Posted on September 4, 2010
SEP 4, 2010 – Wrote this light piece for Tehelka. I didn’t call it “What Bollywood Can Learn from Rajini,’ though. I was more interested in looking at — again, in a light manner — the differences in public/private star culture in Bollywood versus Tamil cinema. Hope this makes up for the missing Bitty Ruminations of late.
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Baradwaj Rangan 
rameshram
September 4, 2010
You forgot the fact that he’s also the latest,most popular mummy to come out of south Indian films,in the glorious tradition of MGR, NTR and Rajakumar(PBUH).
He represents the triumph of embalming fluid over such transient things as hair and skin. He stands the ramana maharishi like contempt for mere appearances on is head, because surely , if looks matter so little in the grander metaphysical scheme of things, looking BETTER than your one thousand years should matter less than lettng those thinning hairs down into an omakucchi…
there’s a deep egyptian philosophical principle embalmed somewhere in there.
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Gradwolf
September 4, 2010
Wonderfully written, BR. Though the quality of films and production values largely differ, the off screen images and the larger than life stature are surely a major turn off. Not just Rajini, but even generally, I like how stars down south are much more accessible as compared to the ones from Bombay.
But we would like those Bitty Ruminations based on carnatic, Youtube videos etc. once in a while!
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sara
September 4, 2010
I realize this is a light-hearted piece, but I disagree with your theory. Rajini fans (and fans of other south Indian heroes) are more fanatical in general, as compared to fans of north Indian heroes (who, I doubt, have any rasigar mandrams). Did you read the Rajini fan’s letter in the recent Vikatan? If that’s a common conception, then it’s idol worship taken to extreme.
If anything, their behaviour off-screen shows the lack of vanity of our stars. I wouldn’t give any credit to the fans who are mostly unable to distinguish the screen persona from the real one.
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Amrita
September 5, 2010
Sara’s comment brings up something I’ve often wondered – are the superfans truly unable to distinguish reel from real or do they just prefer not to? I mean, I can understand it if you can’t tell R. Patz from Edward because the two look just the same, but Rajni offscreen makes no bones about taking off the wig and the Elvis suit and has the most fascinatingly low key body language of any big star I’ve ever seen, so how does that work?
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Venkatesh
September 5, 2010
BR , counter-theory :- If the tamil audience is able to distinguish between the real and reel life then pray – how do you explain the phenomenon that is / was MGR and NTR ?
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Bala
September 5, 2010
#Brangan: As Sara points out,south fans aren’t really known to be helluva rational ,so perhaps that has something to do with their ready acceptance of out of shape,old, aged stars as heroes ? 😀 I would say its more of sheer laziness on the part of some stars that they don’t bother to shape up/look better in real life, probably because they don’t have to 😀 The women are so not fortunate in that respect!Also , obviously , the south audience seems to have a different set of expectations – normal looking heroes have a better chance of satisfying the wish fulfillment fantasies that most of us have .(you know ,look like what you do and still get hot babes like Shriya in the process ?:D)
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Bharath
September 5, 2010
Maybe it is simply that in the south movies are used as a vehicle for politics and these stars (Rajni, VijayKanth etc) are fully aware that the ugly “man of the people” image is far more important than the polished image of an Amitabh. Minimalistic images can be as cultivated as any posh one.
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bran1gan
September 5, 2010
rameshram: “the latest,most popular mummy”… LOL! Clearly not a fan, I see.
Gradwolf: I wouldn’t say they are more accessible here. They are as agenda-driven. When they have a movie to promote, they’ll court you with a vengeance. But try talking to them otherwise. About the Bitty pieces, just been on a very tight schedule of late.
sara: A star can be down-to-earth and his fans can still build a temple. They are two different things. Here, I was just talking about the former.
Venkatesh: I guess I’m just talking about appearances? But as Bala says, it could also be laziness, lack of rationality and so on 😀
Bala: Hmmm… got a thing for Shriya have we?
