The magic of Rajinikanth

We watched ‘Endhiran’ yesterday night.

A movie so long awaited. A ‘Thalaivar’ movie.

The bug of ‘Endhiran’ mania had had me in its grip too and it’s been like that for a while now. Say ever since the news of the movie has been in the news. [Okie! That sounds funny!!]

Anyways moving on, I am sure there are scores of reviews been written about the movie. People who have liked it, people who have not liked it. My Facebook page has been filled with ‘Endhiran’ updates for the past few days now. I am not going to give a proper movie review here. That’s been done and dusted with and like I said, I am sure you will find a lot of other good ones about the movie out there.

I will be honest. I liked it. It was entertaining as always to watch Rajini on screen. I would not say it is his best movie till date but it was enjoyable. The special effects, graphics, technical brilliance was all very well done and executed. Had it been a 2 hour flick it would have been even more enjoyable from the story point of view. But it’s a Rajinikanth movie and even if it is a little long you won’t hear many people complaining. I thought Rajini as the villain did an awesome job. It reminded me a lot of his earlier movies where he was the anti-hero. The man still has it! It takes a lot of guts to do something like this when you are 60 years old and you already have a loyal fan base all over the world. For that, hats off to him!

Yes, his movies defy logic. Yes, the story line always revolves around him. Yes, people go crazy over him and his persona and his style. Yes, you will find a lot of puns about Rajinikanth and more importantly his logic-defying moves and stunts. But for me, that’s the whole charm of a Rajini movie. The impossible stunts, the style the guy shows, the punch dialogues, the way he romances women half his age, sometimes maybe even more than that. No one else his age, can get away with stuff he says and does on screen and still manage to pull it off and guarantee a minimum hit. The ‘Thalaivar’ magic is unique.

Lots of other people are out there making movies for serious-minded folks, taking into consideration all the logic, the practicality and sensibility and the realism that people these days crave for. I admit it. I like movies like that too. I enjoy it too. But once in a while when a movie comes along like this, throwing all logic to winds, making sure that all through the movie, the hero and the heroine are always alright, unscathed and guarantees a happy ending all with a dash of the magic of Rajinikanth, it’s a treat to watch. And this is not specific to Endhiran or just one of his movies. It is all his movies, whether it’s Baasha, Padayappa, Sivaji or even some of his gems from the 80’s and 90’s.

I am not as huge a Rajinikanth fan as a lot of others out there. And there are some people who think he is equivalent to God. But I still enjoy his movies. They have made me laugh. They have made me shake my head in amazement and wonder. They have had me at the edge of the seat waiting to watch what happens next. They have made me forget reality for a little while at least and transport me to a place where reason and reality does not exist. And sometimes, that’s a relief too.

And honestly, there is no actor’s antics that I would enjoy more on screen than Rajinikanth. When you watch one of his movies, leave behind, all logic, common sense, practicality etc. Watch it for the magic he shows on screen. Enjoy it for the impossible antics which if anyone else did, they would be a laughing stock. Watch it as you would watch a fantasy movie, for nothing is impossible for him. 

The name, after all, is RAJINIKANTH.