|
Book Review
Legendary star
SAVITHA GAUTAM
|
Rags-to-riches story of a bus conductor’s meteoric rise to superstardom
|
THE NAME IS RAJINIKANTH: Gayathri Sreekanth; Om Books International, 4379/4B, Prakash House, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 495.
Biographies of film stars invariably generate curiosity and if the film star in question happens to be Rajinikanth, the curiouser it gets. It’s this interest factor which could make one pick up this Gayathri Sreekanth’s biography of the superstar of Tamil cinema. Told in typical filmi style, the narrative moves back and forth in time to tell the rags-to-riches story of a man whose star power is legendary.
Magical transformation
The story of the magical transformation of bus conductor Shivaji Rao Gaekwad into actor Rajinikanth has been told many times before. His not-too-happy childhood, his reaction to his mother’s death when he was just nine, his fun-filled school days, his first brush with the stage, his years of struggle before he got his first break thanks to the shrewd eyes of director K. Balachander and his rise to superstardom… there’s all this and more in minute detail. The book is a result of many interviews Gayathri conducted with the actor’s family, friends and colleagues. However, there is hardly anything new that tries to throw light on the enigma that is Rajinikanth. What’s more, readers will be sorely disappointed as there are no interviews with the actor himself, though his “blessings” are there.
Opposite facets
There are some interesting moments, though. The first meeting between Shivaji Rao and K. Balachander makes for a good read. Similarly, Shivaji’s enchantment with his mirror image (this was during his Film Institute days) reveals his obsession to act. On the other side, one is witness to his spiritual quest and the journey of self-discovery. Two complete opposite facets of the man. For some spice, one can read about how, as a young student, Lata captured Rajini’s heart during their first meeting, and of course, the relationship with his neighbour, J. Jayalalithaa.
There is an assortment of black and white and colour photographs, some film stills and others from the family album. Sadly, none of them has captions. So, a non-Tamil or for that matter a Tamil reader with not much film knowledge will never know what the pictures are all about! The reader is bound to expect a well-edited copy for the price he pays. If only some care had been taken to polish the book…!
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Book Review
|
