Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi: Five decades of stardom

Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi began as villains five decades ago in a journey that would turn out to be remarkable. And, curiously, both are still remembered for those character arcs rather than the good guys they portrayed later on.

In Rajinikanth’s case, his unique mannerisms — like flicking a cigarette in the air and catching it with his mouth — and stylised dialogue deliveries (“Savaal Vidaraya?”/“Are you questioning me?”) were a hit with the masses that jumped in joy the moment they spotted him on the screen. Inside the auditorium, they clapped and danced, much to the chagrin of critics like me. Outside, they garlanded giant-size wooden cutouts of the actor. Some even performed aarti to these “wooden Rajinikanths”. Madness I would think, but the craze for stars runs across continents. At the Cannes Film Festival and similar events, like in Venice, I’ve seen fans waiting all day outside theatres to catch a glimpse of their favourite actors and directors.

Rajinikanth, whose first film was ‘Apoorva Raagangal’, mesmerised men and women, and his early roles were iconic. They explored negativity with panache. As an abusive man hissing commands to his adversaries, who were sometimes his wives, he was deadly. There were times when he reminded me of Hollywood actor Robert De Niro in ‘Cape Fear’, with his silence and menacing demeanour.

It is not difficult to believe that Rajinikanth acquired a demi-god status that really nobody in the Tamil cinema industry ever had. Not Sivaji Ganesan, not Gemini Ganesan. Maybe to an extent MG Ramachandran, but then his persona flowered after he stepped into the political arena as Chief Minister.

On screen, Rajinikanth, now 74 years of age, was a man to be reckoned with — often powerful and dangerous, he seemed so even in his most demure roles. But once the grease paint was off, he was a very humble person, extremely kind and large-hearted. No wonder people worshipped him. He was spotted with his baldpate. Never wore a wig off the sets.

To me, his career-best was ‘Enthiran’. The plot here has several twists and turns. After shutting himself in his secluded laboratory, a brilliant scientist, Vaseegaran (Rajinikanth), emerges with an invention. He creates a carbon copy of himself and calls it Chitti in what to me seemed like a repeat of the Jekyll and Hyde story. While Chitti, a humanoid robot, seems like a harmless creation at first, he soon turns out to be an epitome of evil and tries to covet his master’s fiancee played by Aishwarya Rai.

What is more, Rajinikanth’s appeal spread outside Tamil Nadu. Born into a Marathi-speaking family in Bengaluru and rising from the ranks (he was a bus conductor before hitting tinseltown), his acting style, characterised by speed, charisma and a sense of heroism, made him a darling of the masses across India, even in the Hindi-speaking belt. Works like ‘Andhaa Kaanoon’ and ‘Meri Adalat’ demonstrated this. There was a time when he became a hit even in Japan, especially after his Tamil film ‘Muthu’ opened there in 1998. They called him Prince.

Unlike Rajinikanth, whose attempts to get into the political arena did not quite succeed, Telugu actor Chiranjeevi, who turns 70 this August, managed to become a minister after a long stint in showbiz. Often called a mega star, he is considered the most influential actor in the history of Indian cinema.

Having given the most number of hits, with eight of them mega, he was arguably one of the top grossers of his time. He debuted in 1978 with ‘Punadhirallu’, but it was ‘Pranam Khareedu’, which also came out in 1978 but was released first, that made him famous.

Initially, his popularity came from his ability to essay antagonist parts. But he was far more successful playing the hero. His breakthrough movie came in 1983 with ‘Khaidi’, which went on to become the highest grosser of the time. Chiranjeevi had found his foothold in Telugu-language cinema. Hit after hit followed. His ability to play the star, together with his dashing looks, made him a heartthrob of women. Two works stand out — ‘Pasivadi Pranam’ (1987) and ‘Gharana Mogudu’ (1992). The latter was the first South Indian movie to earn over Rs 10 crore.

Undoubtedly, he was a king on his home turf. Much before Indian stars came into the crore bracket, Chiranjeevi commanded a fee of Rs 1.25 crore. His widespread acclaim came with ‘Swayamkrushi’ in 1987. His Bollywood foray, though, was nothing much to write home about: ‘Gunda’ and ‘Trishul’, among some others, disappeared as quickly as they appeared.

While Rajinikanth has had a pan-India appeal, Chiranjeevi’s fame was confined to the borders of Andhra Pradesh. Yes, both have lasted half a century in a world that is often termed tinsel town, but let us not forget it hides behind the glitter and glamour a lot of muck which the masses do not see or choose to ignore.

— The writer is a film critic and author

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