Topic started by kr (@ lunar.zapsurf.com.sg) on Wed May 16 02:45:37 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

In Thennali silver jubille function, Rajini informed the crowd that Kamal is senior than him in acting and therefore they both willing act if kamal request for it.

For more info, click into:
http://www.thinaboomi.com/head/15raj7.htm

Responses:

• From: Mano (@ www2.itd.uts.edu.au) on: Thu May 24 18:34:29
  
  Super Star and the burning question
  
  It was a grand function to celebrate the 175th
  day of successful running of Kamal's Tenali,
  directed by K.S. Ravikumar, on 15th May. The
  function had a few surprises. First, it was
  presided over by two celebrities. The first one
  of them is anyone's guess - Kamal himself and
  the second one was a pleasant surprise -
  none other than the Super Star Rajinikanth
  himself. Another surprise was that the Super
  Star who has been silent for more than a year -
  even when the elections were round the corner, when he would usually come out with his opinion on whom to vote for - spoke for a considerably long time in the function.
  
  He carefully avoided politics in his speech and his speech was mostly based on what Kamal said that there should be no room for jealousy or rivalry among artistes.
  
  Surprisingly, he spoke on Sri Lankan problem and gave a surprising reason for that in is speech, thus completing the bundle of surprises that he had for the audience as well as his fans.
  
  'Kamal said there should not be any rivalry or jealousy among artistes,' said Rajini by way of opening his speech and continued.
  'For me my film Padayappa would rival Batcha and another would rival Padayappa. And for Kamal, his Dhevar Magan would rival Nayagan and Tenali would rival. Dhevar Magan. There is therefore no question of rivalry between actors. Jealousy. ah yes. you can't wipe it away completely forever from our country. It is there in politics. Why it is even there in the water that you drink.'
  he said amidst laughter.
  
  Rajini was in a reflective mood. He fondly recollected the old memories and experiences with Kamal. 'There has never been any rivalry between the two of us. Never. When I made my entry in Apoorva Raagangal, Kamal was a Super Star already. Kamal would take me in his bike in the pillion in a scene in Apoorva Raagangal. I did not know Tamil then and I asked him in English, 'Are you really good at riding the bike?' 'Oh yes he said and added, 'I won't let you fall, even if I do.' And he has not made me fall, till this day.'
  
  'It was in 1984 that I took a decision to give up acting and join the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement. Kamal came running to me and sat with me for more than an hour and advised me against my decision. I resumed acting because of his advice.
  Similarly, I started acting in Hindi movies as a second or a third hero. It was Kamal once again who advised me to stop acting in such roles and I stopped acting in Hindi. It was he who told me that our films should not be released at the same time. 'The amity prevailing between us should prevail among our fans too,' said he. And I
  accepted that valuable point. I am elder to Kamal by four or five years. But Kamal is my senior. Some of the speakers here remarked that we both should work together in a movie. I am ready to do so, if he gives the go by.'
  
  'Kamal has spoken Sinhalese in this movie so very well. (Abdul Hameed, who compered, intervened and clarified that it was not Sinhalese and was Sri Lankan Tamil, particularly the dialect spoken in Yaazhpaanam that Kamal spoke in Tenali.)
  
  The problems that we are facing are nothing before what Sri Lankan Tamils are going through. They are going through unimaginable difficulties.'
  
  And Rajini narrated an anecdote from Siva Purana. 'Parvathi wanted to have a palace for herself and asked Parameshwara to give her one like
  what Lakshmi and Saraswati had. But Parameshwara was not for it. He told her, 'Palaces are not for us. Only the hills and burning ghats are the places that befit us.' But Parvathi was insistent and wanted to have a palace surrounded by water
  on all four sides. And they called Ravana who was an expert in all the four Vedas to preside over the housewarming (or should we say palace-warming or island-warming?) ceremony. He conducted the ceremony so very well that Parvathi was pleased and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. Ravana wanted to have Lanka for himself. And She had to give it to him.
  
  But she cursed at that time that 'Let this palace be burning always.' That's why Sri Lanka is burning right from those days. What Sri Lanka needs now is peace and non-violence,' said Rajini.
  
  Other speakers included Kamal, Jothika, Devayani, Charilie, Madan Bap, S.P. Muthuraman and R. P. Choudhry.
  
