I am pretty confident that someone has either asked you this question or you have asked someone this question or heard someone talking about it !!For everything in our lives , we choose sides...
1. Rajni Fan'aa....Kamal Fan'aa
2. Sachin'aa...Dravid'aa ?
3.Ilayaraja'vaa...illa AR.Rahman'vaa...
4.Kathirikka Kari pidikuma..illa urlaikazhangu kari pidikuma... ?...you get the point ?
Why cant we like both...? Does it make us any less fanatic than..a true..Unadulterated fan ? Moreover its really hard to dislike anyone. Is'nt "hate" a very strong word. Personally, I don't think I can hate any actor. From the little bit of exposure I have had in working in the Industry..and having a slight idea of how much effor these guys put in ? Its really difficult for me to dismiss someone as unfit..Even if they are sometimes. Like..I hate Prashanth..I have seen him in too many movies..but his skills are the same..(or gone down) from the time he acted in Vaigasi Porandhaachu !..I jus wish someone would pour boiling water on his feet..when the camera rolls..to get him to emote !!!...His dialogue delivery has to be one of the worst in Tamil Cinema today.Atleast for his sake we need to revive silent movies !!
I digress...Anyway the point is....I feel all young actors today are very competent.They undergo intense training and try to prepare for the rigors of Tamil Cinema. It is not easy being an actor or for the matter ..a technician in the Tamil Film industry!!! Competition is cut throat...and only the best..(and the lucky ones,the rich ones..and the ones that come from famous parents) even get a chance to prove themselves.But after the initial chance to enter the industry..its very difficult to thrive in it.
Thats why..I think Rajni and Kamal are legends in their own ways.Yess..I am a hardcore Rajni Fan..Yess...I did fly to Chicago(from akron...when I was a poor graduate student) to watch the First show of BABA(Loved the movie BTW....okie i was kidding). Rajni's charisma and screen presence is unmatched...His people skills are possibly the best in the industry.On the other hand Kamal is a sheer genius ! Having had the oppurtunity to work in his unit for about 10 days...I have no other words to describe him ! He jus exudes knowledge ( Though sometimes people say that he is never tired of hearing himself)..and can talk to you pretty much about anything under the planet (provided he thinks your worthy enough for his time)
Among the present lot....I think everyone is good and has a strong point.
Vijay (dance/screen presence/comedy)...Surya/Vikram(always choose good subjects..offbeat movies..good acting skills)..Ajith(screen presence..decent skills)..Simbu(good cinema brain..talented dancer/actor)...Dhanush(tremendous actor..jus needs to do good roles) Each one of these guys have had ups and downs..but have survived them...will they last forever like Rajni and Kamal..only time can tell.
Seri....adhellaam udu...Nee rajni'ya...kamal'aa...?
12 comments:
Football match is not interesting if there is only one goal post mate
I started out a Rajni guy (purely out of peer pressure in school), but realized later that I'm all Kamal. I'd still pay to watch Rajni for all the reasons you mentioned, but I ain't buying the DVD because the movie had Rajni in it. Its an easy decision for me.. "Kamal, all the way!" IMO, there is no comparison. Mind you, I'm not voting on a popularity contest. To appreciate Rajni, you first need to be a Rajni fan. Throw away the style and the hero image you carried from the 80's, and you can't watch Baba without cringing. With Kamal, the genius is out there in every aspect, every movie. No matter if its heyram or nayagan or avvai shanmugi or 16 vayathinile. We are lucky for him to have born a Tamilian.
Good point..that people choose one of two and almost never pick two of two. I find it interesting that in the process of choosing one person to like, simultaneously, by social influence, the other is picked with equal enthusiasm to hate. In the case of Rajini and Kamal, they have such contrasting styles to their acting, that this love-hate is only expected. But it's easier to like both Sachin and Dravid. Also I can relate to the fact that you are able to not make that love hard or hate hard choice because you have an understanding of how hard it is to be them. In our lttle music shows, some talented people don't do well on stage, and they are picked on, and their reputation clobbered by the audience later on. Since I see the whole package, I try to go to their defense. I guess this is similar.
Nice post this.
Hey Sayee...I recall very clearly that you'd asked me this the first time we met :) You probably have no memory of that, do you?! Well, I asked you if the world is necessarily divided into these two groups and can I pick a neutral "Neither" or "Both" option? And you probably put me down as a snob from Bombay who's a disgrace to Tamilians :)
Hmm..Actually I think I do remember what you are talking about.
The point is ..if someone grew up watching tamil moves around the same time we all did..this question is obvious.These two guys are the face of Tamil Cinema and have been for a few decades now !
But obviously I was kidding and no I did not put you down as a disgrace to tamilians.
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That is very logical but, the way both of them approach the audience and even the target audience itself is very different. So, many of them tend to like one of them and not both. Ofcourse, it need not be a universal rule.
True , But irrespective of their differnet styles , they both have a stranglehold on the Tamil Audience.
Well you can appreciate both of em for their talents, but if you are fanatic about one of them (which most of us are) its difficult to appreciate the other, thats coz they are completely diferent.
I think they survived this long not just because of their talents but also because of the rivalry between their fan(atics)
I am a Kamal fan, not too fond of Rajini. I watch his films thou, not for him but for the good company of my friends. Like Sriram I started out as a Rajini fan, and ended up as a hardcore kamal fan.
--svk
Rivalry is important,I agree.
Infact actors now do that on purpose .They pit themselves against another actor who is as successful as them and by that way they make their fans more loyal to them.
MGR - Sivaji
Rajni - Kamal
Prabhu - Karthik
Vijay - Ajith
Simbu - Dhanush..
Enough Said !
It is difficult to like rajini(the actor) if you prefer variety and expect some quality in movies that you watch.But I guess the majority do not mind monotony and are content with substandard movies. Unfortunately, I belong to the minority category.
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