Bharath: “Minimalistic images can be as cultivated as any posh one.” brilliant point. You’re absolutely right, that this could be a cultivated image, just like some people say Rahman’s humbleness is a cultivated image. But looking at Rajini or Rahman, I get the feeling they’re really that way. At least through my eyes, it doesn’t seem an act.
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rameshram
September 5, 2010
Ill do a youtube and all blogpost to celebrate south indian mummies, to celebrate the release of roboda.
meanwhile heres a freebie. my Machete review.
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bala
September 5, 2010
is it possible not to? 🙂 i could spend hrs fantasizing about the curve of her hips or regions up north!
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Venkatesh
September 5, 2010
Bharath : Great point – “Minimalistic images can be as cultivated as any posh one.” I suppose i was coming to the same conclusion with the NTR/MGR point . Their films, media appearances, everything was very carefully planned and promoted.
BR: “Bala: Hmmm… got a thing for Shriya have we?” Get in line gents 🙂
And in the spirit of YouTube videos , a completely out of topic link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrNbLBS1D2Q&feature=player_embedded
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vidyut
September 5, 2010
“And perhaps we like Rajinikanth more because he’s one of us, richer and more known, yes, and yet like us in the ways that matter.”
For a man who was built style move by style move and punch-dialogue by punch-dialogue into the grandest of cine celebrities, his biggest achievement, might be non-cinematic (not that he was a bad actor, but in his second act, mundane matters like acting had to be relinquished for a higher calling). That, despite tasting success, fame and glory on a near-biblical scale, he has not let himself be crushed by the weight of celebrity for so long might remain his most endearing quality. Also, when you look at how the watered down versions of “the superstar” (vijaykanth, ajith, vijay, silambarasan, vishal et.al) have tried to recreate his magic (it gets pretty diluted at the ajith point), you know that hard as they might try to get the syntax right in their own ways, they will never have the je ne sais quoi that this man has.
Regarding images “cultivated” or “harvested” or “ploughed through on a daily basis”, as long as there is no discord between the off-bigscreen persona away from the glare of the spotlight and the one while in the spotlight, does it really matter? Can it ever be known what is inside someone else’s soul? How someone treats another of whom he has no use anymore, when someone has the power, the pelf, the might and the muscle, is a test of character. On this count, most people who know him attest to his goodness. Etc. So, if he doesn’t get on his deathbed and let it rip that he has fooled the world or even if he does, by then he would have lived a life many find adorable for a celebrity his size.
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raj
September 5, 2010
The comments on MGR/NTR betray lack of understanding. MGR was a party worker for long and built his political career just like any other succesful politician. So, blaming TN folks’ lack of rationalsim for MGR’s success is laughably naïve.
Especially when the said commenter hints that north indies audience is more rational :lol:. A political novice like Amitabh was given a mandate, too. Just so happens he squandered it. The masses in north indies who elected johnny-come-lately amit were far more irrational than MgR fans in TN.
I find it slightly disconcerting that brangan seems to not get this nuance. The almost apologetic “yeah tn folks lack of rationaliyty might be the reasaon”. Really, Rangan? You are as naïve as geographically and culturally ignorant north indies folks? The MGR pheomenon doesn’t deserve the lazy “analysis” this page has accorded it.
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bran1gan
September 5, 2010
vidyut: of course it doesn’t matter. it’s just idle speculation, that’s all.
raj: Bala was not talking about MGR. Just about out of shape actors and so forth, and I was merely repeating what he said. (“As Sara points out,south fans aren’t really known to be helluva rational, so perhaps that has something to do with their ready acceptance of out of shape,old, aged stars as heroes.”) I completely understand your overwhelming hatred for (and the overwhelming need to lash out, at every given instance, against) north indians, but please do not put words into my mouth and drag me into this sordidness. I have not stated any opinion on MGR here.
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yadu
September 5, 2010
BR, At least in Rajini’s case, I can personally vouch for his simple nature and lack of airs. In 1998, I was half-way through my hair cut at Ramesh’s saloon in Nungambakkam, when I suddenly noticed a buzz around. The guy attending told me that “thailavar was coming”. I inquired if they were going to vacate the place for him. “Avar appidi illa, sir” was the response. Rajini walked in, dressed in a simple kurta-pyjama, with no hangers-on. After a little banter with Ramesh, he occupied the chair and had a head massage for around 20-30 mins.
