“Superstar yaarunnu ketta chinna kuzhanthaiyum sollum” (Even a kid will tell you who the superstar is). That’s the cell phone caller tune with which U Harsha, a real estate agent from Airport Road, rings in cheer for Friday’s big release: Rajnikant’s Sivaji  — The Boss. But make no mistake, this is no seasonal fancy.
“I see him (Rajnikant) as an inspiration. When his Muthu was released in 1995, I was selling cigarettes on my bicycle. Each release of his has corresponded with a phase of growth in my life,” Harsha points out.
The admiration for Rajnikant, the man, is palpable but Harsha agrees that even in terms of sheer cinematic scale, Sivaji comes as a never-before treat for the 57-year-old actor’s fans.
H D Gangaraju, distributor of the reportedly Rs 60-crore movie, has taken cue. Industry sources put the sales figure of Sivaji’s Karnataka rights at Rs 3.25 crore. “The combination (of Rajni, production house AVM, director Shankar and music director A R Rahman) is sure-shot. The songs and stunts have been brilliantly shot,” he says.
According to sources, five prints of Sivaji are expected to be circulated among 13 screens in Bangalore. The screening is limited to Bangalore for the first two weeks.
“The stills and trailer have raised the expectations,” says M Gunas-he-khar, a fan. Bangalore fans are also lining up giant cut-outs, processions and yes, the customary milk abhishekams. But again, it’s not just a man-on-the-street thing.
“The Rajnikant appeal shouldn’t be viewed against logic or reason. Superheroes are meant to defy reason, like a Superman or Spiderman,” points out Karthik Jairam, a financial consultant.
Internet blogs, chat rooms and discussion fora continue to spin unprecedented hype around Sivaji. Videos and images have been doing the rounds on youtube and flickr. Style, the hip-hop track shot in Spain, is also being widely discussed on the Net.
Amid the hysteria, there are also words of caution. Sivaji, a fan, points out that Baba — the superstar’s 2002 turkey — was also hyped to the hilt. Unreasonable expectations of the superstar’s fans could just leave Sivaji’s makers with a disadvantage. But that’s the flip-side of associating with the Rajnikant brand.

Booking today
Inox in Garuda Mall had the first taste of Sivaji frenzy on Wednesday, as hordes of fans queued up at the multiplex to reserve tickets. The theatre management, however, informed them later that the release was not confirmed yet.
“Sivaji is a huge film and we are extremely keen on screening it. But there are some aspects in the financial terms that needed to be cleared with the distributor,” Mohit Bhargava, regional GM, Inox told Deccan Herald. Later, sources confirmed the release and said advance booking would start on Thursday, around noon. Till late Wednesday, booking had not started at the other multiplexes.

KRV protest
Meanwhile, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike president T A Narayana Gowda said that Vedike workers would picket Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce office opposing the release of Sivaji.
“As per the rule, non-Kannada movies should be screened in Karnataka only seven weeks after its release. But the chamber is violating its own law. Moreover, the chamber is allowing a Tamil movie at the cost of Kannada movies,” he said.