Thalaivar padamum Thiruttu VCD-kalum

Anbulla Rajinikant – That’s the name of the thalaivar movie I first watched in a thiruttu format. Those days of VCR’s and VCP’s only the rich had the privilege of having an idiot’s box and the entertainment box combined at their houses. All other underprivileged like me had to wait for an odd grandfather or grandmother to kick the bucket so that the whole of the extended family came together under one roof. Sobbing for a day or two, planning the next couple and renting a VCR and a few cassettes the 5th day. Me being a thoroughbred Madurai guy, I always preferred the Rajini movies to the Kadhal Illavarasan movies. “I don’t want to watch those Jetty aunties” my favourite line about kamal films – About his short lingerie vamps was the comment.

I liked action, the thalaivar way.

So when we decided we would watch the latest Rajini movie in town “Anbulla Rajinikant” was when my grandmother did kick the bucket. This was only a couple of times after she tried kicking the bucket but only managed to break either her leg or back. For me it was fun watching my hero’s movie just weeks after it hit the theaters, I could go back to school proudly proclaiming that I saw the new Rajini movie not in the theater but at the comfort of home. I’m sure I missed the popcorn and cone ice.

It didn’t take time for me to realise that thalaivar padam is fun if and only if you went to a theater and saw his majestic moves on a big screen. I then swore to myself that I wouldn’t watch a thalaivar padam in the idiot box any further, I would go to the theatre. Sure it was good, great fun watching thalaivar on a big monstrous screen.

The next thalaivar movie I saw in a thiruttu VCD was Baba while most of us would be of agreement that this particular thalaivar movie was not even worth watching, forget the means. But even then I didn't get a feeling of completion, I missed something in that movie. Probably the grandeur of the big screen.

I have since made good use of the idiot box to watch the odd midnight masala and the x rated movies when my folks weren’t around.

So… the big screen is for watching the thalaivar movies, the small idiot box and VCD players are place for the odd “ENTERTAINMENT” videos to play.