Mar 06, 2003 10:42 AM
7838 Views
(Updated Mar 10, 2003 01:05 PM)
Ahuge Rajnikant poster towering 3 floors seems to be staring at you, even as you stand at the other end of the road. The towering Super star (as he is passionately called by his fan club) has a smile reserved for everyone glaring back, hands joined together as though saying vannakkam (welcome), a solitary hair strand (of the wig) falling down on his forehead, a huge golden / silver bracelet adorning his wrist, a radiant white dhoti, an even more radiant white Shirt putting the Sun to shame (does Hindustan Lever know the secret of this Doondte reh jaoge whiteness?) and a starched ''towel'' with a red & green jari border resting on the shoulders - All trademark features. (na na !! no longer does he fancy acrobatic smoking. He is aging man. Remember I talked about the wig !!!). A Python thick and as tall as a 2 - 3 storey building garland, provides the much needed ostentation to this larger than the largest life Poster. (pls sanction me liberty to use this phrase, Im describing a superstar).
On crossing the road and getting closer to the poster, you find yourself enveloped in a sea of people (everyone looking like Rajni or some distant relative of his) of all shapes and sizes. There is an unmistakable air of excitement, expectation and the feeling of being ''there'' (with their superstar). Just when you start scratching your already puzzled head wondering what's going on,the mass there perform an Aarti (Old chennai saying: Every superstar is a God.)complete with huge lights, break the coconuts as if to wake up the mother Earth to see their smiling superstar, and follow it with slogans and chants raving their superstar.
Im told the same tradition is followed be it VijayKant, Satyaraj, Khushboo and a galaxy of other South Indian Actors/Actresses. And yeah! Im not even talking about Chennai or for that matter any place in South. This is very much our aamchi Mumbai! Surprised?? Well, that's then Aurorafor you!
In the gargantuan crowd, you almost miss the theatre itself. The theatre though very inconspicuous, achieves breath taking momentum when a Tamil movie is released here. Very fittingly located in King's Circle (within Matunga, which is hailed as mini South India for all those sambar podis & the aroma of filter kapi), Aurora wakes up from its marathon slumber to hail its Superstars in a never-seen, never-heard before style & ritual.
Auroraboasts of a phenomenal bandwidth in the product range,displaying Hindi, English, Tamil and other Regional language movies. Though it can be asserted without doubt that Tamil movies tow away with most of the crowd. The theatre has come a long way since about 2 decades back when I remember as a young kid I walked into this theatre to watch ''Sparsh'' with my parents. Unable to fathom the merits of an Art movie, the brilliance of Naseer failing to keep me motivated; 2 rats and some cockroaches doing the rounds in the aisle were a case of solicitude for me then and the sole interest during my 3 hour stay there. Today, the theatre barely has had a face-lift, though it did have some maintenance being done externally abt 4 years back, it looks as dull & dungy as a marshy swamp (save when there is a Tamil Star's movie). The sound systems within got some much needed boost, the seats have become a bit more plush, rats & cockroaches have vanished for good. Its just human beings there.
The marshy swampy Aurora becomes the glowing, bright, vibrant sunflower field whenever there is a Tamil superstar (used in general sense and not meaning Rajnikant) movie. Auroraadds more life to the ambience by putting daan-chic lights around the white screen, which glows & runs in sync with the styles of the superstars. I watched ''Baasha'' (an out and out thriller filled with all kinds of Rajnikantics). The roar & excitement in Aurora when Rajni raises his hand (Old Chennai saying: Every action of Rajni has an equal and appropriate sound effect reaction) & salutes, or he winks his eyes, or just walks (yes just walks and the crowd goes ga ga) is much more than what anybody would have savored in an India -Pakistan Cricket match. Eden Gardens would be labeled ''in pin-drop silence'' in comparison.
Iwould love everybody to watch a Rajni movie in Aurora(not knowing Tamil or understanding the movie is not a deterant) just for the sake of this sheer unique experience. Thanks to Aurora, countless people in Mumbai get to watch Tamil movies. Check out their matinee shows if you are interested. ''Super'' (also called dhool- slang word) Tamil movies get the benefit of being screened 3 times a day. English movies are normally reserved for either the matinees or late night shows. The tickets are very nominally priced, below the sub 100 range.
English movie in Eros: Rs 200/-
Hindi movie in Imax: Rs 150/-
Tamil movie in Aurora : Priceless.
Aurora is a must-must if you are a Tamil movie fan (esp if you are a Rajni fan), for everything else, there is .... well, there are always other theatres.
