It was not just another Friday. At least, not for movie buffs, especially the diehard Rajini fans among them.
For them, it was ‘the Friday’ they had been waiting for with bated breath ever since the first teaser of their Thalaivar’s Kabali was released, triggering mass hysteria.
Such was the unprecedented pre-release hype that Vipin, Vinayraj, and their band of friends did not think twice in foregoing simple pleasures like a good night’s sleep to camp in front of Saritha theatre from midnight, braving rain and cold for the first show scheduled for 9 a.m.
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And, all that with no guarantee of grabbing the prized tickets, since most shows had been booked in advance. At 5.30 a.m., it was already five hours into their wait, and the question if tickets were sold out sounded such a crushing one for them.
Rahul and Jayakrishnan were more fortunate. Thanks to their equally loyal following of Mohanlal, they had managed a reservation for a special show booked by All Kerala Mohanlal Fans and Cultural Welfare Association. Even then, they turned up at 5 a.m., a good three hours ahead, apprehensive that Rajini fans who failed to grab tickets might usurp theirs.
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Ponraj, a vegetable vendor at the Ernakulam market for the last 25 years, was seen complaining to anyone who would listen about the security guard not letting his aged mother Balajyothi inside the theatre. They had reached the theatre at 4 a.m. after a couple of hours’ sleep.
“I want to take the first ticket, and my mother would help, since few women are likely to turn up for the early morning show,” said Ponraj.
Kavitha theatre appeared more like a festival venue, with hit songs and punch dialogues of Rajini blaring out non stop from loud speakers. At 6.15 a.m, it seemed too early to shake a leg but not to a large number of young fans who kept on tapping their feet to peppy numbers even as they kept on clicking selfies as evidence for that ‘ I was there’ bragging rights.
Riyaz, an active member of All Kerala Super Star Rajinikanth Fans and Welfare Association, hardly had sleep all night, as he was busy putting up banners and hoardings of the star in the theatre and streets outside. But the spring in his steps was not of a man deprived of sleep but that of one possessed.
Clocks ticked 6.40 a.m., and suddenly, the dancing crowd disappeared, as theatre staff upped the shutters at the entrance, and a human mass was swept inside as if hit by a crushing wave.
Inside, as the lights faded and the words Super Star Rajini were lit up in neon bulbs, a huge roar erupted, as their wait gave way to ecstatic celebrations.
Reporting by M.P. Praveen