  K. S. Ravikumar welvcomed the audience and presented silver vel five or six feet long - to Kamal and Rajini. And then he let the cat
  out of the bag. 'It was Rajini who gave the name 'Tenali' to this movie.'
  
  - Tamilmagan
  Translated by Hari Krishnan
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: surabi (@ adsl-138-89-99-247.nnj.adsl.bellatlantic.net) on: Thu May 24 19:58:26
  
  good translation
  
  
• From: GV (@ hse-london-ppp245493.sympatico.ca) on: Thu May 24 20:23:54
  
  http://www.the-hindu.com/2001/05/25/stories/09250228.htm
  
  
• From: Ganesh (@ spider-mtc-th071.proxy.aol.com) on: Thu May 24 20:29:46
  
  ulagamellam "Siva-mayam" yenakko "marana bayam"
  "vaala bayam"
  "ungalodu pesa bayam"
  "saapida bayam"
  "chat panna bayam"
  "e-mail panna bayam"
  "computera off panna bayam"
  "off-panninaal tirumba athu velai seiyumanu bayam"
  "ippadi pala bayam"
  "payame Siva mayam"
  "ippadi payathodu mudithu-KOLVATHU.. ungal Ganesh"
  
  Nandri... Vanakkam.
  
  
  
  
• From: Ganesh (@ spider-mtc-th071.proxy.aol.com) on: Thu May 24 20:34:13
  
  sorry... solla maranthutein... intha threada yaaru inimei teraakathinga... yeanna......
  
  "Athatkum naan bayam"
  
  Bayathudaneye vedai peruvathu ungal Ganesh...
  
  
• From: Ganesh (@ spider-mtc-th071.proxy.aol.com) on: Thu May 24 20:50:44
  
  sorry again... oru vendukol....
  eppolutum enathu ORIGINAL threadaye vaasinga...
  
  ithai padittathatku romba NANDRI.
  
  
• From: Ganesh (@ spider-mtc-th071.proxy.aol.com) on: Thu May 24 20:55:28
  
  sorry again... oru vendukol....
  eppolutum enathu ORIGINAL threadaye vaasinga...
  
  ithai padittathatku romba NANDRI.
  
  
• From: kr (@ lunar.zapsurf.com.sg) on: Fri May 25 03:30:31
  
  After Thennali function, Kamal's interview:
  
  How did the function go?
  
  It went off very well. My colleague Rajnikant had come for the prize distribution. There was nostalgia in the air. Some directors suggested that the two of us in another film would be the pinnacle of star-attraction.
  
  How many films have you actually done with Rajnikant?
  
  About 10, most of them were hits, though we did have failures. We've done three films for our mentor K. Balachander. What is more, I've done guest roles in Rajni's films. I'd do anything he asks me to, no question of refusing him.
  
  Do the two of you have mutually exclusive fan clubs?
  
  The war between the two fan clubs stopped only about 10 years ago. We both told them to stop after there were stray incidents of violence on both sides. I have turned my fan club into a social service organisation.
  
  There's a marked element of Sivaji Ganesan in your performance as there is MGR in Rajnikant.
  
  In fact we both incorporate elements of both the towering personalities. I've done what you'd call MGR kind of films. Sivaji saab felt squeamish about doing out-and-out masala films. Rajni too then changed his style to play the Sivaji kind of roles. In one film he played a character that ages from six to 60. That way we've crisscrossed paths on the screen.
  
  What do you think about Rajnikant as an actor?
  
  When we were still in our 20s I asked him why he had to be so stylised on screen. He told me that it held the key to his success. I assured him my style would also be a winner... Rajni is a phenomenon too.
  
  You mean, phenomenon no. 2?
  
  No seriously, both of us were young actors who started from scratch. He was a bus conductor with acting aspirations. I was the clapper boy who got the clap in my very first film (Kamal Haasan played a character with venereal disease in his first adult role). We didn't have fathers to make movies for us. But we had the same godfather K. Balachander. Initially we were both typecast as villains. I got fed up and went away to Kerala to do Malayalam films. Then his career as a villain took off, and I returned to Chennai to pursue a career in Tamil cinema. We made our way up together. At the ``Thenali'' function Rajni pointed out that though he is four years my senior I'm his senior professionally and that he would take my advice about doing a film with me, if there is an occasion for us to star together.
  
