* The film Muthu ran to a full house for months when it was released in Japan, with locals forming fan clubs for Rajini, the ‘Dancing Maharaja’.
* Rajinikanth is an avid reader; his favourites are Kalki’s Ponniyin Selvan and T. Janakiraman’s Amma Vanthal .
* Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have worked together in 18 films.
* In Mannan (1992), Rajini made a foray into playback singing.
Interesting, isn’t it? We cannot get enough of the Superstar — anything that has to do with him is greeted with a certain frenzy that’s difficult to express in words.
As the city was drenched in a downpour on Monday evening, a small group of Rajini fans had gathered to talk about the obvious: their love for the actor. The occasion — the launch of a coffee-table book titled Rajinism by Brew magazine.
The book features trivia on the actor and his film career, stories by fans, an interview with director S.P. Muthuraman who’s worked with the actor in 25 films, and pages and pages of gorgeous photos of Rajini. It’s a treat for his fans, and when better than the Kabali wave to release it?
Rajinism was launched by S.P. Muthuraman, in the presence of actor Y. Gee. Mahendra and cinematographer P.C. Sreeram. Muthuraman and Mahendra, who’ve known the actor for years, regaled the audience with interesting anecdotes.
From the shooting of Murattu Kaalai in Pollachi, when the locals who gathered expressed genuine concern for the dusky young man who looked like one of their own, to the recent Sivaji days when Rajini refused to use the high-end caravan that was reserved for him — it was Rajini talk all the way.
Sameer Bharat Ram, publisher, Brew , says that the book was put together in four months. “It was done purely for my love for the man. I’ve been a big fan of Rajini since childhood, and, for me, cinema doesn’t exist without him,” he says.
Sameer is currently working on a documentary on the superstar. “It will record his journey, as seen through the eyes of people around him. We started shooting it the day Kabali released. We’ve documented the madness of his fans in theatres such as Kasi and Albert, and plan to shoot his fans in Japan too. We hope to release it on his birthday,” he says.
( Rajinism is a collector’s edition and is not for sale. However, die-hard fans can write to thebrewmagazine@gmail.com for a copy.)
