It is straightforward to fit actors into clichés, and sometimes, Rajinikanth slips into that zone. The tossing of his hair backwards, the flick of a cigarette into the mouth, and lightning-quick dialogues have all grow to be a part of a template. But inside these seen exterior props resides a effective actor, who can maintain your consideration in a good close-up.

His eyes emote, and a brow twitch conveys far more than expansive two-page speeches. As the celebrity, who has seen 74 summers, turns 50 in his celluloid profession, it’s time for Chennai and the remainder of the world to welcome his newest motion flick Coolie, set to launch in theatres at present, Thursday (August 14, 2025).

The aura stays undiminished, and it’s a trait that has been in vogue since his debut in 1975. Back in Madras, then, tickets needed to be bodily purchased after standing in lengthy queues. Online gross sales, deferred OTT launch, and the digital economic system didn’t exist, and this complete tradition of carpet-bombing a movie throughout theatres was by no means practised.

Demand for an enormous movie was funnelled into 4 to 5 theatres, and Rajini’s flicks had been no exception. His followers had been the first viewers earlier than word-of-mouth drew in households, and as a movie grew throughout weeks, the Rajini-effect was there for all to see. 

At occasions, even after a fortnight, ticket gross sales remained on an upswing, and as ladies and kids thronged the midday exhibits on weekdays, present reserving counters usually displayed the ‘house-full’ board. Upset tiny tots eager on watching the movie would bawl their heads off, one child even rolled on the ground at Wellington, an iconic theatre of these days.

The promise of seeing the film on one other day hardly registered with youngsters fixated on the ‘right here and now’, whereas flustered moms had been at their wits’ finish. It was additionally a stage the place duopolies dominated, Rajini-Kamal (Haasan) being a working example. That this duo continues to be round is a testomony to their ability and longevity.

In the Nineteen Eighties, Mount Road, as Anna Salai was referred to as then, had huge movie cutouts. Rajini snarling astride a motorbike or sauntering in with a pistol in his hand had been all a part of the visible stimuli on the arterial highway that held Madras collectively.

Cut to the current, followers who grew up alongside Rajini, in addition to fashionable converts, will all be current to see how Lokesh Kanagaraj has offered the star in Coolie. To dominate the field workplace from 1975 to the current is rarely straightforward, and Rajini has accomplished that together with his inimitable swagger. Through his distinctive method, the previous Bengalurean stays a powerful thread that binds Madras and Chennai collectively.

Published – August 14, 2025 06:00 am IST

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