I traveled 200 km to chase Rajinikanth’s magic in Cool First Show
Superstar Rajinikanth’s ‘Cooli’, directed by Lokesh Kanagarj, was released in theaters on 14 August. All this was planning for days, to detect logistics, and a 200+ kilometer trip which was memorable for many reasons.
In short
- Rajinikanth films are a unique carnival for Tamil cinema fans
- It was difficult to get a ticket for ‘Cool’, including planning and luck
- 6 AM traveled to the city up to 200 km for special shows
A Rajinikanth film, or Thalaor PadamNever offer only one screen. Fan or not, the adventure of seeing one – is unmatched to Rajinikanth’s way of Rajinikanth with the pulsed music of Deva to the prestigious title roll -ut. For Tamil cinema fans, Thalaor Padam (Movie) is a carnival like no other.
It is not easy to watch Rajinikanth film. Forget to get a ticket for the first show; Getting tickets for the first four days is a task. This includes a comprehensive plan, after advance booking, renunciation of sleep to hold tickets at midnight, and lots of luck.
For ‘Coolie’, the craze was unprecedented. The film starred in Rajinikanth, Nagarjuna, Saubin Shahir, Aamir Khan, Satyaraj and Upendra. Lokesh Kanagarj, 100 percent box office success rate – a Kamal Haasan fan – Rajinikanth’s direction. Add it to the songs of Anirudh Ravichender, which collect thousands of scenes and currents on many platforms.
Two days before the morning show, my tickets for ‘Cool’ were not confirmed till August 12. I asked my friends to look for a ticket in Chennai for 9 pm show – first in Tamil Nadu. It was being sold in black for Rs 600 in black, one of the oldest theaters in the city. But at 9 am, a Rajinikanth was too late for the film. This left me with just one option – I had to secure the ticket for the 6 -AM show, no matter what.
My journalism tendency was kicked, and after coming in contact with a former journalist, I called the owner of SJ Cinematic Srinivasa in the city, Andhra Pradesh, and asked him to keep some tickets for me and my friends. We all had the same goal – Thalaor’s first show to watch Padam,
The owner and his manager agreed, but had a hold. They were still waiting for the official order from the Andhra Pradesh government. So, the wait continued. So much so that it came on the evening of August 12, and the advance booking finally opened at 6 pm, only for it to be sold within minutes. Thankfully, the manager separated the number of tickets I asked him. This also meant that I would not be able to hold tickets physically before the show.
The theater is 200+ kilometers from Chennai, and with a schedule for 6 am, you need to leave the city at 2.30–3. When I arranged for my friends, they took care of logistics. On August 14, I felt it unstable before the clock 12 clock. But, I needed to calm down and get a few hours of sleep, so I did not do later. Well, the problems of a person who needs seven hours of sleep!
We finally decided to use Uber fare to book our car, and it came fast at 2.30 pm. At 3 o’clock, my friend and I left, to watch the film of the year to travel to the city in Andhra Pradesh. How can a road journey be completed without destroying the songs of Anirudh Ravichendar, especially when he surprised all of us with a Benger album? The playlist then replaced the gems of Yuvu Shankar Raja, Harris Jayaraj and AR Rahman. As we enjoyed the songs, shared indifferent stories (some scary) and hypnotized us for the film.
About two hours later, and commenting on our driver’s final destination-level drive, we arrived at the theater. Around 5 o’clock in the morning, the gates were opened, and the manager please handed us the ticket, which we wished to enjoy the screening.
Suddenly, the watches slowed down and looked so far till 6 o’clock. Two cups of tea and nibling on some snacks, we entered the theater, took our seats to get ready for Param Thalaor Dharisanam (Sight of Thalaor).
The watch hit 6 o’clock in the morning, and the iconic title card with Blue Dots and the name appeared – ‘Rajni’, as well as with the music of the deity. Screams, some shouts, some whistles, some clapping, but all expressed their happiness. Despite the events going for the film, the events that go to the film can easily make for a film.
Here’s video:
The ‘Coolie’ was a satisfactory watch or not, ready to debate. But seeing the public’s man Rajinikanth, flip his signature cigarette, piercing gaze, spontaneous hair flip, dance, and some punchline surround my entire childhood. I enjoyed Rajinikanth and had brilliantly performed de-world sequences, but the film, completely, was at all places.
For me, watching ‘Coolie’ special shows was memorable in many ways. This began as love for my job and ended in love for a man – Thalaor – the man who shaped our film -looking experience for decades.
