Lingaa

Contrived, yes. 

But I don't have any other picture to mark the birthday of Chennai's Superstar. His latest movie releases in India today and my Facebook timeline is flooded with pictures of the man, and several friends, young and old, either gushing about how they managed to get "FDFS" (First Day First Show) tickets or growling about those who did.

Happy birthday, Rajinikanth! Or maybe the other way around? 

Happy Rajinikanth, birthday

You wouldn't have missed it in Chennai. It was supposedly the first time in over a decade that the SuperStar had stayed in the city on his birthday. He normally spends it in the Himalayas or somewhere similarly far away from the fanmobs.

The picture here is from 2008, when his movie "Kuselan" released. Of all the hoardings there, only one is for the movie itself. The others are from his fan clubs, showing off their prime satellite status.

Possibly the 12-12-12 sequence tempted him to remain in Chennai for his birthday this year. Not many knew that, apparently. A friend from out of town told me that his auto driver offered to take him past Rajini's house and as they passed it, was complaining that Thalaivar does not let his fans celebrate his birthday with him. If only he had known!

Brand launch

Was at a book launch this evening, at the Landmark store in Chennai Citi Centre. It wasn't one of your regular books - this was about how 'SuperStar' has evolved to be a brand and about what product brands can learn from the 'SuperStar'. Titled 'Grand Brand Rajini', it connects different aspects of the man to the field of Brand Management.

On stage (right) are the two authors, PC Bala Subramanian and Ram N. Ramakrishnan. With the mike is the chief guest, a star in his own right, is Balki, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Lowe Lintas (India). Balki was pointing out how 'SuperStar' has becoming a brand by staying true to himself and thereby true to what his 'consumers' expected from him. 

That view was echoed by the fourth person on stage - Lata Rajinikanth, who talked about how the 'SuperStar' was as a person. Anecdotes that only burnished the shine of the 'SuperStar'. With such a launch, I'm sure the book will be a grand success!

Superstar

It is a few hours before the first screening of a new film at Baby Albert. There are policemen - and policewomen - in uniform and in mufti around the gates of the cinema hall. The OB vans of national news channels are parked inside. As I get out of my car, I'm offered tickets for the movie - at about 15 times the box office rate. I walk around taking some photos and an Assistant Commissioner of Police grins at me: he is a fan too, and I think he must have pulled some strings to be posted in charge of operations here on Aug 1.

In about 2 hours from now, the fans would be out in full strength. Before the movie begins, many of them would clamber on top of the 70-foot cutout of the hero and pour litres of milk over it, garland it, light camphor around it and do everything they can to let the world know that they are looking forward to this movie being a success. That's a decade-old practice whenever The Superstar's movies are released. In recent days, they have also begun holding blood donation camps, distributing free food and suchlike things to balance the mania with some meaning.

And all of that did happen yesterday for this movie, not just in Chennai, but in Bangalore, Hyderabad and New Delhi, too. After all there's only one Superstar in India!