Thalaivar, funny side up!

Irrespective of this being a good year for some and a bad one for others, one occasion fans of Tamil cinema look forward to at the end of it is, not Christmas, but Rajinikanth’s birthday! An iconic date for the iconic man —‘12/12’ has become a reason for Tamilians to celebrate the Superstar’s  charisma and the special bond he shares with fans —regardless of him having a release that year or not.

2016 though, has been quite noteworthy for Rajinikanth, as apart from the Kabali phenomenon, he’s been at his most active, shooting for Shankar’s 2.0 as well as signing yet another flick with Ranjith.

In the wake of events that took place last week, the Superstar has asked fans not to celebrate his birthday — but in this season of gloom and doom, we definitely need some Rajini — Rajini at his funniest best if you will — in our lives to cheer us up! As legendary as his ‘style’ may be, the trait we pay tribute to this year is his impeccable comic timing.

On his 66th birthday,  a range of comedians — from Janagaraj to Karunakaran — who have acted with the Superstar, speak to DC about why Rajini is one of the funniest leading heroes around, vignettes from their time together, and why the man can always bring  some sunshine... even in the darkest of times. That’s Shivaji Rao Gaekwad for you!

Actor Karunakaran, best known for his film Soodhu Kavvum, shared screen space with the 65-year old actor in the film Lingaa (2014). Karuna recollects many memorable moments during the shooting of the film. “Sometimes  on the sets he would take the mike and make the entire unit laugh with his sense of humour.”

Sharing another bit of nostalgia, he says, “I once dressed-up as Uzhaippali Rajinikanth for a fancy dress competition and I won a prize for it. I showed him the picture of me from the competition. He then asked me to mimic him and he enjoyed it. He then signed the back of the picture for me.”

In the 80s and 90s, Rajinikanth’s films predominantly had actor Janagaraj to take care of the comic aspect. Baashha, Padikathavan, and Arunachalam are some of the many films which are known for the duo’s rib-tickling scenes. Janagaraj says, “It was a memorable experience working with the Superstar. But if you ask me to pick just one or two good experiences of the lot, I can’t, because there are so many of them. If he wishes, I would love to act with him again.”

Actor Karunas, who has acted in films like Baba and Enthiran, shares a few lighter moments he had with Thalaivar, “Once he stormed into the sets and told us that we wouldn’t be given any dialogues that day and would have to prepare on our own — based on the script and the scenes we had already done.”

He further adds, “In a few instances, when he commits some mistakes during a take, he will start confusing the co-actors as well. He loves pulling pranks on all of us. When he brings home-cooked food he shares it with us and will start telling stories about his career. He is a down-to-earth person who has inspired me to be like him.”                                                 

(Inputs from Janani K)