Would Shivajirao Gaikwad Have Ever Imagined??? (A Special Invitee Of Modi At His Oath Taking Ceremony)

Ali Peter John

Shivajirao Gaikwad was a jobless young man from Kolhapur in Maharashtra. Like most men of his age, he was frustrated and looked to find some kind of adventure that would make life interesting or may be even exciting for him.

Shivajirao got into one of the compartments of a waiting train and without knowing where the train was heading, he just left without even buying a ticket. He was safe throughout the journey and finally landed at a very grand railway junction built during the raj of the British. And the junction was called Central Madras. He didn't know where he had landed and what he was going to do next....

He wandered around the city“like a vagabond"as he now remembers. He could make head or tail of the language spoken by people at all levels, but he somehow made his way and was lucky to pick up a few important words in Tamil and finally landed up with a job as a bus conductor. He entertained passengers with his own tricks and his imitation of the Hindi film star, Shatrughan Sinha who was his favourite and whose films had inspired him to try and be an actor like Shatru.....

He had a problem in finding accommodation and had to live with four other young men in a similar situation lost in an unknown city of unknown people....

His skills as an imitator finally got him a place in a touring theatre where he found small roles from which he grew into a major highlight of the plays he performed in....

His fame soon spread to Chennai and director K.Balchander who had discovered many other young actors travelled all the way to see this young man from nowhere who was winning the hearts of people. Balachander saw him perform in a couple of amateur plays and decided to take him to Chennai and make him a star with a difference, but before taking him to the city, he changed his name to Rajnikanth......

It took Rajnikanth only five years to establish himself as a star and a little more time to master the language spoken by the masses, Tamil. There was no stopping him now and he succeeded in playing every kind of role and in the next fifteen years, he was branded the“Thailava"(legend). He had his own Rajnikanth Fan Clubs, more than two thousand of them all over Tamil Nadu. He took personal care of as many fans as possible. He had his own hall where he conducted the marriages of his poor fans, more than two thousand couples at a time, sometimes. He provided the married couples with a house as per their standings. He provided them with all the jewellery needed for the marriage and all the things needed to settle down in a house of their own. He had become a “God-like figure for his growing number of fans.

He came to Hindi films in the nineties, but except for films like“Andhaa Kanoon",“Geraftaar"and“Hum", all of them with Amitabh Bachchan, he could not make much headway like his colleague and contemporary, Kamal Haasan.....

The young man who took that train to nowhere now rules the hearts of the people of Tamil Nadu, other places in the South, Sri Lanka, the Gulf and even Japan where he is more popular than even Aamir Khan. He is sixty-nine now, bald and greying and a father, a father-in-law and even a grandfather, but he can be as young and dynamic as a rule demands, like in his latest film“Darbar"in which he has Suniel Shetty as the villain, he is playing Rajini as he was when he was thirty-five and keeps changing according to scenes in the film....

Some time last year, it seemed like Rajni was all set to take the Tamil Nadu political scenes by storm, but why the storm took a lull is still a mystery, but Rajini, the leader of the masses still has his political ambitions alive....

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been trying to rope him in as an ally of the BJP, but has still not succeeded and that could perhaps be one of the reasons why the BJP couldn't make any impact in Tamil Nadu during the recent Lok Sabha elections....

Modi however has not yet given up. His first big move was seen on May 30 when he personally invited Rajini to his oath-taking ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and Rajini paid back by calling Modi “a charismatic leader like Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi". But Rajini also showed signs of the perfect politician in the making when he also praised Rajiv Gandhi and advised him not to step down as the chairman of the Congress Party. He also talked about the Godavari and Cauvery river dispute.

The next six months will see a new Rajnikanth both as a star and as a politician. He says his time to enter politics in a big way has still to come. But, hasn't he been saying the same line during the last one year? Doesn't he know that the people and even the country is waiting for him to take that one big step which they believe can change the destiny of Tamil Nadu and its people?

WHO IS THE REAL RAJINIKANTH?

Who is this Rajinikanth? What is this man called Rajinikanth? Why can this man called Rajinikanth do what most other human being can not even think of doing? How has this humble man who has gone beyond humility in his life become a legend beyond legends during his life time? Why do millions of his admirers and even worshipers treat him like a God on earth? Why is he so down to earth when the people have taken him to a place that can go even beyond the highest mountains and even the sky? Why do you people pour gallons of milk on his cut outs and huge posters all over Chennai? Why do people in a far away country like Japan worship him in the same way as people in Chennai and other parts of India do? Why is he a star who has gone beyond all description? Why has God been so kind to Shivajirao Gaikwad, the unknown man from Kolhapur become a bus conductor in Chennai and then become a God in the same place? These are just some of the questions that keep coming up every time I think about Rajinikanth, a very ordinary man I know, but who I also know is one of the most extraordinary creation ever created by the Creator.

