A day with my demigod - SUPER STAR RAJINIKANTH

7th May, 1992 - This day happened to be the most important and unforgettable day of my life, when I met my Demi-God, Super Star Rajinikanth. I was a 7 year old kid then, when this happened. I was happily spending my vaccation in chennai with my parents. Everybody in my family knew that I am a big time Rajini fan and even in that age I never miss to watch any of his movies in theatres. As for every other fan, it was like a dream for me to meet the legendary Super Star and pose for a photograph with him. Thanks to Sethu mama for having made that happen!!

He is a photographer by profession and though he is not into cinema, fortunately for me, he was in touch with the "Kavithalaya" production house which belongs to the veteran director K.Balachander. Knowing that am a frenzied fan of the super star, he took interest to arrange a meeting with him by taking the help of his friends working in the "Kavithalaya" unit.

Before I pen down the incident, I should explain why I chose to write about it now, after about 16 years. It is needless to explain about the intensity of that incident, which was one of the rarest moment of my lifetime and the impact it had was absolutely unimaginable. As I mentioned earlier, it happened during my 3rd standard vacation. I had about a month for the school to re-open. Unlike other times, I was so keen to go to the school and share my joy and ofcourse show the autograph and the photograph to every one and relish it. That was a typical school kid's attitude! It had an impact not only with me, but also with my family members as well. My parents and my grandmother also accompanied me during the visit. Not just me, they were also pretty thrilled about this and we just kept on talking about this for so many years! Now, just when I get to interact with so many fellow fans, I felt that it is necessary to share that ultimate moment with them.

Back to the main track - It came in as a pleasant shock when I was told to get ready to meet the super star in less than an hour. Hurriedly, I purchased an autograph book and started. My parents and my grandma also accompanied me with my uncle and we were travelling to the place where the shooting was taking place. The shooting was happening somewhere in the outskirts of chennai, in a big bungalow. When we entered the bungalow, we saw the man himself sitting in a sofa alongside with Janagaraj in the break time of the shooting. I was undergoing a mixture of emotions. I was extremely happy and at the same time, I was very nervous - a typical feeling that comes when you are extremely overwhelmed and it was hard to believe the reality! Immediately when he saw my parents coming towards him, he stood up, paired his hands together and said "vanakkam". This is no big surprise as everyone knows the humbleness and simplicity of this great man, but even then my parents were awestruck by this gesture. I hardly spoke anything to him as I was shy and stood near my mom. It was my grandma who introduced me to him as his die-hard fan. He smiled at me and asked my name, when I gave him my autograph book. He wrote my name on it and autographed it and gave it back to me, with a gentle tap on my cheeks. I was so dumb that I didnot even care to smile at Janagaraj or get his autograph as I remained there staring at the super star.

"Shot ready" was the call from the director Suresh Krishna and he wasted no time in moving towards the spot. It was my first experience to watch a cinema shooting and I was anxiously waiting to see it. There was a small room in the front side of that bungalow, out of which a board saying "Mahalakshmi bank" was hung. They shot the scene where Rajini collects money from the bank, ties up in his towel and stands up to stare at the camera, which also happens to be the beginning of the "Vetri Nichayam" song. It didnot take much time to shoot that scene and it was "okay"ed by the director in a couple of takes.

When he came out of that room, my uncle went near him and requested for a photograph with me. I was again tensed and stood beside my mom. Immediately after my uncle requested him, he showed no hesitation and said, "Ya, sure..." and even called me by my name and gently pulled my hand towards him, hugged from behind and elegantly posed for the photograph. It all happened in a flash! After the camera was clicked, he went on for shooting the next scene. It was truly amazing that he remembered my name and showed great respect to my parents despite being such a big super star.

This was the ultimate moment! Could you see the director Suresh Krishna "out of focussed" at the background?

It was like a dream come true and I apologize to the readers since am finding it really tough to narrate my emotions. It not only made my day but also made me more popular in my neighbourhood, school and among relatives. Even today, I am proud to show this photograph to everyone and I would continue to do it until I get to meet him again and take another photograph with him. This time - me hugging him!