As Kabali fever grips India, Delhi-NCR has not remained quiet to the phenomenon. Expected to give a decent fight to Sultan , the joke in trade circles is while Salman Khan needs a holiday to release his film, a Rajinikanth starrer creates a holiday. In the process, as of now, Irrfan Khan’s Madaari seems to have been reduced to a witness to Rajini’s antics.
According to Anil Dhani of Fox Star Studios’ Delhi office 135 prints of Kabali have been released in Delhi-Uttar Pradesh circuit. “It is a significant number considering it is not its primary market.”
If one has to measure the size of the craze, Central Delhi’s Delite Cinemas is the place. The 800-seater Delite continues to showcase Sultan , which is in its third week while its little sister Delite Diamond with its 148 seats is showcasing the Rajinikanth-starrer. “Both are showing tremendous response. Considering there is hardly any South Indian population in this part of the city and we are running the Hindi dub, the response shows the superstar has a following in the heart of the city. The first two shows were packed and it is an indication that the film is going to have a good time at the box office,” says Raj Kumar Mehrotra, General Manager, Delite Cinemas. One reminds him how Robot was released in Delite. “Yes, and it opened to 75 percent occupancy but at that time there was no Sultan . Also, Kabali is not your usual Rajinikanth film. It has his style but the focus is on storytelling rather than punch lines,” says Mehrotra after watching the first show.
No wonder PVR cinemas has put the film on 26 screens in 102 shows across Delhi NCR. “The response has been good, particularly in pockets where there is significant South Indian population. At PVR Naraina fans have put cut outs outside the theatre and there is request for the traditional garlanding of the icon before the show begins,” says Shalu Sabharwal, Vice President Sales and Marketing.
There are Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions on show but many people go for Tamil version even if they don’t know the language. “The English subtitles don’t take away the original flavour,” says Dinesh Singh, a pharma manager, who watched the first show at PVR Mahagun in Ghaziabad and found that the film’s theme has a universal appeal.
Meanwhile, Spice Multiplex in Noida is devoting 4700 seats to the film per day. “Noida and Mayur Vihar have significant South India population and that’s why we have 80 per cent occupancy for Tamil and Telugu versions while the Hindi one is also showing decent response. Despite Madaari , and Sultan still going strong, I believe Kabali is going to be the film of the week,” predicts Rakesh Warikoo, General Manager, Spice Mall and Multiplex.
Mehrotra says Rajinikanth has an audience in the city right from Andha Kanoon . “People say he largely appeared as a supporting actor during his stint in Hindi films but I believe he has a following of his own.” It reflects in the number of solo hero films that were offered to him and many of them like Gangvaa and Mahaguru did good business in smaller centres.
The interest in Southern stars is not a new phenomenon. “I remember Kamal Haasan’s Ek Duje Ke Liye completed 50 weeks not only in Delhi but all across Uttar Pradesh,” recalls Mehrotra. Once again, he adds, public is appreciating good content.
Putting the craze in perspective, seasoned Hindi film analyst Ajay Brahmatmaj sees a link between the demographical change that the country has gone through in the last ten years and the tremendous increase in the following of Rajinikanth. “After the IT and social media boom, many youngsters from North India have South Indian friends. So they want to experience what a Rajinikanth film is all about. They may not be interested in the content and just want to have a feel of his mannerisms, his style.”
What makes Rajinikanth unique is that he doesn’t mix his screen and real life persona. “This generation likes this honesty and this quality is hard to find in Bollywood biggies,” observes Brahmatmaj adding it is a big challenge considering he has to justify his screen chemistry opposite an actor who is 35 years younger to him.
Also, South Indian entertainers are filling a vacuum that mainstream Hindi cinema has created in its bid to break the formula. Beyond the Netflix watching urban youth, there is a huge mass which watches dubbed versions of South Indian masala films on satellite channels. “People in Benaras know Pavan Kalyan though none of his films have released in the city,” notes Brahmatmaj.
Interestingly, at present, the closest somebody comes to Rajinikanth in Hindi cinema in terms of popularity is Salman Khan. “Both are critic proof!” laughs Brahmatmaj.
Some die-hards fans missed Rajinikanth’s distinctive Hindi which was noticed in films like Hum and Chalbaaz . Dubbing artist Mayur Vyas is not bad but those who have heard Rajinikanth’s Tamil flavoured Hindi can make out. Brahmatmaj feels that its time instead of dubbing, producers try to remake his films in Hindi. “In dubbing the translation sometimes becomes too literal and the local flavour goes missing. He could speak Hindi. After Baahubali , I feel there is a bigger market waiting to be tapped.”
