Happy 64th Birthday, Rajinikanth: Five reasons why you are a rockstar

Editor’s note: Everyone’s favourite Thalaivar turns 64 today. The following article was written in 2011 and has been republished on the occasion of the superstar’s 64th birthday with also clashes with the release of his film Lingaa.  Now, I’m not a big fan of Rajinikanth, mostly because I’m too old and jaded to idolise movie stars. But there’s something about him that inspires affection in all of us, and it has little to do with his famous style. Here then is my very own birthday present to the man: five entirely personal reasons why Rajini rocks! One, Rajinikanth never, ever tries to sell me anything. Not designer suits, whitening cream, Pepsi, or a bottle of Zandu balm. Namma Rajini knows that demi-gods don’t sell toothpaste. Despite the fancy title – ie “brand ambassadors” – most of our actors are no better than loud, relentless street hawkers, pushing their wares in our faces all the time. “Everyone just wants to make money. It’s plain greed. Most Indian brand ambassadors look at it as a business, a short term thing,” says Anirban Blah of Kwan Entertainment. In Bollywood, star status is now entirely about the moolah. Never mind that Ra.One is a dud, SRK remains the Bollywood’s marketing king for his ability to sell everything from Emami to Dish TV (even as he makes big bucks for shaking a leg at society weddings in between). [caption id=“attachment_153926” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Fans tie a sweet lemon garland onto a cut out of Tamil film actor Rajinikanth. AFP[/caption] Yet no Bollywood star can match Rajini’s ability to evoke giddy excitement by his mere presence, be it on or off the screen. At a time when stars have been reduced to brands, and success is defined by multi-crore endorsement deals, Rajini is a refreshing reminder of the difference between material success and celestial status. Two, he is a man of few words. Rajinikanth rarely gives interviews, and when he does, almost never says very much. His laconic charm offers a soothing contrast to the rest of our movie stars who just can’t seem to shut up. Did we really need to know about Shah Rukh’s struggle with loneliness? The seemingly intimate confession that would have been moving, except it was proffered on the eve of Ra.One’s release. So in love are they with their own words that actors feel the need to broadcast every half-witted opinion or passing emotion to a national audience — even as they complain about the big, bad media. Amitabh Bachchan was furious at the publicity scrum prompted by Baby B’s imminent arrival, but continually blogged, tweeted about the his grandkid, often beating his own son to the punch. The contrast between the two celluloid giants was unmistakable back in 2010: where Big B was busy raving about Aishwarya’s “smashing” looks and dancing “like a dream” in Robot, Rajini —when harangued by a TV reporter on the experience of romancing his friend’s bahu — merely said, “She’s very nice.” As always, less is a whole lot more when it comes to preserving one’s dignity. Three, I rarely see his face. Even the prettiest mug – and, yes, I’m talking about you, Mr Roshan, Ms Rai-Bachchan and Mrs Kareena Kapoor-Khan – loses its charm when it follows us around like a stray dog. Except stray dogs look less smug. At the paan shop, on the billboard, in every other TV advertisement, magazine, or newspaper, there s/he is: staring back at us with that super-plastic, super star smile. Why would we look forward to seeing any actor in the theatre if we’re already sick of seeing them in real life. Rajini, on the other hand, looks so entirely different in his infrequent off-screen appearances, his audience is all the more excited to see his on-screen avatar. In a superstar, ubiquity is overrated; mystique is all. Four, there’s nothing sexier than the simple life, and the man who lives it. The sight of Rajinikanth in a cotton kurta-pajama getting out of his Ambassador car is nothing short of a miracle in this age of celebrity excess. Starlets can’t wait to be photographed with the latest Birkin bag or Jimmy Choo shoes. The men flaunt their over-priced watches and cars instead. The worst offender is, yet again, SRK whose preening wealth was on nauseating display in Living With a Superstar, a television series dedicated to documenting his fabulous life. Designer Rina Dhaka said recently said of Rajini, “He does not have to wear expensive brands because brand Rajini is worth more than clothes or accessories.” Or more likely, it’s because Rajini has never positioned himself as a “brand.” This perhaps explains why many others don’t inspire a fraction of the affection that Rajini evokes in his fans. We may admire our stars because they’re rich, but we truly love them when they’re unassuming and polite. And five, Rajinikanth is many things, but above all, real. In his interviews, he neither plays the lofty thespian a la Amitabh Bachchan nor the super-cool kid like Shah Rukh Khan. Like the best of his kind, he reserves his acting for the movie cameras. And he never looks like he’s trying too hard. The most wonderful thing about Rajini is that he just is. So happy Birthday, Mr Rajinikanth: here’s to 64 years of keeping it real.