Outlook English - Print Subscribers Copy Outlook English, 18 June 2018 | Page 17

HIS ONLY WEAPON Rajnikanth
gives a rousing speech in Kaala
Box Office
for his political ambitions
logue to suit his politics. That way, he is
a totally non-interfering hero. His only
condition was that the film should app­
eal to his fans and make them happy, and
that the producer and distributors
should get their returns. Otherwise, this
is entirely a Ranjith film starring
Rajnikanth,” the director explains.
I
NDUSTRY circles are confident that
Kaala will have a strong opening and
that the stakeholders will have made
all the money they need. It fits into
Rajnikanth’s general scheme of releas-
ing one film a year, though his next two
films might follow each other closely
ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, when
his electoral plunge is expected.
Though younger fans have gravitated
towards heroes like Vijay and Ajith,
Rajni’s fans are banking on the aging
superstar’s box office draw to make
Kaala click. “Even without his political
entry, a Rajni film evokes hysteria among
film goers. His coming political launch
adds another dimension to his star app­
eal. The happiness on the faces of
Thoothukudi victims and their relatives
when he visited the hospital only proves
the immense pull of his charisma,” says
Surya, an office-bearer of a Rajni fans’
assoc­
i­
at­
ion. Women make up a big
chunk of his fan base, just as they did for
star-turned-CM M.G. Ramachandran.
Speaking of MGR, it’ s true that he
could balance both pictures and politics,
and that even after he started the
AIADMK in 1972, he continued to act
until he became chief minister in 1977.
But in those days, an MGR film had a
lifespan of at least four months in the
theatres, and even when a new film
arrived, the old ones would move to
smaller towns and villages, maintaining
the star’s magical hold over the Tamil
psyche. On the other hand, in this age of
multi-screen theatres and a shelf life of
a month or less, films are not enough to
sustain the pol­itical momentum of a
hero-turned-politician.
And whatever momentum is still pos-
sible may be strangled. Film producer G.
Dhananjayan expects political parties to
work overtime to ensure that Kaala
bombs at the box office—as such an out-
come could prove disastrous for
Rajnikanth’s politics. “If they can plant
doubts in the minds of the public about
Rajni’s capacity to pull fans to the thea-
tres, that would help to stall the launch
of his party. So Kaala would be a serious
reality check for Rajni, the film superstar
and the budding politician,” he says.
Even ahead of the film’s release, the
black dhoti that Rajni wears in it has
already become a style statement and
the phrase “Kya Re, Settingaa?” that he
utters in the film’s teaser has become a
part of the Tamil lexicon. But the transi-
tion from film hero to political leader
has been a slippery slope for all except
MGR and Jayalalitha. Rajni has himself
admitted there can never be another
MGR, and that he would never be able to
emulate the AIADMK founder. Still, if
he manages to convert just a portion of
his star appeal into votes, Rajnikanth
will have arrived in Tamil Nadu politics.
And Kaala is expected to play a signifi-
cant part in that transition. O
18 June 2018 OUTLOOK 17
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