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December 1, Rakesh Roshan kicked off his costly Krrish 3 at Filmistan Studio in Mumbai, after taking a few tough decisions. For one, this will be the first time, after Hrithik’s debut in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai 11 years ago, that Rakesh Roshan will be starting a new film without his son participating in the first long schedule.
“I’ve decided to rest Hrithik all through the December and January schedules,” disclosed Rakesh Roshan. “There’s no point starting work with him and putting a strain on his back. Let him recover completely instead of taking a chance and facing a bigger problem tomorrow,” he said wisely.
It also means that Rakesh Roshan’s well-laid plans of erecting a set in Mumbai and completing all the required work in December, before moving to Hyderabad in January, have come unstuck. This month he will shoot only with Priyanka, Kangna and Vivek Oberoi, the three other principal characters of his film. At a later date, he will have to put up the same set again for Hrithik to shoot his scenes. It means juggling with co-stars’ dates, action director Tony Ching’s precious time, and extra expenses, of course. Fortunately, Rakesh Roshan is too seasoned a filmmaker not to have made provisions for such exigencies. Also, since he has fixed Diwali 2013 as his release date and has left plenty of room to get Krrish 3 ready by then, Hrithik’s health scare won’t send the film for a toss.
Besides, distributors, cast and crew will bend over backwards to accommodate big names like Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan who have unfailingly delivered sensible, commercial films so far (Kites was not just an aberration, it was also not directed by Rakesh Roshan). Today, with even sub-standard work like Desi Boyz recovering its cost because of ancillary income (satellite, music, home video, overseas business) and a hefty UK subsidy for shooting the film there, filmmakers and actors are getting increasingly smug.
That way, 2013 will be an interesting year when people like Aamir Khan (Dhoom 3) and Hrithik Roshan (Krrish 3) will have releases that combine commercial entertainment with new content.
Of course, it’s too soon to comment on the entire film but Why this Kolaveri Di, the current YouTube rage from Rajinikanth’s stable, is a good example of how something completely pedestrian can inexplicably catch the fancy of even the discerning and become an instant hit. Content? Rajni’s son-in-law Dhanush himself chuckles that it’s nonsense-lyrics spouted by a drunken, spurned lover. And Dhanush should know since he’s written the lyrics, sung the rap number in Tinglish (Tamil-English) and will be mouthing it on screen as well.
As everybody knows by now (with over 5 million hits on YouTube and still counting), Why this Kolaveri Di is a promo song from Rajinikanth’s daughter Aishwarya’s new film 3 (or Moondru in Tamil). She will be directing the film which stars her husband Dhanush and Shruti Hassan.
Aishwarya’s new role as director and her sister Soundarya’s skills in animation make Rajinikanth ideal poster boy material for the girl child. Sometime back, when he was asked if he ever missed having a son, Rajini had laughed, “No, no, never. By God’s grace, I’m very happy (with my two daughters). We’re in the 21st century; gender doesn’t make a difference.”
Like all sharp, modern parents, Rajini and his wife Latha watched out for their daughters, recognised their individual talents and helped them hone their natural skills and blossom.
“Soundarya showed her aptitude for drawing right from the beginning. Latha identified that quality in Soundarya’s younger days itself. She would draw, she would read only Amar Chitra Katha,” disclosed Rajinikanth. “On the other hand, Aishwarya was always interested in direction and was an assistant to director Selvarajan. Aishwarya has always wanted to make small-budget, intelligent movies.”
If Aishwarya is busy with 3/Moondru, Soundarya is actively involved with Hara, the animation film starring Rajinikanth where flesh and blood actors will mingle with animated characters.
Rajini is a proud father and an indulgent grandfather too. He displayed a photograph of Aishwarya and Dhanush’s two sons and said affectionately, “Look at my two grandsons, they’re Yatra and Linga.”
If he’s clearly delighted that he has two gifted daughters, Rajinikanth is also clear that however talented a girl may be, her family should get top priority. His paternal advice to Aishwarya was, “First and foremost, you are a housewife and mother. Then a director. The main responsibility is as wife and mother. After that you can be creative.”
Aishwarya has toed the line and today enjoys the best of both worlds.
