He’s just directed the country’s biggest superstar in the biggest hit of the year. PA. RANJITH  — the man behind the Rajinikanth blockbuster Kabali — talks to t2 about Kabali’s blockbuster box office (Rs 250 crore, and counting, in India alone in less than a week), pre-release pressure and Rajini the actor vs Rajini the superstar...
  
I HAD THE BIGGEST STAR EVER BACKING MY FILM
I had a feeling that people would love Kabali. Though the pre-release hype put pressure on me, I knew we had put together a good film that would do justice to the aura and persona of Rajinikanth. And honestly, looking back, I had little to fear because I had the biggest star ever backing my film. His presence and the love and support of his fans has made Kabali the film it is. Kabali is only getting bigger by the day and I am very overwhelmed.

I was nervous while watching the first day-first show (at Chennai’s Albert theatre). It was nice to observe the points at which the audience chose to react. In some places we expected the reaction and in some other places we didn’t. There definitely was some disappointment, but now I am happy that the film has reached everybody and that it is seeing a lot of repeat audience.

How am I celebrating? I have been listening to and watching the reactions and criticism for the film. That’s how I have been celebrating!

HIS HUMILITY IS UNPARALLELED
The first time I met him was at his house when I went to narrate Kabali’s story. I was feeling completely overwhelmed in his presence, but he made me absolutely comfortable. He spoke about Madras (Ranjith’s 2014 political thriller) and my work and put me at complete ease. Only then we discussed the story. I was touched by his attitude towards a young director like me and the fact that he wanted to tread new ground.

Having Rajini Sir on the set is like having any other artiste. He never makes a fuss about anything. That’s what I like about him as a star. As a human being, his humility is unparalleled. Even after a long day’s shoot, he would still take time to go see his fans waiting outside. There were quite a few times on set when the crew broke into spontaneous applause. One such moment was when we shot the dialogue that comes in the teaser. We were all amazed at his performance and the crew just broke into never-ending applause.

RAJINI SIR THE SUPERSTAR IS WHAT OVERRIDES EVERYTHING ELSE
I have always been a fan of Rajinikanth the actor. He is a casual performer. I am a big fan of Kaali, his character in Mullum Malarum. As an actor, he is capable of subtle nuances that enhance a scene manifold. The whole crew was mesmerised by the strong emotional feel he brought to many scenes of Kabali.

Of course, Rajini Sir the superstar is what overrides everything else. Like everyone else, I have always been a fan of the tricks he does on screen. And let me tell you that he does them (flick of cigarette and freewheel of sunglasses) so well and so flawlessly that it requires very few retakes. That’s why he’s Rajini Sir! After Kabali, I have become an even bigger fan. 

FAVOURITE KABALI MOMENT
When Kabali (Rajinikanth) meets (wife) Kumudhavalli (Radhika Apte). Almost everyone who has watched the film has told me that the scene was so moving that they had tears in their eyes. That scene reminded them of losing out on a loved one — be it a relative or a friend or a partner.

 

---

A FAN ASKS
Did you at any point of time feel inadequate about directing Rajinikanth? — t2 reader and Rajini fan Parthasarathy. His Kabali story? On release day, he landed in Calcutta and dashed straight for a show — suitcase in tow!

Pa. Ranjith: Initially, I did. But as I mentioned, he’s such a humble man that he puts everyone at ease. At no point of time did he make me feel that I am just a two-film-old director. He was cooperative, would listen to what I said and would gently come up with suggestions. He never threw his weight around, though he very well could. And he would always have a smile on his face.

---

 

A DIRECTOR WHO FLEW TO RAJINI LAND FOR #FDFS AND AN ACTOR WHO COMPARES RAJINI SIR TO PELE

MUMBAI TO CHENNAI AT 6AM!

(Rajinikanth fanboy Bejoy Nambiar, the director of films like Shaitan, David and the recent Amitabh Bachchan-Farhan Akhtar starrer Wazir, caught a 6am flight to Chennai on #KabaliDay, to catch a special screening. His fellow watchers? Rajini Sir’s family!)

A special screening of Kabali. On release day. In Chennai. With Rajinikanth’s family in the same theatre. There was no way I was going to pass up an invitation like that.

I knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and when I got it, I grabbed it with both hands.

On Friday morning, I caught a 6am flight from Mumbai to Chennai with my friend Abhijit Deshpande, who is also a massive Rajinikanth fan. Our excitement knew no bounds as we landed and headed out from the airport. A little later, we walked into the single-screen theatre called Albert in Chennai’s Egmore area… and the atmosphere was electric! Massive crowds had gathered to watch the film and the whole feeling was that of being in a carnival.

Dhanush (star and Rajinikanth’s son-in-law) is the one who made the screening possible. Rajini Sir’s wife (Lata) and daughter (Aishwarya) were also there with us. Unfortunately, Rajini Sir wasn’t there… I was hoping he would be and that was pretty disappointing.

Watching Kabali with his family — as well as hundreds of Rajinikanth fans — was simply surreal. The director (Pa. Ranjith) was there and just sitting there with the people who know Rajini Sir so well and watching his film… I felt I was a part of the film too. As soon as the screen flashed for the first time, people started going mental! It was chaotic and yet it was so much fun. Fans were screaming and shouting and dancing… we could barely hear the dialogues, but no one seemed to mind because at the end of the day, we are all Rajinikanth fanboys!

I know that a Rajinikanth film is met with massive hysteria all across the globe, but somehow it’s a little more special in Chennai, his home ground. I remember I had watched Baba (2002) in Chennai on the first day and the atmosphere was just as crazy as this. Even after that, whichever part of the country I have been, I have made it a point to watch the first day-first show of every Rajini film.

Even though I am from Kerala, I have grown up around Tamilians and from a very young age, I have been exposed to Rajini hysteria. I remember the day Thalapathy (1991) released, the whole neighbourhood hunted the city for the film’s VHS and when we finally got our hands on it, we all sat down and watched it together… it was nothing short of a celebration. For me, the mania and the craziness has only multiplied with every Rajinikanth release. When I watched Thalapathy for the first time, I knew that I wanted to make films.

While I have always enjoyed his antics on screen — from the cigarette flick to the sunglass move — it’s always been the actor called Rajinikanth that has been a bigger draw. The characters he plays, his huge screen presence, the way he delivers his dialogues — there has always been much more to him than just those gimmicky antics.

Unfortunately, I’ve never met him. I really hope to someday.

I’ve had people asking me whether I would fly from one city to another for any other star, but Rajinikanth. My answer is: No chance!

RAJINIKANTH IS AN EXPERIENCE... A DEMI-GOD

Calcutta boy Nishan Nanaiah — a filmstar down south — decodes the Rajini phenomenon. And yes, he’s a #FDFS fanboy too!

I watched Kabali at PVR City Mall (in Mumbai) on release day. I was lucky I was in Mumbai and that’s why I managed to get tickets. If I was in Chennai, I am sure I wouldn’t have got tickets for the first day or even the first weekend! I actually delayed my travel to the south by a few days just to watch Kabali because I knew I wouldn’t get tickets there.

I went with five of my friends, one of whom is a Maharashtrian and the other a Bengali. They don’t understand a word of Tamil but they are such crazy Rajini fans that they came along to watch the Tamil film — and that too, without subtitles.

I remember I was four when my dad showed me Andha Kanoon and Geraftaar back-to-back. These films had Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan, but I only remember them for Rajinikanth. For me, there are three kinds of actors — good actors, bad actors and Rajinikanth. He’s beyond everything. For me, Rajinikanth is not just an actor… he’s an experience.

How does one explain the phenomenal popularity of this man? He gives no interviews, he’s seldom seen in public and he does no promotions of his films. Yet, there is so much mass hysteria around him and his films. He picks a random day from the calendar and releases his films — and look at the collections. Humongous!

Kabali has some flaws, but who’s watching the film when Rajini Sir is in the frame? His charisma is something else. Just watch him in that introduction scene in Kabali — a 65-year-old doing pull-ups! Like Pele, Maradona and Messi are not just footballers… Rajinikanth is not just an actor. He’s a screen demi-god — and will be for years and years.

As told to Priyanka Roy