Chennai goes to bed at 11pm, and stays asleep till 6. The only exception is when a Rajinikanth release screens its first show at — wait for it — 4am.The absence of hype around Kaala notwithstanding, this tradition hasn’t changed.

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So, I watched frenzied fans pour litres of milk over larger-than-life cut-outs of the superstar at Chennai’s Rohini Theatre, while brightly coloured fireworks lit the sky. “We haven’t slept all night,” a beaming Rajesh clad in Rajinikanth’s signature black shirt and veshti from the film, tells me. He adds: “My shift doesn’t begin until 2pm. So, hopefully I get to whistle a lot, drain myself out, go home, get some sleep, and get to work!”

Not far away, another group of fans cut a 50-kilogram clapboard-shaped cake for the superstar, its choco-mocha flavour blending well with more black shirts — and veshtis.

“That’s why we decided to go all-black with the chocolate, and have the film’s title card as the topper,” says Arjun Singh of CK Bakery.

Passing me a slice — it’s hard to get a hold of one amidst the celebrations — he adds, “aside of the superstar himself, these film releases are about the fans. So, this is our way of joining hands with them.”

My show wasn’t until 11am at Sathyam Cinemas, which gives me just enough time to capture the morning frenzy. That meant another theatre stop — at Kasi Cinemas — to watch more Pal Abhishegams, a libation of milk, and pujas in honour of the superstar.

By the time I was done, I decided it was time I watch the film myself to see if the effort, lack of sleep, wardrobe choices, ticket bookings, milk, cake and cream was really worth it. I wasn’t disappointed.

For those who don’t live in Chennai, Sathyam is what you’d call a “posh” theatre. And yet, audiences in the front rows hooted, howled and cheered with every punch-line.

Speaking of the Superstar’s punch-lines, director Ranjith ensures you don’t get too many to tire out. In Kaala, he rations them out, along with the action, in small, controlled doses. Kaala’s Rajinikanth doesn’t do wild action-hero either.

The film ensures he’s a mortal like the rest of us. No sooner was that clear, much of the hooting actually stopped. The jeers, though, were reserved for antagonist Haridev Abhiyankar, a role that Nana Patekar plays with consummate ease, every time he tries going one-up over Kaala.

It’s as clear as daylight — Kaala is a film for the refined Rajini audience. It’s a film for an audience that wants the superstar to play his age and lose some of the the Rajinikanth-isms. In achieving some of this, Ranjith makes Rajini look good.

Running into Huma Qureshi, who plays Zareena in the film, just outside the theatre, I ask her if Thalaivar’s fans are going to be okay with Rajinikanth’s new-found tendency to play his age.

“But it’s a story that lends itself to his charm and dialogue delivery. So, the fans will get a bit of both,” she says, before adding as an afterthought, “but the only downside is we need to grow old with him, in the film!”

Huma then tells me that co-starring with the superstar was a learning experience.

“So, what’s your favourite Rajini dialogue?” I ask her, cheekily. “Setting ah?!” She replies before hastily adding, “I’m terrible. I know!”

Outside, I meet Rajini fans, many of whom have bunked school and taken leave from work — all for that first-day-first-show experience. “What do you want from Rajinikanth, in Kaala?” I ask one of them as they’re about to walk in. “Mass. Just mass,” he replies.

Kaala may not have been ‘mass’. But for real fans of the superstar, that probably doesn’t matter. Great acting, after all, is about playing different, unconventional roles. But of course, Rajinikanth the actor does not require a certificate of greatness.

First Published:Jun 7, 2018 9:26 PM IST