I am a gult brought up in Hyd, so I didn’t actually fall off my chair. But when I narrate this anecdote to my friends in Chennai (the “paayum puli” generation :-), they feel I’m very lucky to have sat beside the great man. Having been in Chennai for more than 20 years, I’ve come to appreciate his charisma and his hold on a particular generation much better.
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bran1gan
September 5, 2010
yadu: Nice anecdote. Thanks. Did you get to speak to him? 🙂
And here’s some feedback I got through e-mail:
Hi
Read your excellent Rajnikant piece with great interest – it is really a matter worth debating considering the aful toupes are hairwaeves sported by the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Sunny Deol and Jackie Shroff. (Please see Jackies latest and most awful avatar in an rqually awful show called India’s Magic Star…or sumpin’)
May I add to the various theories thhat you have come up with?
We Southies have always been a less showy bunch, don’t you think? Less now but in comparison to the “show-sha” of the North, you can often almost not distinguish the richest man in the village from his farm worker – only the flash of gold or a discreet diamond or two whispered the difference.
So, maybe the way Rajni looks in real life – and does so so unabsahedly – is the way we Southie are. Raj Kumar was much the same and if I remember correctly, so was Sivaji Ganesan.
Thank again for a superb food-for-thought.
reagrds
ratna rajaiah
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Bala
September 5, 2010
ah well, as Baradwaj said , no references to MGR/NTR were intended .None about the supposed rationality of north fans either 😀 (people can be irrational in different ways no ? )
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rameshram
September 5, 2010
I agree that rajinikanth sometimes appears a simple man, although i think maybe im using the word somewhat differently than most posters here.
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raj
September 6, 2010
Hatred for North Indians? 😆
This is what I find funny – you set the agenda(by lazily analysing something and attributing lack of rational thinking on TN Folks’ part for the out of shape heroes – how irrational is that? Think about it. Could it be that these guys have some talent? Vijayakanth can do subtle as well as loud, you know; And Parthiban’s success came in his niche subjects. And so on…). You-na you illai. Northindiophiliacs(which you have a right to be, but I just butt in when it blinds your eyes so much as to remove all rationality out of you) have this unique habit of setting the debate in terms of “hindi is natl language every Indian should know it” and when someone questions that paint him as “hindi hater”(That’s an example)
“Sara points out,south fans aren’t really known to be helluva rational, so perhaps that has something to do with their ready acceptance of out of shape,old, aged stars as heroes”
Really, really, Brangan? You still stand by this?
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bran1gan
September 6, 2010
raj: The only thing I “analysed” here was how fans don’t have a problem with Rajini’s off-screen appearance. (And it wasn’t even much of an analysis. This is a light piece.) I didn’t set the agenda you claim. Sara did. Bala picked up on that and extended the argument to shape, and I repeated that with a smiley — which is a joke; not everything said here is set in stone. Joshing around is allowed in a blog, you know.
And of course I stand by the fact that fans everywhere — by definition — are not rational. In the South, they build temples. In the North, they make a star out of Katrina Kaif. This is not a failing. That’s just how fandom works.
Of course you have a problem with Hindi speakers and Hindi films, dude. Over the years, your enraged comments in this space have left us in little doubt about that. Or maybe it’s just an act. Maybe you’re just an agent provocateur who likes to needle people about things and sit back and eatch the fun. I can’t say.
But the very fact that you use words like “Northindiophiliacs” and “geographically and culturally ignorant north indies folks” shows where you’re coming from. I prefer to deal with people — where they’re from is not important.
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Bala
September 6, 2010
@Baradwaj: on a whole different note, did you get invited to the wedding ? 😀
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bran1gan
September 6, 2010
Bala: Dude, you seem to have a very inflated sense of my importance in the Tamil film industry. Rajini enge, indha ezhai enge? 🙂
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ManWithNoName
September 6, 2010
Baradwaj: Completely off topic. I remember where KPV Balaji (or KVP Balaji, I am not sure) asked you a question about books that you would recommend for reading. Your response was something about “How to setup a conversation with a movie” and the book you recommended was …
You also said that you brought your copy from US.
