i was watching TV in the hostel common room with Soman Chetai, our mess’ second-in-command, when SS music showed a spoof of the latest rajnikant movie, sivaji. now, soman chetai has strong views on the tamil film industry, not entirely favourable. his main grouse is that any idiot can become a star here. and as an example, he points out Dhanush, the skeleton kid who rose to fame with the pscho act in kadhal kondain. that he married rajnikant’s daughter, despite every chance of being asphyxated if they took the woman-on-top position, is something else he can’t understand. no, she isn’t fat, but he dostn’t look like he can take any extra weight.
soman chetai isn’t a big fan of tamilians in general either, for their idol worship of movie stars. he told me the story of this screening of a rajnikant movie in a village near chengalpettu. it is the last action scene and rajni is unarmed and surrounded by the villain’s henchmen. the suspense in unbearable, the assembled crowd hold their breath. but before rajni can make his usual trademark repartee before the big fight, an overzealous fan in the audience gets up, shouts, “take this, thalaivar,” and throws his butcher’s knife into the screen. the screen was torn in two and there were some unconfirmed rumours of a lynching.
i have seen Sivaji twice, nothing compared to this big fan i saw on sun TV who claims to have seen it 60 times, that too in theatre. trust me on this, there is no better cure for depression. it is one heck of a laugh riot.
cure for depression? or was that exam blues??