Subject :D40 - Thalaivar Rajini steals the entire show... spectatular Q&A Session by KB and Thalaivar.
Fans waited till late into the night in order to take in
the rare sight of the superstar Rajinikanth — who is otherwise not so
easily accessible — being interviewed by his mentor K. Balachander who
slipped into the role of a scribe. The crowd stayed on at the
Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium on Saturday night for what was the
clear highlight of D40 — the 40th anniversary celebration of the Tamil
Film Directors Union.
Starting with simple and comic questions, Balachander
would slip in the occasional hard-hitting query. His protégé handled
them all adeptly while also being quite candid with his guru who
launched him in movies.
As usual, every time his film gets released, speculation
runs high about Rajini’s entry into politics. KB could not resist
putting forth the question on his entry into politics. “I don’t know,
it’s in the hands of Almighty,” was all Rajini would say. He has said
it before and he said it again.
Though several initial questions were simple and
hilarious, some of them were hard-hitting, and Rajinikanth handled them
all in his own inimitable style and was candid speaking to his mentor
and guru. Asked to name his favorite political leader, Rajini came up
with the surprising name of Lee Kuan Yew, a former Prime Minister of
Singapore.
When Balachander asked him whether stardom had robbed him
of his privacy, the Billa star said, “Undoubtedly yes! I want to be a
simple person as Sivaji Rao and go around like a common man. It is the
price I pay for my stardom! I have become a victim of circumstances. I
miss my private life.” Asked how he would repay millions of Tamils and
the Tamil film industry that has elevated him to the status of the
‘Superstar’, Rajinikanth replied, “I will do what would make them
proud.”
Though the Enthiran actor said that he is not keen to
direct films, he admitted that his heart lies in theatre. When KB asked
Rajini if he would act in his stage drama Major Chandrakanth scheduled
for next April, he said humbly, “If my mentor feels he can cast me, I
will be fit and ready. I am game for it”.
Is he ever likely to pen his autobiography? “I have no
plans of penning an autobiography now. It has to be an honest one and I
feel in that process I may end up hurting some people. Here, sir (KB)
referred to Gandhiji’s autobiography. When I get the kind of wisdom
like Gandhiji, I may think of writing my autobiography,” Rajini said.
Referring to his recent hit Enthiran, which is slated to
reach unprecedented heights, he said, “I still have a long way to go.”
Asked to name his all-time favorite film in his career spanning 154
films, he promptly said, “Baasha, Sri Raghavendra and Enthiran.”
An ardent fan of Balachandar, he said he watched his
mentor’s films Aval Oru Thodar Kadhai at least 8 times and Arangetrram
12 times. Asked which are the people he envies most, Rajini at once
said, “People who live in peace in the Himalayas.” He also revealed
that the sad moments in his life included the time he lost his father.
Asked whether he would go the way of the Bollywood star
and friend Amitabh Bachchn and do films aiming at winning the national
award, the actor said, “It’s in the hands of my directors. Personally,
I am comfortable doing commercial movies.”
‘Private’ tidbits of guru-sishya
Love
* To a query on whether he has fallen in love with anyone while he was
a bus conductor in Bengaluru, Rajini instantly said with a smile,
‘Yes...’
* A surprised Balachandar asked him in a husky voice, ‘Your wife Lata
is here around. You tell me later on in private.’ This made Superstar
burst into laughter.
Kicking the butt
* Have you stopped smoking cigarettes asked KB. ‘No, I still smoke,’ he answered and added, ‘but I will try and quit.’
Food
* What’s your favourite food? ‘Chicken’, replied Rajini. ‘Ennayaa? If
you had said something vegetarian, I would have followed it,’ KB
jokingly remarked.
