Pavithra Srinivasan in Chennai
Tamil's beloved superstar Thalaivar Rajnikanth is said to be completely recovered from his illness and is now in the process of getting back to his blockbuster-in-the-making, Rana.
We take the opportunity to revisit some of his classic songs that are eternally Rajni's.
My Name Is Billa (Billa)
It may be a remake of Amitabh Bachchan's Don but Rajni made Billa his own in every way. Chief among the factors that made the film a blockbuster were the foot-tapping numbers by M S Viswanathan.
Through the song My Name Is Billa, Rajni in the role of Billa sends across a clear message to both the villains in the film, as well as the watching audience, that a star had arrived and had no intention of letting anyone else take centre-stage.
Vandenda Paalkaran (Annamalai)
Vandenda Paalkaran is possibly among the first of the iconic songs that established Rajni as a bankable star with enormous crowd-pulling powers.
Annamalai saw him playing a milkman with a heart of gold, taking on a wealthy friend turned foe. The song that he sings, leaning on his trademark bicycle, set to Deva's music, was a benchmark of sorts for the kind of screen presence stars should be able to command.Naan Autokkaran (Baasha)
Naan Autokkaran is the song that vindicated every auto-rickshaw driver in the state and made it their anthem. Rajni plays a don turned auto-driver who is involuntarily sucked into the world of crime again and this song, set to Deva's enthusiastic beats, declares, as always, that he is the friend of the common man.
This was also the song that established Rajni firmly not just as king of the box office, but also as a superstar.
Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalaali (Muthu)
By now, songs specifically meant to showcase Rajni the star, were the norm; Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalaali, set to A R Rahman's lilting tunes was no different.
Playing the loyal servant in a magnificent household, Rajni takes the reins once more singing the song as he drives a glorified phaeton, even out-racing a bus full of gleeful passengers at one point.Style or Oru Koodai Sunlight (Sivaji)
Shankar proved his genius with the song Style..., moving Rajni firmly away from fantastic fight sequences and standard choreographed songs.
He dressed Rajni in youthful costumes, made him wear a bleached blonde wig, slathered him in white make-up and made him dance stylishly with Shriya to A R Rahman's music.
Irumbile Or Irudhayam (Endhiran)
Yet another A R Rahman chartbuster. This time Rajni plays a robot who dances with Aishwarya Rai, professes his love for her, a love that made even a robot's unfeeling, iron-clad heart experience the first stirrings of romance.
With Shankar's penchant for magnificent sets, lavish costumes and rich ambience, the song was a visual and auditory treat.
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