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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 welcomed the audience and presented silver javelins - 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
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