devauniversal
05-07-2007, 09:43 AM
Bollywood bigger than stars
I think it’s unfair to compare a man against an institution. Rajnikant has made 200 films during his 27 years in the movie business. Bollywood makes the same number of movies every year.
The industry is more than 100 years old. It has witnessed the making of such classics as Mother India, Kaagaz ke Phool, Pyaasa, Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay. And over this period and through these films, the industry has produced a pool of unparalleled talent whic includes Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. And then, there is Rajnikant, the South Indian superstar, who, like MGR before him, is worshipped in Tamil Nadu. He has an enviable fan following and is undoubtedly the highest paid actor in India. But it’s important to understand the context of his popularity. Tamil Nadu has always made gods of its screen idols and Rajnikant has been in the game far longer than many of his contemporaries.
Sivaji, by far, is the biggest South Indian blockbuster in history. But numbers are not created in vacuum. If the movie has done as well as it has, one needs to give a nod to the quartet of intelligent marketing, public relations, multiplexes and media. And going by its current speed, my guesstimate is it will probably gross Rs 125 crore. But like I said, this is the only blockbuster of its kind in the history of Tamil cinema and Rajnikant’s career.
When it comes to numbers, Bollywood has the advantage of reflecting the success of many and not just one. In the past 50 years, 25 industry blockbusters have grossed more than Rs 100 crore. By today’s estimates, (inflation accounted for) Sholay earned more than Rs 200 crore, Mughal-e-Azam Rs 170 crore, Mother India Rs 150 crore and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun Rs 142 crore. But even the success of these movies didn’t make its stars bigger than Bollywood.
Internationally, Indian cinema has become synonymous with Bollywood and has received — sometimes surprising — patronage from a variety of audiences. A line-up of stars, from Amitabh Bachchan to the Khans, are crowdpullers; even Munna Bhai and Circuit are a franchise that, by the way, grossed more than Rs 100 crore in revenues just from its theatrical release.
Today, international bids are entertained for staging awards shows and the industry has become an important vehicle for the promotion of various countries. Yash Chopra has a lake named after him in Switzerland, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh and other Bollywood denizens have been bestowed with laurels and doctorates from institutions across the world; London’s Madame Tussaud’s has found it important to showcase three Bollywood icons and Walt Disney has just trademarked the word Bollywood.
What Rajnikant has achieved in his career with Sivaji is outstanding and he is a bankable superstar. And, he is definitely the king of South Indian movies, but Bollywood is bigger than the sum of its superstars. It is a global brand, which is, for good or bad, equated with all of Indian cinema, even Sivaji.
The author is CEO, BR Films
Rajni is indeed the Boss
Vishal Rajan
No matter what people say about the popularity or global appeal of Rajnikant versus Bollywood, my opinion about Rajni being the true Boss is unshakable.
I have grown up watching both Bollywood and Rajni all my life as I am fluent in both Hindi and Tamil. I now live in Mumbai. No doubt, we have good actors here. But then, Rajni is no mean fry. It was Rajni, who despite being an action hero convincingly portrayed Raghvendra Swami decades ago. Playing Big B in a Tamil remake can be jittery for any great actor. But Rajni has done it. I have seen all those remakes — Thee, Billa, Padikadadavan, etc. He played the role of Amol Palekar in Thillu Mullu, a remake of Golmaal. He began his career as a stark villain to become a demigod. It is Rajni, who at 60, still plays the lead role.
The truth is that Rajni is getting bigger and bigger, to the extent of making Spiderman and The Pirates look meek. He has always been larger-than-life and the world welcomes it. A large part of his success is also due to the mindset of people, who believe Rajni can do anything.
Talking about the price, I guess we all know what Rajni commands, what his films have grossed and how many prints have been released. That alone should speak for his popularity. In a nutshell, with Rajni’s remuneration, one can sign all the top stars of Bollywood and still not guarantee a great initial.
My father, a film director by profession, saw Rajni’s posters in Japan alongside Bruce Lee’s and Jackie Chan’s. Rajni is popular even in the US, thanks to his movie Bloodstone. But Sivaji has sealed everything. Sivaji is one of the top grossers in the UK and US. People in Mumbai, who do not understand a word of Tamil, have seen Sivaji many times over.
Rajni’s style is unmatched. The way he looks & walks, his punchlines, flipping of the cigarette & sunglasses — his actions are just out of this world. And yes, he does not go overboard with his performances.
He is popular not because he is a star, but because he is a great human, a philanthropist and a simpleton. Having nearly 65,000 fan clubs is not funny. Stories about Rajni absorbing the losses of his films to safeguard distributors, announcing films and distributing the profits to his team members are true for sure.
It’s just that people in Mumbai are getting to feel Rajni’s radiance with Sivaji. It’s not new to me as I have seen it right from my school days. If only he does a Bollywood film now, there will never be such a debate in future. The very fact that Sivaji is competing with the globally-acclaimed Bollywood means Rajni has a bigger appeal than Bollywood.
