There is a huge rush to watch Rajnikanth on the silver screen in Chennai. And this time it is as Sivaji.
Amidst the crowd is 26-year-old Nagaraj. His love for the superstar helps him overcome his physical disability as he makes a desperate bid for tickets.
Also, in the kilometer long queue is 51-year-old Selvam, who jostles Rajni fans less than half his age.
Meanwhile, then there is 15-year-old Prakash who represents yet another growing generation of Rajni fans.
And they have all been waiting since 3:00 am in the morning, with the counter opening six hours later.
The tickets have been sold already so Nagaraj gets tickets for the fourth day. Selvam and Prakash also become successful to get tickets for the fourth day, this despite the film releasing in over 20 screens in the city.
Says Nagaraj, “”Thalaiva, I will see your movie some how on the first day even if it costs me my life,â€Â
“There’s only one leader for Tamil Nadu and that’s our super star how can we miss his movie on the first day,†adds Prakash.
The first few shows have been virtually taken over by 2,500 Rajni fan clubs in Chennai alone and 35, 000 across the state.
The clubs run by people including Srikanth, an executive with a private company. The clubs officially represent a phenomenon that makes Rajnikanth the most dependable box office hero.
In the early 1990’s Rajni stopped registering new fan clubs, but that didn’t stop fans like T V E Rajesh, an executive with an MNC. Rajesh and his friends started rajnifans.com an Internet community of Rajnikanth fans.
“About 10,000 users who visit our site regularly. It is just a reminder that the superstar’s fan following is only growing,†says Rajesh.
Every other star also has fan clubs but none today can match the Rajni phenomenon.
The craze for the super star cuts across the social spectrum from the young to the old, from the rich to the poor. Ands the fans will do whatever it takes to watch the first day first show of any of his film.
Source:IBNLive
