lingual (Tamil, Telugu and Hindi) magnum opus was first planned a decade ago, with Kamal Hasan in mind. The director then tried roping in Shah Rukh Khan, before signing on Rajnikanth.

Aishwarya Rai's Rs 6 crore salary for the film has propelled her to the status of the highest paid Indian actress. Rajnikanth's salary, to be decided by the profit the film makes, is expected to be around Rs 45 crore.

Reports say the music rights of the movie, for which Oscar-Grammy winner AR Rehman has scored the music, have been sold for Rs 7 crore to a music firm named Think Music.

Rajnikanth is seen in 100 different styles during one song in the film.

The movie took 10 years of pre-production and 2 years to shoot. More than 2,000 prints, have been released.

'For a Rajni film, we up the volume to max'
Nambi Rajan has been running the show at Aurora, a single screen theatre in the South Indian dominated suburb of Matungau00a0 for 30 years. But each time he releases a new Rajnikanth film, he is surprised by the crowd response. "It just gets bigger," he smiles wide-eyed. As an ode to his favourite hero, Rajan took up special renovation work of the movie hall although it's going to be mowed down to make way for a multiplex after Endhiran finishes its run.

How long has it taken you to get the preparation together?
Two weeks to take care of every tiny detail. From painting the interiors to light and sound adjustment, everything has to be just right for the audience to have the best experience. In house full shows, we keep the sound at a particular volume, but for a Rajnikanth film, we have to up the volume to max for the first few days.

Tell us an anecdote about his fan following related to Aurora.
There are so many! Little boys working in restaurants nearby come here to buy tickets for his films (the lowest price is Rs 60). Back in the South, ticket prices are low; say Rs 10. When they see these prices, they get dejected, begin to empty their pockets of loose change.
If they fall short of a few rupees, I instruct my staff to go ahead and give them the ticket.

Are you planning to catch the first show?
I don't think I'll be able to watch the film in my own theatre. I'll have to go to some place else, switch off my mobile phone and make sure nobody knows about my whereabouts.

Do you think Rajnikanth will ever visit Aurora?
Why won't he come here? He should come, na? We worship him like he is god.

Last word: taran adarsh, Trade analyst
"If you've seen Robot, you'll realise that Rajnikanth is the ultimate superstar because he can do what no actor can. Even in terms of business, this film will be a milestone in his career. He caters to the masses so easily. In scenes where he is talking to a mosquito (yes!) or shooting someone with just his fingers, you'd scoff, "What the hell!". But because it's Rajni, you believe it. It's bizarre but we love him. He is the baadshah of escapist cinema."

The fans
Harish Pillai, 20,
Student of SIWS College I have seen every Rajnikanth film, and I had to catch Endhiran first-day first-show with our fan club members. I'll watch it again with family.
Stalin Nadar, 42, cable operator
I travelled from Thane to watch Rajnikanth at Aurora. This theatre reminds me of what's it's like to be in my hometown. The mood is the same over here --crackers and giant cut-outs like it's a festival.

The ready reckoner to Rajni

Rajnikanth was born Shivaji Rao Gaekwad in a Marathi-speaking family in Bengaluru. He hasn't acted in a single Marathi film.

After the death of his mother when he was five, he struggled with an an impoverished childhood. He often did odd jobs including being a coolie.

Before joining the Madras Film Institute, he was employed at the then Bengaluru Transport Service (BTS) as a bus conductor. He still has the uniform he wore then.

His first film was in Tamil, where he was initially cast in supporting roles, debuting as a cancer patient in K Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal in 1975.

However, it was SP Muthuraman's film Bhuvana Oru Kelvikkuri (1977) that revamped his image and put him in the spotlight.

His film Muthu was dubbed into Japanese. It became a major hit in the country, ultimately creating a huge fan-following in Japan.

After his movie Baba (2002, which he had written) did poorly at the box office, he went on a sabbatical, making a comeback with Chandramukhi in 2007.

The superstar practises yoga every day, and takes off to the Himalayas once a year.

He gets special mention for introducing punch dialogues in the Tamil film industry.

In 1999, he completed 25 years in cinema. In recognition for his contribution, the government of Indiau00a0 conferred on him the Padmabhushan that year.

Rajni often watches preview shows of other regional films. If he enjoys them, he is known to wish concerned celebrities personally.

If you Google him, you'll stumble on some fantastic one-liners that pass off as trivia. Sample this: The last digit of pi is Rajnikanth. He is the end of all things.

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