The author is a film industry expert
Source : The Economic times
I think it’s unfair to compare a man against an institution. Rajnikant has made 200 films during his 27 years in the movie business. Bollywood makes the same number of movies every year.
The industry is more than 100 years old. It has witnessed the making of such classics as Mother India, Kaagaz ke Phool, Pyaasa, Naya Daur, Mughal-e-Azam and Sholay. And over this period and through these films, the industry has produced a pool of unparalleled talent whic includes Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. And then, there is Rajnikant, the South Indian superstar, who, like MGR before him, is worshipped in Tamil Nadu. He has an enviable fan following and is undoubtedly the highest paid actor in India. But it’s important to understand the context of his popularity. Tamil Nadu has always made gods of its screen idols and Rajnikant has been in the game far longer than many of his contemporaries.
Sivaji, by far, is the biggest South Indian blockbuster in history. But numbers are not created in vacuum. If the movie has done as well as it has, one needs to give a nod to the quartet of intelligent marketing, public relations, multiplexes and media. And going by its current speed, my guesstimate is it will probably gross Rs 125 crore. But like I said, this is the only blockbuster of its kind in the history of Tamil cinema and Rajnikant’s career.
When it comes to numbers, Bollywood has the advantage of reflecting the success of many and not just one. In the past 50 years, 25 industry blockbusters have grossed more than Rs 100 crore. By today’s estimates, (inflation accounted for) Sholay earned more than Rs 200 crore, Mughal-e-Azam Rs 170 crore, Mother India Rs 150 crore and Hum Aapke Hain Kaun Rs 142 crore. But even the success of these movies didn’t make its stars bigger than Bollywood.
Internationally, Indian cinema has become synonymous with Bollywood and has received — sometimes surprising — patronage from a variety of audiences. A line-up of stars, from Amitabh Bachchan to the Khans, are crowdpullers; even Munna Bhai and Circuit are a franchise that, by the way, grossed more than Rs 100 crore in revenues just from its theatrical release.
Today, international bids are entertained for staging awards shows and the industry has become an important vehicle for the promotion of various countries. Yash Chopra has a lake named after him in Switzerland, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh and other Bollywood denizens have been bestowed with laurels and doctorates from institutions across the world; London’s Madame Tussaud’s has found it important to showcase three Bollywood icons and Walt Disney has just trademarked the word Bollywood.
What Rajnikant has achieved in his career with Sivaji is outstanding and he is a bankable superstar. And, he is definitely the king of South Indian movies, but Bollywood is bigger than the sum of its superstars. It is a global brand, which is, for good or bad, equated with all of Indian cinema, even Sivaji.
The author is CEO, BR Films
Rajni is indeed the Boss
Vishal Rajan
No matter what people say about the popularity or global appeal of Rajnikant versus Bollywood, my opinion about Rajni being the true Boss is unshakable.
I have grown up watching both Bollywood and Rajni all my life as I am fluent in both Hindi and Tamil. I now live in Mumbai. No doubt, we have good actors here. But then, Rajni is no mean fry. It was Rajni, who despite being an action hero convincingly portrayed Raghvendra Swami decades ago. Playing Big B in a Tamil remake can be jittery for any great actor. But Rajni has done it. I have seen all those remakes — Thee, Billa, Padikadadavan, etc. He played the role of Amol Palekar in Thillu Mullu, a remake of Golmaal. He began his career as a stark villain to become a demigod. It is Rajni, who at 60, still plays the lead role.
The truth is that Rajni is getting bigger and bigger, to the extent of making Spiderman and The Pirates look meek. He has always been larger-than-life and the world welcomes it. A large part of his success is also due to the mindset of people, who believe Rajni can do anything.
Talking about the price, I guess we all know what Rajni commands, what his films have grossed and how many prints have been released. That alone should speak for his popularity. In a nutshell, with Rajni’s remuneration, one can sign all the top stars of Bollywood and still not guarantee a great initial.
My father, a film director by profession, saw Rajni’s posters in Japan alongside Bruce Lee’s and Jackie Chan’s. Rajni is popular even in the US, thanks to his movie Bloodstone. But Sivaji has sealed everything. Sivaji is one of the top grossers in the UK and US. People in Mumbai, who do not understand a word of Tamil, have seen Sivaji many times over.
Rajni’s style is unmatched. The way he looks & walks, his punchlines, flipping of the cigarette & sunglasses — his actions are just out of this world. And yes, he does not go overboard with his performances.
He is popular not because he is a star, but because he is a great human, a philanthropist and a simpleton. Having nearly 65,000 fan clubs is not funny. Stories about Rajni absorbing the losses of his films to safeguard distributors, announcing films and distributing the profits to his team members are true for sure.
It’s just that people in Mumbai are getting to feel Rajni’s radiance with Sivaji. It’s not new to me as I have seen it right from my school days. If only he does a Bollywood film now, there will never be such a debate in future. The very fact that Sivaji is competing with the globally-acclaimed Bollywood means Rajni has a bigger appeal than Bollywood.
The author is a film industry expert
Source : The Economic times