In the Era of Rajnikanth: The Past, Present and Future

As a kid, Rajnikanth’s movies fascinated me. The plotlines had a social message in them and the songs were not only musically inspiring, but like the plotline itself, had a few social messages of their own. 

And the dialogues spoken with his inimitable flair astounded me like no other. Relatives who were better aware of the South Indian film industry spoke of the ilk of Kamal Hasan, comparing it to Rajnikanth – implying and hinting about the former’s superiority over the latter. Given, I had never watched much of Mr. Hasan’s movies; I had no reason to get into the whole rivalry spanning between these two giants and join the cluster of either set of fans thriving in fanning it with much vigour. 

I continued to watch Rajnikanth’s movies well into my college days, though the attraction for his movies started to lessen. I can equate it to the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns as put forth by neo-classical economist, Lord Alfred Marshall but it wouldn’t justify my dwindling wonderment at what Thalaiva could do, with apparent ease. 

The diminishing marvelling is thus inexplicable and, at the same time, explicable too. As a child, each of his signature style statements – unique to each movie – appealed. However as a grown-up, they came out as exaggerated and overhyped. I don’t mean to say, I don’t admire or appreciate his acting skills anymore. Or have started to question his acting skills, like many of my relatives pointedly did all those years ago. I continue to love his acting and I honestly believe his panache is irreplaceable, irrespective of how hard one tries. 

But yes, I am tired of the same pattern being repeated in his movies throughout these many years. I am surprised at why his movies have to have him essay a dual role, with him as the father and the son. There are several other actors who have played double roles – as father and son, or as siblings long separated by circumstances – but with Rajnikanth’s movies, the frequency of this particular theme almost never varies. 

The heroines in Rajnikanth’s movies have changed – from Nagma to Soundarya to Deepika Padukone and now to Sonakshi Sinha. The widening age-gap between Rajnikanth’s leading ladies and him doesn’t however affect me much, as does the commonality running through the core of most of his movies. I am looking forward to a change in this constancy as I have been since my college days. I am also hopeful this change will indeed come about. To take me back to those childhood days where his dialogues formed the punch lines of my childhood gags.