How a blockbuster Twitter debut feeds the Rajinikanth legend

Every now and then, there has to be a Rajinikanth phenomenon in Tamil Nadu. The last was when he turned 62, which his fans and family celebrated with two biographical books, a 3D-reloaded version of his last movie Shivaji the Boss and a commemorative song. There were innumerable charity initiatives, temple offerings and other events as well.

Similarly, there has to be a Rajini wave every time there is an election. It’s mostly marked by a movie loaded with political ‘punch-lines’, an elusive Rajini and speculations over who the actor is favouring. However, this time the actor was present in Chennai, he voted in front of cameras and there were no movies with politically interpretable content. In most of his big movies since the mid-nineties, his dialogues had overt and covert political messages. His last movie, Shivaji the Boss, released four years ago had hit a high point in this regard.

The latest buzz is associated with this new movie, Kochadaiiyaan that is slated for release on 9 May, and the associated build up. For a change, this time, there is considerable effort to build brand Rajinikanth. One of the efforts was his Twitter entry and the news-buzz that it created. Apparently with just one tweet, the superstar has attracted 203,000 followers, that too in a single day. This Twitter phenomenon is likely to go into the Rajini legend and aphorisms.

Kochadaiiyaan is special for Rajini because it’s his first movie after he fell seriously ill and recovered. It’s has been in the making for more than two years and there has been a lot of anxiety among his closer followers and fans how an animated film featuring the superstar will be received.

Reportedly, his daughter, who directed the movie, and his wife are pretty sure of the production values and its possible success. The sneak previews that have been released by the producers look very impressive. It’s certainly an unprecedented effort in Indian cinema and the biggest release - about 6000 cinemas in multiple languages including Japanese.

And all this while, Rajini is not in Chennai, but is shooting in Mysore for a new movie titled Lingaa, which apparently is the name of his grandchild. This will be the second movie, following Kochadaiiyaan, that he is making after recovering from his illness.

Tamil popular culture and politics are incomplete without Rajinikanth, incidentally a Maharashtrian who spent considerable time in Karnataka as a bus conductor. Whenever there are elections or political developments, such as the Kaveri water dispute, people in the state want him to take a stance.

Most of the political occasions, he avoids making a precise stand, but provide cryptic messages that are open to both interpretation and criticism. And this phenomenon had been in the making since mid 1970s - in roles which had negative shades, in lead roles in realistic films and then as a king of style (style manna in Tamil) before emerging in a larger than life form. Now Rajini, the phenomenon has consumed Rajini, the man and there is no escape for either of them from the mutually beneficial relationship.

What we are witnessing with his Twitter entry, that is sure to mop up the largest number of followers in India, his animated avatar is a new stage of his life and career in which he is getting immortalised. A fan video succinctly summarises the Rajini phenomenon - Annum, Innum, Enrum - Then, Today and forever. That’s Rajinikanth for his followers and fans.

Watch the Kochadaiiyaan trailer featuring Rajinikanth and Deepika Padukone below:

Watch making of Kochadaiiyaan below:

Watch Rahman recording the background score of the film with a 130-piece German orchestra in Mumbai: