The name is Rajinikanth

I'm not planning to review the book by Gayathri Srikanth here. But as a fan of the superstar, I'm presenting my views on him and the reason for his success.

If you are not familiar with the Indian film industry, I'm talking about the highest paid actor in India and perhaps Asia too - Superstar Rajinikanth. Yes! There are no real comparisons anywhere in the net that state Jackie Chan earns more than Superstar and even if that is the case, we are talking about the second highest paid actor in the whole of Asia. Had it not been for the $ to INR conversion rates, he'd be the highest paid in the world.

So what made him such a huge star?

Does he act in all Asian languages? No! He acts predominantly in Tamil movies (a language spoken only in one state among the 28 states in India).

Was there no great heroes when he came into the industry - No! Kamal Haasan was a well established hero when Superstar came into the industry. There were heroes from the previous generation who were still ruling the industry.

Has he won any Oscars? No! He doesn't do art films...

Is it all just hype? No! The producers of his films are happily paying him the money and they get so much in return that they could start their next film. Eyes shut!

No clue? There are three simple words that explain his success - style, charisma and simplicity. Ever since my childhood, superstar was an icon of style. His walk, his smile, his voice, his dialog delivery and every gesture of his is loaded with style. I've embedded a sample from the movie 'Padayappa' here.



Superstar adds a unique charisma to a movie. Regardless of age and gender, he mesmerizes everyone by his presence. Dynamism, fast paced story track and electrifying dialogs are trademarks of Superstar movies. Even in comedy roles, Superstar is stunning and this scene from his arguably best comedy film 'Thillu Mullu' is a proof!



Simplicity is the biggest plus of superstar and perhaps it is the rarest thing you could see in a celebrity of his cadre. He never hesitates to come out in his natural appearance which is far different from what his fans see on the silver screen. After all he's nearing his sixties and age has some effect on his appearance (see pics below). He never says he's great or he is the best. He donates a lot to charity, turned into a spiritual person maturing with age and keeps away from publicity as much as possible.





Even the story lines in Superstar movies are quite simple and are usually one-liners. That frees his fans from the need to follow the story carefully and provides the freedom to enjoy Superstar to the fullest! Everyone watching the movie will have something to admire in him and when you come out of the movie, you will really feel light which is why half of the Indian audience come to movies. To a laborer who spent all day toiling under the scorching sun, movies are the only source of entertainment and what he needs is a stress buster that completely entertains him and quite naturally there is no better alternative than Superstar's movies.

To make a long story short, it's not easy to retain a huge fan following for decades and if Superstar Rajnikanth is able to do it, it's not without reasons.