At intermission, Muhammed agreed to answer my varied questions. Between my pathetic Hindi and his serviceable English, we achieved adequate understanding of one another.
"I am a shop-owner," he told me. "Rajni is my number one superstar. Shah Rukh and Amitabh are not to be compared to Rajni. He is famous in China, Russia and Japan. Soon, he will be famous in America!"
I asked him how many times he would see the movie. "Rajni movies, I see 20 times if they are good."
"What if they are bad?" I asked innocently.
He eyed me suspiciously, weighing his words. Finally, he solemnly replied, "They are never bad."
Moving outside, I saw a teeming horde of unlucky fans who hadn't managed to secure tickets. They pressed themselves up against the wrought iron divider, stretching their arms inside and grasping at air. I have no idea what they hoped to achieve, but it was a powerful visual.
In this picture: Attendants passed out Rajnikanth caps along with sweets to the audience
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