Now, what was the book you recommended?
PS: No, It is not Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies and your favorite passage about Editing and all 🙂
PPS: I would not have bothered you if the Search in WordPress included Search against Comments. Thanks.
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Bala
September 6, 2010
@Baradwaj : ah, trying to artfully change the topic , avalo dhaan 😀 Was also pleased that the whole thing was comparatively simple and low-key.I wonder how the national media would have covered it /(and no, I don’t consider NDTV-Hindu a part of the national media 😀 )
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bran1gan
September 6, 2010
Man with No Name: Are you Anon, or have I got two anonymous commeenters? 🙂 the thread was in the review of Delhi-6, and book is The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. By Michael Ondaatje. I cannot recommend it enough.
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Bala
September 6, 2010
@Baradwaj: Is the same ” English Patient ” and “Divisadero” guy ?
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Bala
September 6, 2010
*Is this the same as the ….
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bran1gan
September 6, 2010
Bala: Yup. BTW, someone seems to be having a very productive day at work today. Who’s your employer again? 🙂
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vidyut
September 6, 2010
While on the topic of lack of (h)airs, here is a nice takedown of self by the man himself (followed by inflated expectations of the movie) 🙂
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Bala
September 6, 2010
@Baradwaj : ouch !yes , long weekend hangover 😛
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Raj Balakrishnan
September 6, 2010
Don’t know why, but generally good-looking guys don’t make it big in Tamil Nadu (Ajit the only exception).
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yadu
September 6, 2010
@BR: Unfortunately no. I am slightly bashful(?) while approaching celebrities in public places. Don’t want to seem like an eager fan-boy. I regret it later, of course..
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raj
September 7, 2010
“In the south they build temples”
Substantiate. This is again lazy “analysis”(ok, lazy light hearted josh). Someone claimed to have built a temple for Khushboo 15 years ago. It turned out to be a glorified exhibition(in multiple senses, given the pictures of kusboo they might have displayed 🙂 ). That’s it. This gets translated into “in the south they build temples”. Think of it – rajnji himself doesn’t have a temple. His own fans desert him when he makes baba. The irrational fans, the fools don’t even spend on a ticket for baba.they don’t listen to him when he asks them to defeat pmk. So, what building temple or worshipping culture? so, this temple stuff, That’s what people who don’t really understand TN say. Just like “rajni cuts bullets into two and kills two people in tamil movies” joke. That happened in a hindi movie. In 30 years, such outrageous stuff hasn’t happened in rajni’s tamil movies. The worst I can think of is Rajni stopping a car by tying a rope around his body in oor kavalan. A much lesser star like deol does that all the time in hindi. This is what I call “lazy, north indian pov” and I am justified. Because I don’t go about doing such lazy, uninformed ” light hearted josh” on hindi or their culture. If I do, it will be well researched “light hearted josh”. So thanks but no thanks on your attempt to colour this as north indian hatred. It is the stupidity of such l.h. Joshes that I resent.(And I use the identifier “north indian” because that”s predominantly the profile of people who belive and regurgitate this lazy stereotype)
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bran1gan
September 7, 2010
raj: “Because I don’t go about doing such lazy, uninformed ” light hearted josh” on hindi or their culture.”
Oh, so you’re dead serious when you say things like “geographically and culturally ignorant north indies folks.” Good to know.
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raj
September 7, 2010
What did you make of it? You read that as “all north indian folks are geographically and culturally challenfed”? Don’t disappoint me Rangan. Couldn’t you have read it as the section of north indies that is culturally challenged? Which is what I meant and that is quite clear from the sentence construction. Because if I say “x adjectived population”, it follows that there would be a “non-x-adjectived section of that population”m
Since we are nitpicking, you said “south fans are irrational” and then said you meant “all fans are irrational”. Did I nitpick on that?