These questions and some more came back to me in a rush when Rajinikanth was in Mumbai on March 30 to be present and what me called “ A historic occasion”. He was in Mumbai to released the trailer of the Hindi version of his latest release, “Kochadaiiyaan”. He had come from Chennai with  members of his team who could make it to the occasion. The atmosphere at the Cinemax in Versova, outside was like a battle field or a place under attack. There were any number of security guards an entire police squadron, some of the strongest bouncers and even an Anti Terrorist Squad with its latest ammunition, the latest bullet proof van and thousands of people perched in all kinds of places around the Cinemax and every vehicle passing by stopping to know what was happening and having the time of their lives to know that Rajinikanth was going to their in the few minutes...

How important Rajinikanth was for the industry in Mumbai could be gauged by the guests who attended the special screening of the trailer of the most awaited film. There was Amitabh Bachchan with his wife Jaya and daughter –in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ramesh Sippy and his wife Kiran, Subhash Ghai and his wife Mukta, filmmakers like Shekhar Kapur, R. Balki, Govind Nihalani, Sudhir Mishra, Kajol, Anupam Kher, Manmohan Shetty, Tulo Bajaj and many others who would make a list of some of the bests but cannot be all mentioned here in one report about the occasion.

 Sunil Lulla of Eros International who jointly produces the film with the younger daughter of Rajini, Sunanda Murali Manohar and Dr. Murali and Media 1 and Global Entertainment made a brief speech saying how great his company felt in being a part of one of the most important films in the history of Indian cinema.

What followed was the trailer of the film and what was seen on the screen was a look into a world beyond belief. The most striking feature was the performance of Rajini in what were three different roles in the film. The 3D Motion Picture Computer- Animated technology was used for the making of the film for the first time, a technique which has only been used in rare films like “Avaatar” and “Matrix” in Hollywood, thus making “Kochadaiiyaan” the first Indian film to use this technique in which any scene, any kind of action, any dance and even the most minute facial expressions can be captured by just imaging them, the rest is all looked after by the latest technology in cinema. It is this technology that shows Rajinikanth doing the most unbelievable action sequences, fighting the most dangerous battles with weapons which have never seen before and even dancing the Tandav Nritya for the first time in his career and even singing a song for the first time. The new technique also shows Deepika Padukone who plays Rajinikanth’s lady love in some of the most gorgeous costumes and dancing to the most graceful movements under the supervision of the veteran choreographer from Mumbai, Saroj Khan. The horses and horse carriages flying together with elephants and other animals and Rajini and his men and his rivals in the story have to be seen in the film which is said to be the story of a one time actor who comes back to life as a fighter to save his country (India) and alleviate the sufferings of the people. The music and background score of A. R Rahman and the songs in Hindi written by Raqueeb Alam, Irshad Kamil and Mehboob and even the Hindi dialogue by Kamlesh Pandey all stand out in all their best because of the technology used by Soundarya. It goes without any question that whatever is seen in “Kochadaiiyaan” has never been seen before in an Indian film and like Amitabh Bachchan who was the chief guest said in his speech as the chief guest, “Kochadaiiyaan” will mark the beginning of a new era in Indian cinema and will lead other filmmakers to try and excel in the kind of film “Kochadaiiyaan” is. Rajiv Menon, one of the best known cinematographers in India today and who has worked with Rajini in the past has the major responsibility of being the man behind the camera of this most exciting films, the first of its kind and one of the major experiments made in global cinema today.

Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin spoke about her fascination to make this film with her father ever since she had taken a liking for his films. She always wanted to make a film that would show her father doing the kind of things he had never done before and the only way she found she could do it was by making “Kochadaiiyaan” following the new technique. She said she was grateful to her father, her mother, Lata Rajinikanth and her sister Sunanda and each and every member of the unit who made her dream possible. She also thanked all her “uncles” who were in the audience, “uncles” like “Amit Uncle”, “Shekhar Uncle”, “Ramesh Sippy Uncle” and “A. R Rahman” who she said was “a very positive influence in her life and in her career”. She also thanked Resul Pookutty, the Oscar winner who has also been in charge of the sound of her film, K.S Ravi Kumar who is otherwise a big director who has also directed Rajini, but has only written the story and the screenplay of the film (the Hindi dialogues are written by Kamlesh Pandey).

A number of some of the best filmmakers in the country walked up to the dais to congratulate Soundarya for the “historical” film she had made. Among those who found words difficult to praise Soundarya’s work as a director were Ramesh Sippy, Shekhar Kapur, R. Balki, Neena Nath of the NFDC, Subhabh Ghai (who said he knew about Soundarya’s dream about making this film five years ago, but was doubtful whether she would be able to make it, but after seeing the trailer he could not help praising her, clapped for her continuously and finally saluted her).

Amitabh Bachchan was the only speaker who started his speech with paying a tribute to Soundarya who he said had proved that Indian women were n less than women anywhere else in the world. He said Soundarya was the face of women empowerment in India. He also spoke about his dear friend with whom he has had a professional and a family relationship. He called Rajini a very humble man who was entirely unaware of his greatness. He wished Soundarya and Rajini all the very best and said he was sure the film would be a benchmark which would last till films were made.