  Are you keen on the proposal?
  
  It depends. It would be quite interesting to do a film with him. I was touched when he recalled at the function that ``Kamal never let me down''.
  
  Tell me about the comic song you've just recorded?
  
  It's a nice lighthearted song for my new film with Mouli, about a group of bachelors who talk against marriage.
  
  Singing has been an abiding passion for you, hasn't it?
  
  I've sung about 50 songs for my films beginning with one in Malayalam and one in ``Antharangam'' (Tamil). A majority of them are in Tamil. My father wanted me to be a classical vocalist. I learnt classical singing. But not to the level he would have liked. Because of acting, writing, directing and production I couldn't pursue singing seriously. Now my elder daughter Shruti is learning Hindustani classical music. She's far more serious about it than I was.
  
  Shruti is interested in a film career, isn't she?
  
  Yes she certainly is.
  
  Are you excited about another Haasan coming up in the acting field?
  
  They are already there, though they aren't my children.
  
  Who will replace you and Rajnikant?
  
  There was a time when audiences said none could replace Sivaji saab. Out of modesty he would say that his replacement would come. It took a long time for Sivaji saab to see a spark in me. He took me seriously as an actor after 17 years. I'm being realistic when I say a replacement would come. There are so many gifted new boys. And I'm eager to encourage them. Ajit came for help about makeup. I put him on to my makeup man. Now Ajit is being appreciated for his looks and performance in ``Citizen''. The impact depends on the opportunity given.
  
  You mentioned Ajit among your possible successors. Isn't he a pin-up boy?
  
  So was I in the beginning. I had to do dance sequences even if I preferred to play non-glamorous roles. I've done approximately 25 films with Sridevi and an almost equal number of roles with Sripriya. These were mostly light romantic films. The only place I could breathe easily as an actor was in Malayalam cinema. The best roles and opportunities came from Mr. Balachander. I've done about 35 films with him. Now in his 100th film featuring Madhavan I'm doing a guest role.
  
  What about Madhavan?
  
  I haven't seen much of his work. But I see real talent in Paresh Rawail.
  
  You've been around for a good 25 years as a leading man. What changes do you notice in the film industry?
  
  Very little. I'm still trying to execute those dreams that I dreamt at 19. Otherwise I think, the Tamil industry is quite stagnant. But as long as I live to tell the story, I guess I'm going to do so. My last two films ``Hey Ram'' and now ``Thenali'' have helped me bounce my ideas.
  
  How do you answer the charge that your films are very expensive?
  
  All the films that I do for outside producers are fairly within the budget. When I did ``Hey Ram'' on my own, it cost as much as Shankar's ``Hindustani,'' although ``Hey Ram'' was a bi-lingual. Every film of mine becomes an Arnold Schwarzenegger type of situation. ``Terminator 2'' has to be bigger than ``Terminator''. In between the two biggies, ``Hey Ram'' and ``Abhay'' I did ``Thenali'' which was shot in very few locations.
  
  Are your dreams getting bigger?
  
  No, for that I have to sleep longer. And I dont believe in daydreaming. But ``Marudanayagam'' remains one of my dreams. Now I can get most of the finance in India, but only if my next few films do well. Luckily portions where I'm supposed to look younger have all been shot so that my growing older would become a part of the narrative.
  
  Is it becoming progressively difficult for you to make films on your own terms?
  
  
  It's always difficult, on my own and on other's terms. But I've no complaints. I'm a pampered technocrat. I sometimes want to kneel down and thank the Lord. Film-making is not an isolated endeavour. Making a film is like fighting a war. You can lose any time. Your soldiers might fail you. Your courage might fail you.
  
  What are your expectations from your new Hindi-Tamil bi-lingual ``Abhay'' considering ``Hey Ram'' didn't work in some areas?
  
  It didnt work anywhere. Critics were kind. But ``Hey Ram'' was a commercial disaster. Yes, ``Abhay'' is meant to make good the damage. It's a different genre altogether.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• From: mara (@ 210.186.22.115) on: Sun May 27 00:46:15
  
  dear kr...
  i appreciate all ur hard work for lettin' us know the real phenomena.thanx man.keep up the good work pal..
  
  

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