Thirty-eight-year old S. Balasubramaniam works as a supervisor in a private company here. S. Thirugnanam takes pictures for a living at Erode. K. Kadhar repairs borewell machines in Thiruchengodu. They have 17 other friends in different districts. What binds them and brings them together is their love for their Thalaivar.
On Saturday morning, these bunch of ardent admirers of the superstar got dressed up as some of the famous characters he has donned over the years —from Rajadhi Raja to Enthiran, and arrived in front of actor Rajinikanth’s residence at Poes Garden to wish him on his 70th birthday.
The idea to come to Chennai and visit him was mooted as early as January. Though COVID-19 put off the planning for months together, it gained momentum yet again in the last week of November, says Balasubramaniam, who came dressed up as Raja from Raajadhi Raja .
“We created a group on WhatsApp to propagate the ideals that he stands for, ahead of the polls. Now, we wanted to use it also for doing something special as a tribute for his birthday. We rented out a hall two days ago and decided who dons which character, hired costumes and happily wore Thalaivar’s look for a few hours,” he says.
Splurging on costumes
Each of them spent anywhere from ₹3,000 to as much as ₹30,000 for this day. Thirugnanam earns nearly ₹20,000 a month, but splurged it all to turn into Enthiran. “ It doesn’t matter how much we spent. For such a great man, we want to do at least this. Though I love all of his films, Aaril Irundhu Arubadhu Varai always stays close to my heart, ” he says.
Why this undying love for Rajinikanth? “Humility,” Kadhar says, instantly. “Name another star for whom fame has not gotten to his head. This man is an inspiration for us in more ways than one,” he adds. After watching Anbulla Rajinikanth he began helping those around him to the best of his ability, he says.
