Chandramukhi - A Post-mortem

[Pic Courtesy Kumudham]

Its official. Chandramukhi is a mega blockbuster. It recently crossed 50 days at all 170 theatres it was released in and is well on its way to being the biggest Tamil hit of all time. It is breaking records(in most cases set by Rajni's previous hit Padaiyappa) several times over and has come as a boost to a film industry starved of megahits (Yes, I did have a wide grin on my face as I typed this paragraph!).

In recent interviews to both Kumudham[registration required] and The Hindu, a visibly(and obviously) happy Rajnikanth talked briefly about Chandramukhi's unprecedented success. With characteristic humility, he attributed the success to P.Vasu, his co-stars and the script. But since he controlled almost every aspect of the film, Rajni deserves to claim a major part of its success. IMO, the film's success is as much a testimony to his business sense as it is to his staying power and charisma.

After rejecting several stories, Rajni zeroed in on one that was very different from the stories in his recent movies. It had a hint of the supernatural, which is always a popular subject. And it had been well-tested since it had spawned hit movies in two languages. His primary reason in selecting the story was that it held broad appeal for all sections of the audience.

His choice of the director was even more surprising. P.Vasu has been out of the limelight recently and has not given a hit in a long time. The fact that even Suresh Krissna, who had directed three of his biggest hits, could not deliver a hit with Baba pointed to Rajni going with one of the new crop of directors. But Rajni's choice of P.Vasu was based on the fact that he had been behind the camera for the superhit Kannada version and they shared a good rapport, having given three hits before.

But he did not do the same with respect to the cast. He has always had a soft corner for comedians Koundamani and Senthil and usually went with one of them in his movies. P.Vasu's success with Koundamani also pointed to him being in CM. But Rajni selected Vadivelu, who is easily the most popular comedian at the moment.

Rajni's lack of attention to his appearance was commented upon very critically in Baba. He made sure he didn't repeat the same mistake again. He gave everyone what they expected from him with a youthful look and designer clothes in every scene in CM.

While hype is unavoidable for a Rajnikanth film, he made sure that the hype surrounding CM did not reach the insane levels it did for Baba. A major reason for this was the lack of secrecy surrounding the production. Apart from an official website, stills from the film were freely available and stars associated with the film were candid in their numerous interviews.

Politically, Rajni staved off all controversies by making sure that no one would be offended by CM. Though it would deprive him of some trademark styles, he did not smoke in the entire film. This warmed PMK's heart, avoiding the incidents(snatching of the film rolls, protests at theaters, etc.) that marked Baba's release. Politically-tinged dialogs, a staple of all his recent films, were completely dispensed with too. There were no thinly veiled dialogs about whats gonna happen tomorrow nor were there pointed dialogs that left no one in doubt as to who they were aimed at! This was an actor who was at peace with everyone, whatever their political leanings.

Rajnikanth had a lot, including his very relevance in today's cinema that is dominated by much younger stars, at stake with CM. In the end, all his calculations and planning seem to have paid off richly (Kootti Kazhichu Paathaa Kanakku Ellaam Sariya Vandhiduchu :-) Now he can sit back, relax and enjoy the accolades!