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rameshram
September 7, 2010
“Don’t know why, but generally good-looking guys don’t make it big in Tamil Nadu (Ajit the only exception).”
really? shit.
cancel all my tamil call sheets boys! im now concentrating on telugu.
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bran1gan
September 7, 2010
raj: That’s exactly what I’m saying. A certain amount of extrapolation is necessary when you go through comments and try to pick up arguments. When I say they build temples in the south, I mean stuff like worshipping a star with rasigar manrams and so forth, as Sara said. People don’t have the time to explain (or in your words “substantiate”) everything they mean.
rameshram: Sonnaa sari 🙂
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Hermoine Granger
September 7, 2010
What !!!! Surya is not good looking ???? Please ! And you should add Prithviraj too, as he is doing more and more Tamil roles !
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raj
September 7, 2010
Ask the Bacchan expert satyamshot. According to him/her, aaradhanais and paisa-phenk on screens was prevalent for Amitabh too – and he claims it was on par with what you see in south today for rajnis and chirus. And an actual temple was built for Amit too in Calcutta. It is by no means a south-only phenomenon.
Probably, there is nobody currently in Bollywood with that level of charisma. Hero worship is a pan-indian trait.
I mean, even Ranbir Kapoor has fans – which definitely is irrational in my view 🙂
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raj
September 7, 2010
And as for Kaif, rambha and namitha were stars in south. Which speaks for itself – talentless bimbos have a market everywhere. The south made a “great” actor out of jodhika just like bolly did of Kajol. There are a lot more similarities than you’d imagine between the two major film industries of India
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Dualist
September 7, 2010
Rajini is good looking IMO. As the cliche goes, his facial features are ‘radiant’ despite the skin tone. And the idiosyncratic charm and style in his body language and mannerism will register the personality in a favorable manner. To paraphrase his SIL, ‘partha udane pudikatiyum, pakka pakka pudikum’..
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pradyum
September 7, 2010
Good to see you retaliate to people like Raj and others like the ones that accuse you of being on Bachan’s payroll! 🙂
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bran1gan
September 7, 2010
Hermoine Granger / Dualist: How can you not mention Kamal, especially in the late-70s to mid-80s phase? He was beyond cool, and very good looking. Seen Varumayin Niram Sivappu? Rajini too was very dashing in films like Thambikku Endha Ooru and Mannan (in his urban avatars). Sivakumar had a pleasant look about him (though a bit avuncular). Sivaji in films like Uyarndha Manidhan was quite dashing. As for today, Karthi kinda looks good too. Arya’s not bad either. Madhavan too, though he’s not doing (m)any Tamil films.
Raj: reg. “Hero worship is a pan-indian trait,” that’s exactly what I said earlier. I think you’re going around in circles. All I wanted to say was that I never spoke of MGR in the way you claimed. Anyway, I’m done here.
pradyum: Yeah, but don’t expect much more. It’s very tiring and time-consuming, and I’d rather be joshing around than substantiating 🙂
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Bala
September 7, 2010
@Baradwaj: what brought on that mini-list I wonder 😀 Agree on Kamal though.Coolness and the fact that he still makes Emraan Hashmi look like a pretender to the kissing throne eh ? :p I wonder how that trend caught on ?
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Raj Balakrishnan
September 7, 2010
Surya and Karthi are not bad looking but lack that sophistication (sorry, can’t get the right word). This is not to belittle them but what I mean is they are not in the same category as Ranbir Kapoor/Arjun Rampal/Saif Khan etc. Anyway, Surya is an excellent actor – miles ahead of many Bollywood actors.
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raj
September 7, 2010
pradyum and bR – ennamO periya puratchi paNNinA maadhiri illai pEsarInga?
You didnt say it is a pan-indian trait. You specifically added South there. Whatever. I am done-O done here. I see that you are not tired of stereotyping of some demographics(later in comments you said sara had started the stereotyping of south actors but when he said it, you didnt pongi ezhundhufy) but pongi ezhundhufy if the ribbing is in the opposite direction. I was kind of testing out as you had observed and I have got my answer. There are some people who are never tired of stereotyping a demographic but cannot stand even a little ribbing in the opposite direction. And will act holier-than-thou in the process, too. Not surprising, though.
