The mood was set, the crowd was high on energy. People waiting in serpentine queues could be spotted from a distance.
No, this was not a queue outside an ATM machine, these were a bunch of 'enthu-cutlets' waiting to catch the FDFS (First Day First Show) of Superstar Rajinikanth's 'Darbar'.
'Darbar day', as my friends called it, meant something for the locals here. I have often received a 'shocked' response from my cousins when I used to tell them 'I have never seen a Rajini padam (film) in theatre. And why not? I would give the same reaction if a Bollywood lover said they had not seen Shah Rukh Khan's evergreen film 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.'
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The 'Rajini fever' had already begun across Chennai with cinema halls like Rohini, Kasi and Albert having special early morning screening of 'Darbar'.
Though I remained a little sceptical to watch a 2 hour 45 minutes 'mass' film, I didn't want to miss Superstar Rajinikanth's 167th film on the first day, with the mass crowd, at a local hall.
An FDFS is a big deal in Tamil Nadu. It could be Thalapathy Vijay dancing on Prabhu Deva's beats or Thala Ajith kicking some ass in a gang fight. The hardcore fans will go to any extent to catch a glimpse of their hero on the first day even if it requires them to storm the theatres at 4.00 in the morning.
Often seen with garlands and streamers, the first day is a celebration for these fans. A break from the mundane routine, an excuse to delay the chores.
Enter Thalaiva Rajinikanth
With loud screams, howls and whistles, the audience hooted as the name 'Rajini' appeared on the screen. Chants of 'Thalaiva-Thalaiva' echoed for a good 15 minutes as the crowd waited to catch Rajinikanth on the big screen after one full year.
Playing the role of Mumbai Police Commissioner Aadhithya Arunachalam, Darbar saw the actor donning khaki clothes after decades.
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'Darbar' was special for all the Rajini fans as it brought Rajinikanth and ace filmmaker AR Murugadoss together for the first time for a film banner.
As commissioner Aadithya walks through the beautiful city of Mumbai, cleaning the drug menace, falling in love with Lily (Nayanthara), enjoying life with his daughter (Nivetha Thomas) and finally getting involved in a personal brawl with Hari Chopra (Sunil Shetty), Rajini fans don't lose their energy to show their love each time he 'encountered' a goon.
'Avar chumma nadanthu ponale style daan'
Known for his style and trademark steps, the fans started jumping when they saw Thalaiva doing his signature walk on a revamped version of Rajini's 1992 film Annaamalai's music. (Some may call it as the desi version of James Bond soundtrack.) As the star dazzled in 'Chumma Khizi', Rajini couldn't hide the slight struggles he must have faced doing the steps.
A 100 per cent commercial film, Rajini did cater to his audience- the one filled with his fans. For people who have lived through Rajini's charisma, it is a ritual to catch the first show and watch the 69-year-old 'Boss' beating cops, falling for a younger female lead, delivering his classic punchlines and in the end seeking revenge for his loss.
If it wasn't for the howls, screams and whistles, one might find it a tad bit difficult to sit through Rajini's transition from a cool dad-cum-super cop, to a rogue, mad officer.
While I leave the reviewing part for the critics, personally it was a little disappointing to see something ordinary from the Rajinikanth-Murugadoss tie-up. However, my purpose there was to feel the experience and the fans didn't fail to deliver that.