But Rajni was adamant wanting to be cast opposite her after she excused herself because of date problems on four earlier occasions. So he phoned good friend, the Big B, and asked father-in-law to lean on his bahu. At the music launch of the film in Kuala Lumpur, Rajni was like an infatuated teenager, “You’ll never be able to see a beauty like Aishwarya in our generation.” But people in TN are not impressed. For them it is Rajni all the way. V. Thiyagarajan, a businessman from Pollachi, says, “She might end up looking older than him. He is the same, netru, indru, naalai (yesterday, today and tomorrow).”
Rajni is not known to go from studio to studio where reality shows are being taped or giving interviews on every aspect of his character and he is not doing it this time either. His star presence for the music launches, whether in Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai or Hyderabad was enough. He is hoping that his wide fan base will do the rest.
The Oracle Speaks
Before fans gave their verdict (“awesome”, “rocking”) after seeing the trailers, here’s a sign that Endhiran will make the cash registers ring. After seeing the first rushes of the film, Rajni is believed to have told Shankar, “The film will do well.” Five more reassuring and loaded words were never spoken by a star to his director. In the urban legend that Rajni has become, if that was his verdict it would have to be true because he knows. Sandhya Raman, a Communications Professional, and a huge Rajni fans remembers – “He did not give this verdict after seeing Kuselan (director: P Vasu) and Padiyappa (director: K S Ravikumar). Both films flopped at the box office.”
Another good sign is that people waited ages to see the trailer of the film in different towns across the state. “I am getting impatient after I saw the trailer. I can’t wait to see the film,” said Karnan, a Rajni fans’ association functionary in Tiruchi. In Thoothukudi, the box containing the trailer reel was taken in a procession on a caparisoned elephant through the town, accompanied by a band playing music while a chariot was used to transport the trailer in Coimbatore! So, when it comes to Rajni excess is the bottomline.