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bran1gan
September 7, 2010
Bala: Oh, Emraan Hashmi is a complete pretender to the throne 🙂 But tell me, was the first true (as in romantic) lip-to-lip in the Om Namaha song in Idhayathai Thirudathey? Punnagai Mannan came before, but that was more of a I’m-gonna-die kiss, not really “romantic.” Was there one in Ullasa Paravaigal? Can’t recall now.
Raj Balakrisnan: Actually, I don’t think we can make the comparison. Because we haven’t made that many “dude” movies here. Because of the Tamil market necessicities, a big star still has to have an element of the pokkiri in him, that I’m-one-with-the-masses feel. So unless a 100% metro-centric movie comes along, we can’t say. But Surya, I think, can be quite sophisticated and dudish — he was in Kaakha Kaakha, though it was not really a “young” role like, say, Ranbir’s in Wake Up Sid or Imran Khan’s in JTYJN.
raj: “Whatever. I am done-O done here.” Really? I’m actually getting the last word, for a change? How does one do a victory lap in cyberspace, I wonder? 🙂
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gaurav
September 7, 2010
@Baradwaj: Get 3 “geographically and culturally ignorant north indies folks” and 5 “south indian irrational fans”. Tie them up with a rope. Do a victory lap around them 🙂
oops…did i say 3 northies and 5 Southies. Do I mean irrational sothies are more common than geographically and culturally ignorant northies. Doomed to hell, am I ?
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raj
September 7, 2010
“How does one do a victory lap in cyberspace, I wonder”
You can get Gaurav, Bala and other flunkies perform paal abhishekam for you to begin with 🙂
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KPV Balaji
September 8, 2010
@manwithoutnoname : Yeah it is KPV balaji :)…I got the book through a friend from US couple of months back, havent read it though !!
@Rangan : not sure if i have asked this before, have you done any posts on Woody Allen/Hitchcock/Audrey hepburn ?? If so link please
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Hermoine Granger
September 8, 2010
Kamal was extremely good in the 80s and Surya can barely hold a candle to the youthful Sivakumar (I mean the really boyish one !). But I dint mention them all coz they are “your” times, no ? 😛
Just giving more opportunity for everyone to josh you around !
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Hermoine Granger
September 8, 2010
Again, Mannan…Rajni…dashing ? Really ?
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bran1gan
September 8, 2010
raj: Ah, spoken like a true culturally and geographically superior south indian. but no thanks. i prefer gatorade.
KPV Balaji: I don’t think so.
Hermione Granger: There was a certain style to him that overrode all other considerations. He had a very confident air about him.
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SVM
September 8, 2010
I dont know if this is on or off topic, but I received this SMS about Rajini, thought I’d share it here. In case you have already received/ read it somewhere else, forgive the repetition:
It goes like this:
“For those who don’t know who Rajinikant is:
1. When Rajini does push-ups, he isnt lifting himself up, he is pushing the earth down!
2. Rajini can divide by zero
3. Rajini can delete the recycle bin
4. Rajini can slam a revolving door
5. Rajini once kicked a horse in the chin, its descendants are today called giraffes.
6. Rajini can make onions cry
7. Rajini can drown a fish
8. When Rajini looks in the mirror, the mirror shatters, because not even glass is stupid to get in between Rajin & Rajini.
9. Rajini never wet his bed as a child, the bed wet itself in fear
10. His email address is gmail@rajinikant.com 🙂
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Deepak
September 8, 2010
@SVM: those are actually Chuck Norris jokes. Somebody has just replaced his name with Rajini. You can find a whole bunch of them on the net.
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bran1gan
September 8, 2010
Deepak: yeah, they sounded really familiar. I think I’ve heard a version with Stallone too.
