Kamal, Rajini unite: beyond fandom rivalries, a friendship that endures

Duopoly is a reality in Tamil Nadu, be it in popular culture or politics. Think Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, Ilaiyaraaja and A.R. Rahman, DMK and AIADMK, and the list goes on. It is a social construct that keeps the fans both invested in their idol or party, and at the same time goads them to fight against the followers of the rival individual or entity.

Seen in this context, the reunion of Rajini and Kamal in a film helmed by Nelson Dilipkumar will register a massive bump in the Kollywood Richter Scale. Two of Tamil tinseltown’s biggest stars are getting back together after 47 years. The last time the two did parallel lead roles was in the 1979 hit Ninaithale Inikkum, a venture directed by their common guru K. Balachandar.

Kamal did a cameo in Rajini’s Thillu Mullu in 1981, and the duo was cast alongside Amitabh Bachchan in the 1985 Hindi multi-starrer Geraftaar. But the real deal was Ninaithale Inikkum, after which the two pursued two distinct paths. Rajini opted for stardom and swagger, Kamal preferred variety and performance.

Interestingly, the rivals could also switch. Rajini had earlier revealed his acting chops in Mullum Malarum, while Kamal was all mass in Sakalakala Vallavan. In the Madras of the 1980s, when Mount Road used to have massive hoardings showcasing the films of Rajini and Kamal, there was always a festive vibe in all the theatres.

Within families and friends, fandom was split apart. A father, a hardcore Rajini fan, ensured that his son, a Kamal fan, first saw Thalapathy and only then was given the pocket money to buy tickets for Guna. Both films were released during Deepavali in 1991. The last time the two lead actors’ films clashed at the box office was in 2005 when Rajini’s Chandramukhi and Kamal’s Mumbai Express jostled for attention.

However, from the late 1970s to the present date, what has endured is a friendship that trumps commerce. “He will go to the Himalayas seeking answers, and I will be roaming the streets here trying to figure out where to go,” Kamal once said about Rajini. Obviously, their philosophies are different, and yet in all this, they remained two distinct pillars that held Tamil filmdom afloat.

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Nelson has a task at hand in directing two giants with immense footprints. For nostalgia-seekers and star-gazers south of the Vindhyas, this is a huge tipping point. Two men in their seventies, still drawing in the audience, being steadfast friends, appreciating each other’s films, and perhaps doing one last tango.

“We hung out together and enjoyed Singapore’s night-life,” Rajini had said once while referring to the good times he and Kamal had while shooting Ninaithale Inikkum in Southeast Asia. Surely their memory bag is bound to swell more in the coming months.