In keeping with my environment, I stopped at an authentic South Indian restaurant. I downed two dosas while listening to various ad-hoc reviews spread around the diner. The sentiment was overwhelmingly positive; I heard nary a complaint or criticism.
In the taxi on the way back to office, I discovered the driver hailed from Tamil Nadu. I asked him why he was driving instead of enjoying the jubilation.
"I couldn't get tickets!" he exclaimed. "The fan clubs have sold out the first four days; I'll go sometime next week."
I asked him to describe the mood of the people leading up the release.
"Every Rajni film is a holiday. Charities are giving free food in Dharavi; pujas are going night and day. There is no bad-will among all the people. Everyone respects Rajni and this will last for 20 days," he says.
As I exited the taxi, I asked him for a final thought.
"Rajni is the total actor. He mixes humour, action and love-story. The Bollywood stars can only do one of these; Rajni is India's superstar!"
In this picture: The celebration continues long after the film had ended
Also Read: Manivannan: Rajni is an inspiration
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