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munimma
September 8, 2010
Hero worship is pan-Indian! The form differs. All roads lead to Rome! BR, the one thing that comes through is your fandom for the boss, it seeps through all the objectivity 🙂
And just because the actors are more earthy and real, doesn’t mean they are any less good looking! I mean Surya and ilk.
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rameshram
September 8, 2010
with rajini (and mgr and ntr…) its not hero worship, tho.. its ancestor worship.
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apala
September 9, 2010
Only till late 80s, Kamal was good-looking? Who said that? What’s your name and address. “Auto” will come and pick you all up and bring you guys to “moothra sandhu” where you will be given a shake-down by Loyal Fans of Kamal
—- Always Smashing Dashing Kamal Hassan Fan Club
Founder and President: apala
“Udal maNNukku, uyir thalaivanukku”
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SVM
September 9, 2010
Endha ball pottalum adikireengale pa 🙂 Nothing is new anymore in this bad bad web world 🙂
Rangan Sir, I’m a big fan of your style of writing right from your (rather my) madras plus days incl arre o sambar. I still fondly remember some of your hilarious one-liners. Please tell me where I can find:
1. The review (the film featured AB Jr and Ash Rai in the lead if Im not wrong) spoke about a particularly long scene where AB asks AR to sing and AR asks AB to sing and this goes on and on and on. You said something like “the scene was so long that I was willing to stand up and sing if that would take me to the next scene!”
🙂
2. The last line of the review said (the film had Fardeen Khan apart from 2 other heroes) something like “the promos/ posters of the film shows one monkey with its eyes closed, one with its mouth closed and one with its ears closed, there could have been one more monkey with its nose closed, as the film absolutely stinks!”
I cant remember the names of both the films. I’d love to read them again just for that LOL effect. 🙂
Please also tell me where I can find review of Swades as published in TNIE. (or in the Sunday edition).
Many thanks!
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rameshram
September 9, 2010
nope. after GN Balasubramanian and TR mahalingam, there have been few real good lookers in tamil. kamal is a few inches short of a foot(and is a height denyer.. like robert di niro) surya is a ad agency and make up department creation. there has never been a nagarjuna or ram charan teja( someone that looks good, and carries charismatic screen prescence naturally) since GNB in tamil films.. maybe muthuraman.
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Raj Balakrishnan
September 9, 2010
GNB is my grand-uncle (amma’s mama). That’s probably one of the reasons for my good looks and charisma!! Maybe I should have tried films!
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rameshram
September 9, 2010
forget tamil. Us good lookig folks have no chance in it. 😉
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Venkatesh
September 9, 2010
Now that GNB , Muthuraman, and TRM have been mentioned – i am waiting for someone to say MKT. Apparently women folk in those days went nuts over his “looks”.
BR: Just for me to understand this correctly – are “Raj Balak..” and “Raj” two separate people ? Name holders please stand up. 😉
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apala
September 10, 2010
Hey, I am a “naturally-tanned” fellow ……… maybe I should try out then….. :P! Tamil makkaL will survive me also as they have been surviving all these years of brutal assaults………..I guess!
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rameshram
September 10, 2010
la- tanna vijayakanth saayal, fairna satyaraj saayal very fairna jaishankar saayal irundha fieldu kulla erangu.
othervice that is thats all.
venkatesh, i really think those three are handsome men. mkt- not so much.
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Raj Balakrishnan
September 10, 2010
Venkatesh, Raj is a senior member, naan oru chinna paiyyan!
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raj
September 10, 2010
Venatesh – idhula enna kozhappam. Separate “entities” dhaan. Since pigeonholing is what makes people in this page comfortable(although they uunwrap their holier-than-thou selves when someone else does it to their favs) you can call raj bala the hindu fanatic and plain raj the south indian fanatic. Whatever makes you feel comfortable and safe about your beliefs.
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Padawan
September 10, 2010
Now, THAT is what I call as a Spectacle.
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Venkatesh
September 11, 2010
RameshRam: “Handsome men… ” eye of the beholder and all.
Raj and Raj Bala: Gents, apologies. It was a serious question i was just “conphused..”
BR: When is the “munni badnam hui” review coming along ?
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