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In August 2002, Tamil Nadu erupted in anticipation. Baba wasn’t simply one other Rajinikanth movie. In additional methods than one, it was completely his movie. Story, screenplay, dialogues, his fingerprints had been in all places. Followers lit camphor outdoors theatres, milk abhishekam-drenched cutouts, crackers tore by means of the streets. The arrival of Baba felt much less like cinema and extra like prophecy.
However inside days, the temper collapsed. Critics tore it aside. Audiences walked out confused. Field workplace numbers dipped. A Famous person had stumbled.
And but, 20 years later, the movie nonetheless breathes. In YouTube remark sections, in faculty hostel debates, in midnight screenings the place whistles nonetheless escape throughout Maya Maya. The identical movie that was as soon as branded “Rajini’s mistake” now sits comfortably as a cult traditional.
Rajini, Stripped of Armour
What makes Baba so uncommon is its vulnerability. Rajinikanth, the person who constructed an empire out of invincible display screen swagger, selected to play somebody deeply not sure of himself: a chain-smoking atheist, tough on the edges, all of a sudden handed religious powers he by no means requested for.
It was Rajini stripped of armour. No larger-than-life punchlines, no invincible machismo. Only a reluctant man dragged towards future. In hindsight, it was startlingly autobiographical. Rajini the Famous person was endlessly pulled between two forces: his religious quest and his political shadow. Baba was his method of staging that battle in entrance of tens of millions.
On the time, audiences wished fireworks. What they acquired as an alternative was an introspective Rajini, not sure of the place his religion or his future lay. In 2002, that mismatch killed the movie. In 2022, that honesty is what gave it new life.
A Political Echo
Each Rajini movie is watched for clues about his political leanings, however Baba was drenched in them. An odd man, compelled into management, requested to battle corruption, framed as future’s chosen one. This was barely coded metaphor.
Initially, the climax had Baba stroll straight into politics. However fearing backlash, Rajini altered it post-release. That act of retreat itself tells the story: a Famous person torn between religious withdrawal and political obligation.
Wanting again now, these scenes virtually ache with prophecy. When Rajini finally introduced his political ambitions years later, solely to withdraw once more, the echoes of Baba grew to become inconceivable to disregard. The movie feels much less like failed fantasy and extra like a confessional.
Chaos and Brilliance, Aspect by Aspect
To be clear: Baba will not be a refined movie. The screenplay meanders, comedy tracks fizzle, and the rhythm falters. At occasions it looks like three completely different films stitched collectively. However chaos doesn’t cancel brilliance. It coexists with it.
Take the dream sequences: Baba floating by means of surreal landscapes, pulled by invisible forces. Or the fiery confrontations about karma and energy. Or Rahman’s rating, experimental and thumping, a religious trance disguised as movie music. There’s a stressed power in these moments, just like the movie itself was struggling to include all the things Rajini wished to say.
And possibly that’s why it resonates extra now. Perfection ages poorly. Restlessness, however, stays alive.
From Failure to Cult Basic
There’s a well-known rhythm to how cult classics are born. A movie releases underneath crushing hype. It collapses. Years later, with out the burden of expectation, new eyes uncover it. Slowly, the status adjustments. That’s precisely what occurred with Baba. The 2022 re-release was a turning level. The digitally restored model, full with its unique political ending, gave followers a second probability. This time, applause changed silence. The identical dialogues that after earned ridicule had been now celebrated, repeated, memed, beloved.
It wasn’t simply nostalgia. It was vindication.
Why Baba Endures
The rationale Baba has endured will not be box-office numbers or spectacle; it’s as a result of it reveals Rajinikanth the person, not simply Rajinikanth the phenomenon. It’s messy, flawed, and uneven, however so is Rajini’s journey itself.
After we watch it now, we don’t see a failed blockbuster. We see a Famous person wrestling with religion, politics, and mortality—issues that made him human earlier than they made him larger-than-life.
To name Baba underrated is to overlook the purpose. It’s not underrated, it’s misunderstood. It requested questions when all we wished had been solutions. It confirmed weak point when all we wished was energy. It was Rajinikanth, unmasked, asking us to stroll with him into uncertainty. And possibly that’s why Baba is a cult traditional. As a result of it dared to be susceptible in an trade that worships certainty.
Twenty years later, that honesty feels braver than any punchline.
Additionally Learn: Rajinikanth’s Golden Gesture to Please his Fan Wins Our Heart
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