Tamil Nadu icon, Superstar Rajinikanth, is proven to be doing quite alright after his recent visit to the ICU. I couldn't help but laugh a little as all the major headlines read; Rajini ate a vada, two idlis and homemade plantain rasam. Well, now all the die-hard fans can follow that diet regime as well! Don't get me wrong, Rajini has clearly niched a name for himself and I do support him, but am I going to freak out if he gets an infection?! No! And nor should anyone else. As Latha Rajnikanth so aptly put, "Please understand that Rajini also has a body and is prone to infections like everybody else." So people, please calm down, nothing is going on!
On that note, let’s look at Eros International and Ocher Picture Productions (Soundarya Rajinikanth's Production Company) latest endeavor, Rana, a historically-based, upcoming film of Rajini's. A fact that's driving the fans insanely excited is that Rajini is to star in 3 roles. Triple the fun! Also, I must say, the 17th century get-up does suit him. Well the question is on our minds, who is Rajini going to beg to be his co-star this time?
It looks like the Hindi co-stars are going to be a trend. However, this time, they picked an actress who can actually act! Surprising…as there's a limited supply of those now-a-days. Deepika Padukone is a model/actress staring in many Hindi films. She is best known for her dual role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in hit-film Om Shanthi Om. Rana will be her second film in the Tamil Industry, her debut being Snegithiye (2000). She has been recognized for her versatility and grace on stage. Let's hope she shoulders more than grace on the big screen.
The film will also star Sonu Sood and Ganja Karuppu. Sonu Sood is well recognized in the Bollywood field. He is seen in Jodhaa Akbar as Prince Sujamal and in Chandramukhi as Oomayan. He is ready to pair with Rajini again in Rana, though his exact role in the movie is still quite unclear. Ganja Karuppu needs no intro to Tamilians. He is a well-known comedian, unique for his accented..erm..wisdom.
The director of the film is K.S Ravikumar; the duo, having created masterpieces before, Rana has high expectations. R. Rathnavelu was specially chosen by Rajinikanth as the film's cinematographer, after the two worked together in their prior venture, Enthiran. Rajeevan was signed up as art director and S. Ramakrishnan was signed up as the film's dialogue writer. Anthony and A. R. Rahman, who were also part of the Enthiran team, were signed up as the film's editor and composer, respectively. Although Enthiran was successful in India, and to me, it just felt like the Tamil remake of the Terminator, it seems like Rana has to top all that off. Enthiran was more of a Shankar film than a Rajini one and Rana is proclaimed to be the perfect 'Rajini movie'. Well, so was Baba, and we all know how that went.
So, maybe I'm giving Rajinikanth a hard time, but that’s only because to me, Enthiran was just a big disappointment. With the arrival of Dasavatharam , Sivaji became 'dhuuusi'. And of course Kuselan was just...need I say more? With such flat movies, Rajini hasn't been quite that impressive. I feel that he is capable of much, much more (take a look at Thillu Mullu if you don’t believe me). Maybe it's time for him to retire and let his son-in-law take over (National award for Dhanush?! Woww!), but that’s another story for another time. Either way, Rana will show us if the Superstar is still shining.
