They were stars in the age of bell bottoms, made a mark in the Tamil film industry in the seventies and eighties, dominated the field in the nineties and still continue to rock. What makes this possible for ‘Superstar' Rajinikanth and ‘Ulaganayagan' Kamal Haasan? It is a host of factors, say industry experts.
With Kamal's Manmadhan Ambu releasing soon, social networking sites have groups of young fans discussing and speculating. Similarly, on the day Enthiran hit the cinemas, schoolchildren could be seen eagerly waiting at the theatres. Many in their early twenties had missed college or work to catch the film. Teenaged twins Ajay and Vijay, waiting at one of the theatres, were seen listing out their favourite Rajini films, most of them being the actor's recent films. This is what noted Tamil author and film dialogue writer S. Ramakrishnan calls the “post-Badshah phenomenon”. He believes that the younger crowd finds his films that came in the nineties and later most appealing.
“My son and I love Rajini, but for very different reasons. I admire his style, they like him playing the villain. When Rajini says “cool”, it is something,” he says. It is not just about charm or luck. The actors have been evolving their styles according to fans' tastes, Mr. Ramakrishnan emphasises. “Young actors are always looking for lessons in the way Kamal Haasan dresses, speaks or performs. Similarly, some young stars use Rajini's name in their dialogue just to evoke applause. It works!” Those in the industry also observe that Rajinikanth and Kamal symbolise two very interesting identities in our culture. “Kamal sir is an all-rounder who is constantly reinventing himself. His films are, in some ways, expected to fulfil some intellectual requirements of fans,” says director-writer Suka, who has been an associate of director Balu Mahendra.
Rajini, on the other hand has the image of being ‘one among us'. “Fans tend to associate his looks and complexion with a Dravidian identity. His hairstyle, walk, physique and attire have never been those conventionally valued,” Mr. Suka notes.
Veteran director S.P.Muthuraman says the degree of involvement of the two actors is something younger actors should strive for.
“They did not believe in superficiality. Kamal, for instance, is forever thirsty for more knowledge on cinema. Rajinikanth puts in tremendous amounts of hard work even today,” he adds.
The actors put in a lot of effort to make their films relevant to today's audience. “They are not doing a Murattu Kalai or Sagalakalavallavan today, you see,” says Mr. Ramakrishnan. Another major aspect to be considered in this regard is quality assurance of the actors' films, says K. Hariharan, director, LV Prasad Film & TV Academy. “The actors ensure that a certain kind of money is spent to make their films look and sound nice. They are technically very superior. Manmadhan Ambu for instance, is one of the first Tamil films to come out with live sound recording. It is meticulous work,” he adds. Mr. Hariharan says the roles are carefully chosen. The two actors, along with their directors, are putting in extra effort to include a lot of contemporary elements in their films. “We have a very discerning audience here who expect value for money. And they know it.”
Keywords: Kamal Hassan, Rajinikanth, Tamil cinema
Rajini and Kamal are the icons of Tamil film. Their success can be attributed to their hard work. All the time, the only thing they can think about is movies and nothing else. They live for cinema and this is the reason cinema lives for and by them. They are just great..
The reason why the two of them draw in crowds even after so many years at the top is very simple. They are both talented and we have yet to witness someone who consistently churns out good movies. People like me now have that hope on Surya Sivakumar and I cannot see anyone else coming close to Kamal and Rajni. Tamil cinema lacks personality these days. There is no one to match Rajni or Kamals screen presence or persona. Hopefully someone bold will come up soon and replace them.
While joining lakhs of Rajini And Kamal fans in showering so much appreciation,may I appeal to them to do their best for eradicating illiteracy among the downtrodden and become heroes in real life?
Rajni is The Greatest Superstar India ever had , Hats off for this living Legend.
kamal
I have been watching Kamal Sir movies for the last 25 years and his hard work is increasing and reflecting in each and every film. I don't think he is getting aged. He has to do a lot more than what he did in the past. Because his achievements are enabling both Kamal Sir and me to keep going successfull as his hard work teaches good lessons those who like/watch him. Hats off Kamal Sir.