The most humble speech was made by Rajini who was just dressed in  ordinary trousers and a shirt which was not tucked in, but he had made a difference for his daughter’s great day, he had worn shoes for a public occasion for perhaps the first time. He said he never understand any thing about technology, but surrendered completely to Soundarya and some times couldn’t believe that this was his same daughter who was once only interested in seeing the popular Amar Chitra comics and being fascinated  by the pictures in them. He couldn’t believe that the same Soundarya one day create history and make her “appa” (father) do what he could not imagine he would do one day. As he spoke, I looked around at the reaction of some of the most famous people in the crowd who kept marvelling at the humble-great and legendary man and found that they were perhaps asking the same questions that I have been asking for the last thirty-five years when it comes to this simple man who made my evening and maybe even the rest of my life when he recognised me and even embraced me even though the security tried pushing me away from him.

In the lobby, in the lift, outside cars, inside cars and out in the streets outside Cinemax everyone was only talking about one man whose name was Rajinikanth, the legend but who was still so much like the man in the streets.

1. The film will be released on May 1 Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Bhojpuri, English, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi and Japanese. Expected the unexpected before May 1 and even after.

A TALE OF TWO FRIENDS, AB AND RAJINI

It is very difficult to know who is a greater admirer of whom. Amitabh Bachchan has always been an admirer and even a great fan of Rajinikanth who he too like the millions of his fans called “Thailavar” (legend). Amitabh and Rajinikanth first came together in a film called “Gerafataar” which also had another legend like Kamal Haasan in it. The film produced and directed by the late S. Raamnathan who history knows has played a very vital role in the careers of both Amitabh and Rajinikanth. Amitabh and Rajini again came together in a film called “Andhaa Kaanoon” in which Hema Malini was the leading lady. They then worked together again in Romesh Sharma’s “Hum” with Govinda, Kimi Katkar and Danny Denzongpa. They then did not work in any other film, but they had formed a bond of friendship which they would continue for all time to come.

Amitabh has always been fascinated by the way the fans of Rajinikanth react to him. He often talks about how people wait for months and years to see a Rajinikanth film and how the advance bookings for his film close for weeks together. He has also seen the madness and the frenzy of the loved ones of Rajini when they see him perform on screen. Like he says, “it is very difficult to follow what is happening in a Rajini film because of the theatres being turned into huge halls of mass entertainment both on screen and of it, all because of the love of the people for Rajini.” Amitabh has also gone on record to say that he is a very ordinary star when compared to Rajini who has gone beyond all brands like superstar and megastar. Amitabh and his family have become a part of Rajini’s family which includes his wife Lata and his two daughters Soundarya and Sunanda. Amitabh always told Rajini that his daughters would be women who would be very special and Rajini only folded his hands and sometimes even touched Amitabh’s feet. Amitabh remembers a meeting they had when they were shooting for two different films on the same location and Rajini came up to him and said he wanted to give up acting, because he was feeling very bored doing the same things again and again. Amitabh advised him to do what he knew best, he advised him to continue acting and that is what Rajini is still doing.

Rajini last came to Mumbai for the launch of the trailer of “Robot” and wanted only Amitabh to be the chief guest. And now when he had turned after three years to release the trailer of “Kochadaiiyaan” he and his family, they all wanted only Amitabh to be the chief guest. Amitabh has always been overwhelmed by the unbelievable humility of Rajini and has always wished that more and more men learnt the art of being humble in one’s greatness which he feels is a very difficult thing to do. Amitabh and Rajini also share their passion for time. I remember a scene when Amitabh, Rajini and Govinda were to do a scene together for “Hum”. They were all supposed to report for the shoot at 9 am sharp. Amitabh and Rajini reached at the same time, fifteen minutes before time but had to wait for three and a half hours for Govinda to report and they never said a word but just sat and discussed things and whiled away their time waiting for Govinda who came just before lunch and the director Mukul S. Anand called for lunch break. They continued shooting after lunch, but never showed any signs of displeasure or anger against Govinda.

Once in Chennai, it was the muhurat of a very big film called “Zabardast” staring Amitabh, Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Jayaprada. The entire industry of the south was present in the studio. The muhurat shot was to be taken on all the four stars and Rajini was to sound the clapper board. Rajini arrived in his old black Fiat, driving himself and taking the whole crowd by surprise with his simple ways and the way he was dressed up for such an important occasion. He was wearing his old jeans and a T-shirt with rubber slippers on his feet. Nothing mattered to him, it was the function which was much more important than him or how he looked. The two have had long spells of absence because of their own personal reasons but their bonds of friendship and being an art of one family continues.

Rajini was one of the most anxious Indian’s when Amitabh was fighting his battle with death in 1982 and whenever he has been unveil. And Amitabh and his family have always been ready to be of any help when Rajini has fallen sick or met with an accident.

The bond does not stop with Amitabh and Rajini. Jaya and Lata (who was a journalist who met the star Rajinikanth who impulsively decided to marry her and she is found it difficult to say to him and she turned out to be the “Rock behind all my success and whatever I am today”). And the bond now continues with Abhishek and Shweta and Soundarya and her husband Ashwin and Sunanda being as good as “brothers and sisters for any time and  all time”.

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