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With the stupendous success of Chandramukhi, Rajinikanth has won the who’s-number-one star wars in Tamil cinema. A stick of tobacco, a Japanese car, nimble hand-eye coordination, five odd minutes of screen time – that’s all it took for Rajinikanth to make the move from supporting mate to star material. Kamalahasan – okay, Kamal Haasan – may have been the lead of K Balachander’s Ninaithaale Inikkum, but it was Rajini who was its livewire. Whether swaying to Sambo Siva Sambo, or comically pursuing a mysterious female admirer, or, yes, trying to win a Toyota by flipping a cigarette repeatedly into his mouth, it was Rajini who shone – or should that be twinkled, considering, with this performance, he set himself well on course to becoming a star? And then Murattu Kaalai-Paayum Puli happened, and his fame hit the stratosphere. And then Annamalai-Baasha-Padayappa came out, and his (super) star ascended to the heavens. And then Baba happened, and he fell dizzyingly to earth. People began to question the relevance of Rajinikanth in the era of younger stars who, if not after his mantle, were certainly after his masses – the crowds that threw coins, confetti, themselves on screen upon the first glimpse of their hero. With Vijay labelling himself Ilaya Thalapathy (after one of Rajini’s movies), with Simbu calling himself Little Super Star, with Sarath Kumar becoming Supreme Star, with Ajith being hailed as Ultimate Star, was there any space in the Kollywood skies for the original Super Star? Or had he become Rajini Can’t? No one’s asking such questions today – for after the phenomenal success of Chandramukhi, the Rajinikanth household is handing out not only sweets, but also generous slices of humble pie to all the doubting Thangavelus. After forty days of release, tickets are still being sold in black. Says producer AVM Saravanan, “In four weeks, it’s grossed more than what Padayappa made in its entire run. And this, despite the fact that Chandramukhi has no punch dialogues, no political references, no typical Rajini-style moments. Yet, the repeat audiences are pouring in.” ‘Sathyajothi’ Thyagarajan, President, Tamil Film Producers Council, confirms, “I’ve talked to all trade associations in the state, and the collections are enormous. Families have taken to Chandramukhi in a big way. And I guess everyone is happy because we all want Rajini to do well.” Doing well he certainly is. His earnings from the movie – salary, plus profit percentage – are reportedly in the Rs 15 crore range, and that’s just so far. The rights for each area in Tamil Nadu were reportedly sold for Rs 2.5 crore, and revenues to date (per area) have crossed Rs 3 crore, which means Chandramukhi has already made something like Rs 60 crore across the state. In the words of Swaroop Reddy, Director of Chennai’s upscale Sathyam Cinemas, “This is the best movie as far as box office is concerned in the Tamil industry till date, and it cannot be compared to any other film. So far, it is amongst the top 10 highest grossing movies in the history of Sathyam Cinemas, and its position can only strengthen from here on. We expect Chandramukhi to play for more than 100 days.” That’s in Chennai – but it’s doing well in its Telugu dubbed version (better than original Telugu releases), it’s doing well in Karnataka, it’s doing well in Malaysia, and if it isn’t doing well in Japan, it’s only because it wasn’t released there. (A few faithfuls, however, made it all the way to Chennai to catch their sensei in action.) It’s a bigger grosser than even Baasha, and it’s become something of a tonic to an ailing industry. In an interview, K Muralidharan, Former President, Tamil Film Producers Council, has said, “I’ve often been asked why we keep producing movies, when the success rate is so low. That’s because we all want to experience a Chandramukhi in our lives.” And to think the movie almost wasn’t made. After Baba’s no-show, if all had gone well, we’d have seen something named Jaggubhai. Director KS Ravikumar worked on Rajinikanth’s idea, but nothing came of it finally. (Industry gossip is that the story had political leanings, which became irrelevant after recent electoral turnarounds.) So when the star was on the lookout for new material, he chanced upon Aapthamithra, a Kannada blockbuster headlined by Vishnuvardhan, which was based on the Malayalam superhit Manichitrathazhu. He liked the subject enough to remake it, and he’s now remaking box-office history. Still, there’s a section that feels too much is being made of Chandramukhi’s success. After all, it didn’t have much competition. (The films that released alongside – Vijay’s Sachein and Kamal Haasan’s Mumbai Xpress – have both performed below expectations.) Also, it wasn’t as hyped as Baba was. Besides, aren’t hits and flops part of a performer’s profession? Is this really a comeback for Rajinikanth or is it just a case of yet another mass movie finding its mass audience? As film historian Theodore Baskaran puts it, “In the career trajectory of a star, ups and downs are not unusual. These cannot be termed as exits or returns. It is the content and the quality of her/his movies and the principles the actor stands for which would determine his/her place in the cultural history of a society. Look at the way NS Krishnan is remembered in the Tamil-speaking world today.” Forget about remembering NS Krishnan. Some fans are wondering if this is how Rajinikanth, their hero, wants to be remembered – for comedy that reduces women to sex objects, and for playing someone who isn’t a superhero as much as a supporting character in the larger scheme of the film. (Jyothika has the titular role, and comedian Vadivelu has almost as many scenes as does Rajini.) But these fans needn’t lose heart. After this success, their idol has apparently decided to appear on screen more frequently – there were three-year gaps between Padayappa and Baba, and between Baba and Chandramukhi – and, news is already making rounds that he’s looking at a remake of the Amitabh Bachchan-Akshay Kumar tearjerker Waqt. Now there’s a role people should be happy to see the Super Star in, and there’s a movie that could well consolidate his winning streak – for, as the showbiz saying goes, make the audience cry, and you’ll laugh all the way to the bank.