Chennai does it every time a Rajinikanth film hits screens. , the first film to release after the superstar announced his political entry, was no different.
I had a sleepless Wednesday night, dreaming of watching thalaivar on the big screen and imagining the scenes outside the theatre. There's no way I could sleep the night before such a big release, I figured.
I knew that the pre-release buzz wasn’t exactly great. The marketing of the film in Chennai was surprisingly low key, a stark contrast to Kabali. Theatres had tickets during the opening weekend, which is a rarity for a superstar film.
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But all that didn't matter. It is, after all, a Rajini film.
And so I woke up, wide eyed, at 2 am to get ready for the first day first show (FDFS) of Kaala. As luck would have it, the theatre I had tickets for —Vetri Cinemas at Chromepet —was very far off...but I rode, wind on my face.
Chennai is a strange creature in the mornings. As I rode past huge tankers, I recalled all my memorable Rajini FDFS experiences. Catching Baba at an early morning show at Thyagaraja (before it became S2 Thyagaraja) with a random group of fans. Watching Endhiran at 4 am at AGS Villivakkam, unable to catch the dialogues due to the din of crackers outside. Looking forward to Lingaa at 5 am and being disappointed that entire day. And then, Kabali and ‘Neruppu Da'... so many early morning dates with the superstar.
My name is Rajinikanth
Kaala was another such special affair. The film notwithstanding, it's sheer joy to watch the man on the big screen. In Kaala, he rocks three varied emotions —love, anger and comedy. He makes sleepless nights and drowsy early mornings worth it.