Experience of watching preview show of Rajinikanth's Sivaji...

In the last week of Feb '07 I went to US for a 3 months official trip. I was very happy for the fact that I can watch Sivaji in US itself (As the initial date for the release was April 12th or 15th). So I was enquiring on where normally tamil movies would be aired and the way to get tickets etc.,

Unfortunately the movie got postponded quite a few times for various reasons known only to Rajinikanth, AVM and director Shankar.

In the end my return date was confirmed as May 21st '07. I was following www.rajinifans.com regularly to keep me updated on Sivaji news :)

After coming back to India I didn't have plans to watch the movie on the first day. It's because I normally hate watching any movie on the first day as it would too crowded and the fans would go crazy inside the theatre and would make it difficult for us to understand the dialogues. When Rajinikanth's movie BABA was released few years back I got tickets for the first day first show in Rohini complex (Koyembedu) via my friend Rameesh Ramachandran. But my wife was too adament that I should not go on the first day so I informed Rameesh to go along with somebody else :(

Coming back to current affairs :) When Sivaji's release date was announced as June 15th almost everyone of my friends were keen in finding a source by which they can grab a ticket. I also wanted to watch the movie on the first day but as usual didn't try for anything presuming that it would be too crowded to go and stand in a queue.

On June 14th my manager asked me whether I am interested in watching Sivaji on the same day evening show in Albert theatre!!! I first thought he is just kidding as the movie is about to get released the next day only (June 15th). But on further enquiry I came to know that a day before preview shows would be normally shown (majorly for Fan clubs) and he has managed to get 2 tickets. Wow it was a pleasant surprise to me and somehow I managed to get permission from my wife this time lol.

The actual show timing was 9.45 PM. So we both left in a two wheeler to Albert theatre at 9PM. We were there by 9.20 PM and the entire road was flooded with Rajini Fans :) Man I was getting prepared to experience a preview of Rajinikanth's movie for the first time. The theatre security didn't allow our vehicle inside the complex. We were informed that we need to park the vehicle on the road only for now. Later we can park it inside few minutes before the show starts. I was fine with that idea!! (because its my managers vehicle hehe) and so parked the vehicle near a tea stall which is just opposite to the theatre. When we entered the theatre I was shocked to see the notice board there. It read, the first show which was about to start by 6.30 PM has started only by 8.15PM. Which means our show will start by 11PM or so. We had no other go than to watch what's happening around us within the theatre complex till the show starts.

We saw few guys climbing through the advertisement racks and pouring 'Milk' on the banners of Rajinikanth. Next I saw three guys with lungi who climbed on the advertisement rack and a big rope was thrown from the ground to them. Only then i realised that these guys have climbed up to place a new 'Rajinikanth' banner there. It wasn't as easy as I was thinking. The rope got cut twice and the guys standing below somehow managed to catch hold of the banner without tearing it.

Though I have heard pouring 'Milk' on Rajinikanth banners it was very odd for me to see and digest it in reality. Why should these guys spend their money and pour milk on a banner which goes totally waste to the ground? In many movies/functions Rajinikanth himself has said 'first take care of your parents / house'. I don't know when these guys would realise that!

Apart from these the fans who were standing outside the theatre were electrifying. The tea shops and the hotels opposite to the theatre where open all through the night. We went there to drink a coffee for the sake of killing time. The road was crowded and it was very noisy too. I didn't feel like its 11PM. It was as if I am standing in the road during afternoon :)

Somehow we managed to kill time till 11.30PM but there were no signs of our show getting started. It got delayed... delayed....delayed and at last they opened the doors for us to enter and by the time I managed to locate and sit on my seat it was 1AM. Just when I entered 'Rajinikanth' was climbing down the escalator in the airport. Man to watch him on a theatre after a long gap was really great :)

The song 'Ballelakka' was really good. As I was thinking all these days I wasn't able to watch the movie peacefully. Fans where shouting, dancing and even fighting among themself!

All the songs (lyrics, music and coreography) where excellent. There were lots of scenes in the movie which I like very much. For ex:

1. The punch dialogue which he speaks 'Kanna panninga dhan Kootama Varum ... Singam single'a dhan varum'.
2. The sequence done in a Tea stall where Rajinikanth and Summan (Villan) discusses about Summan's illegal wealth.
3. All the scenes in which he comes with 'Mottai' :)
4. The way he said 'Pera kettalley chumma adhirudhulla' :)
5. Nayendara (who acted as heroine in Chandramukhi) came for the dance number 'Ballelakka' was looking cute (actually cuter than Shreya. I would have loved if she had done the role of heroine.).
etc.,

Overall I felt that the first half was full of comedy (but slightly dragging) and the second half was fast moving. Punch dialogues were great but it would have been awesome if those punches have come from Rajinikanth himself. Rajinikanth rocks as usual and I loved this movie more than 'Badsha'.