I agree with most of the comments that hard work has got these two greats where they find themselves today. But, I personally feel Mr Haasan has become self-indulgent and I do not see anything intelligent about his recent movies (eg- Dasavatharam). I think nobody is bigger than cinema they make, and Mr Haasan will do better to understand this. He cannot occupy all the frames and rest of the actors are shut out(even the talented ones). We get to see trite in the name of intelligent or well researched cinema. At least in this respect Mr Rajinikanth's movies do not claim to be anything more than entertainment. I have to say, I do not belong to any fan club of these two greats. I just follow good, entertaining cinema. As far as Mr Haasan, bring back the earlier one anyday.
Well, yes, great actors like Rajni and Kamal do entertain us and kudos to them. Undoubtedly, they are better than our crooked politicians. I wish Rajni and Kamal use their charisma and influence to help solve the genuine day-to-day problems of the public, like what our brave and self-less 'Traffic' Ramaswamy does. Actors have, in fact, greater reach and power to push for effective changes in redressing the public grievances. For this purpose, Rajni or Kamal need not come into politics; their voices would be more powerful to insist on good governance if they remain outside the political arena.
Kamal sir is an icon. i grew up watching. a true legend.
Rajni and Kamal had earlier filled the vacuum created by MGR and Sivaji Ganesan. There will certainly be a space left vacant after Rajni and Kamal. They proved to be crowd pullers after their recent films. Rajni's "Sivaji" and "Endhiran" proved too hot for other actors to compete. Kamal Haasan is a very good actor and he proved to be a crowd puller after his recent successes. Rajni and Kamal have come to this level by sheer hard work. Actors like Vijay, Ajith and others should not simply follow them. They have to work hard and do variety of roles. Even though Vijay and Ajith have the capability to fill the vacuum, they have to work hard to come up as they have age on their side.
Some one above was talking about loss of morality. What kind of morality are you talking about? We were one of those cruel people who punished the Jains with impalement just because they did not follow Saivism. As Tamils we were one of the most blood thirsty people constantly in fight. We had also practiced in cannibalism. So stop cribbing that people are losing values. Humans never had them in their life except in books. This day is the most peaceful time in history of mankind. We are growing out of violence and bloodshed to become more civilized and more tolerant and patient than ever.
No wonder they are the icons of India. Rajini's humbleness and good heart had made him great and there is another impeccable actor "The Kamalhassan" who is incomparable legend who is genuinely pursuing cinema as a stream of study and brings out new things to the Indian Cinema. Hats-off, thalaiva. There are hundered lessons we fans of the Ulaganayagan learn from you daily, you are the true leader. Your friendship with Rajini is something nobody in Cine field can boast of except you guys.
Rajni and Kamal are great actor and specially good human beings. We have to learn the simpleness from them and follow and bring it into our life.
Rajini is an idol in many ways. His upcoming from an ordinary poor person to this level will create ocnfidence in millions of young Indians. I like and love him as an actor and a humble human. Come on Rajini keep going.
People in ancient times had the vision of standard of life rather than standard of living.Qualities of Giving,Love and a good heart pervaded their lives.The great Tamil poet Valluvar asked "What is the use of intelligence if you do not have the wisdom to deal and heal the sufferings of fellow humans as your own?" As the years rolled by after the industrial revolution people turned to plant and machineries for living,relegating the quality and values of life to the back seat.Violence and aggrandizement crept into their minds and their hearts became dry.They introduced giant robots to do newer things.Films and TV serials projected Robots playing the roles of villains and terrorists.Like 'Enthiran' a film from indian kollywood more robot themes are expected to come out of the'Woods of Holly,Bolly and Holly in the coming days.values are getting further eroded as evidenced by the visitation of huge cine population.Senior actors like Rajini and Kamal should take the lead in avoiding such roles in future.
Nice article. Rajini and Kamal both have done Tamilians proud. With the recent blockbuster Enthiran, Rajini has proved that he is not only south superstar, he is a true INDIAN Superstar.
Both Kamal and Rajini are assets to Tamil Film Industry. I still remember in the early 80s, that we used to get up and end the day talking about them. They've become part and parcel of our lives.
Nice Article..Hardwork and commitment is something the younger generation should learn from them. Actors like Vijay, Ajith, Vishal who do films of the same type and incur losses should understand the work ethic and strive to give us some movies worth the money one pay for. Hats off to the two stalwarts who are always the superstars of tamil cinema.
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