Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the film's opening sequence. Rajni, hooded and lead from a police vehicle, received a standing ovation the likes of which I've never seen. Members of the crowd poured from their seats to the front of the theatre, dancing and gyrating in what appeared to be mass seizures.
Money, confetti and multi-coloured paper were tossed by the handfuls over the balcony. For their part, the lower seating threw similar items at the screen itself -- there was a veritable fortune in small bills scattered across the theatre floor. I tried to find out what happened to the money afterward, but no one had an answer. I saw a few coconut-wielding youths, but luckily, they didn't turn use the nariyals as projectiles.
The man sitting to my right, Muhammed Ismael, clenched my arm and pulled me near. His laughter rang out for five minutes solid without ebbing, the very picture of satisfaction.
The first half of the movie comprised Rajni's unparalleled proficiency in martial arts and hand to hand combat. He operated a host of different vehicles with effortless ease, all the while exhibiting altruistic tendencies and scrupulous chivalry. In short, he was superhuman.
In this picture: A Ranjikanth fan club poster proudly displayed outside the theatre
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