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GULF MADHYAMAM l No1 IN THE GULF l 2012 SEPTEMBER 26 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 63

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or this actor, it is all about style. Whether it is romancing the college beau over a Baskin-Robbins, dancing to a frenetic dappankoothu beat or pulling off gravitydefying stunts to bring down the scums of the earth (read villains). Ilaya Dalapathi Vijay is Tamil cinemas most style-conscious hero after super star Rajinikanth. But, he is no clone thoughonly Vijay, like Rajinikanth, could so dramatize and make a style statement of the straight-forward act of lighting up a cigarette. The Vijay show is a unique blend of high-paced action, style and romance. Add to it a penchant for adding a comic touch to fight scenes and of course the peculiar trait of nibbling at the shirt collar mannerisms calculated to win over the front rows than the balcony seats. It was during a long bus journey (in a video coach) in 1996 that I first set my eyes on Vijay in Poove Unakkaga. What struck me then was the way in which he delivered dialogues through almost pursed lips and his cat-on-hot-tin-roof alacrity in dance routines. Though Vijay debuted in Naalaya Theerpu (1992)a film by his director-producer father S A Chandrasekharit was Poove Unakkaga that became the first blockbuster in his career. Through the 1990s Vijay grew up on a staple diet of romantic comedies such as Once More in which he co-starred with the thespian Sivaji Ganesan. Vijay has also been the star in two blockbusters directed by Malayalam directors Fazils Kadhalukku Mariyadai that fetched him the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Actor and Friends and Kaavalan by Siddique. The next decade would see Vijay switching gears. A series of films such as Thirumalai and Ghilli in which he performs larger-than-life feats established him as a cult hero. The Vijay style is now well etched out and the transition from romantic hero to action hero is complete. Vijay revels in bringing a touch of comedy to his fight scenes. The scenes building up to a fight are the most crucial in cultivating the actors image, whether it is engaging in banter with the villain or a stylish lighting up of a cigarette. A typical fight sequence in Thirumalai is one such example. The blockbuster Ghilli, a 2004 Vijay offering, stands highlighted like a totem pole in the actors career. In fact, such was the success of Ghilli that it would now appear that since that film, producers, directors and the actor himself have been trying, with varying degrees of success, to reinvent the Ghilli magic. However, what films like Thiurpachi or Villu could not, flicks like Sivakasi and Pokkiri did by becoming some of the biggest blockbusters not only for the actor but for the industry as well. Vijay is doubtlessly the Entertainment Rocket of Kollywood , says one of his ardent fans who does not miss out any of his movies. She says that to be able to fully immerse in the Vijay magic one has to catch his film first day, first showa near impossibility in Tamil Nadu. Though he has evolved as an actor, one gets the feeling that many of his films end up promoting a stereotypeof a happy-golucky chap with the fighting skills of Bruce Leeand the formula of romance, sentiments, comedy and a heavy dose of action. But no one can argue with the success of his superbly choreographed song sequences.One bit of trivia has it that the KabadiKabadi song from Ghilli was played during the 16th Asian games in China. What makes Vijay so popular? It must be his down-to-earth attitude, soft-spoken ways or even his rugged looks. In his typical self-effacing style, Vijay once told a Tamil magazine that he saw himself as a bathroom singer and bedroom dancer. But, for once, his fans would beg to disagree. Jyothi Varma n

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