January 22, 2025

Rajinkant fans are a breed apart. They do not just like him, they worship him. Hence, it does not matter what the Super(est)star does in Kabali. The film is already a hit with his fans.

All Rajni tricks and mannerisms are on full display in the film. The Buzz is that despite that, the film is no great shakes, mainly because of all the blood and gore.

Every actor suffers from being typecast and Rajni, despite his demigod status, is no different. Amitabh Bachchan had once famously said that he had run out of ideas of how to die on screen. Rajni must have run out of ideas on how to produce a gun out of thin air. Despite his stature, the complete obeisance to the demands of the box-office is understandable at one level due to the hysteria of fans and the pressure to keep Brand Rajni intact by producing hits, however mindless. But hasn’t the time come for Rajni to try something different?

If his fans treat him as God, will they not love him if he tries an image makeover and acts, rather than put up a show? “But the fans love what I do” is the common refrain when actors do not want to disturb the box-office winning formula. But if he has such a commanding hold over his fans, Rajni should first explain to them that he is doing something different and then venture to make a completely anti-Rajni film.

If his fans accept that, only then will we know that they really treat him as God. And, only then will we get to see Rajni the actor.