They keep reinventing themselves despite their advancing age. The big three of southern cinema-Rajnikanth, Mammootty and Chiranjeevi-made their respective debuts in the 1970s but they refuse to get jaded.
Each time they appear on the silver screen they announce a refreshing break from the past, which explains why they have continued to enjoy a near-magical sway over their audiences despite the lapse of over a quarter century after they launched their stellar careers. Not even the emergence of fresh-faced sweethearts and teen heartthrobs has stopped them from setting new career milestones.
The common thread in the three stories is the fact that none of them is the son of a producer or filmmaker, which is commonplace in Bollywood. For each one it has been a start from the scratch and a fight against odds.
If their unconventional style and mannerisms made superstars out of Rajnikanth, 61, son of a workingclass migrant Maharashtrian family in Bangalore, and Chiranjeevi, 55, whose roots are very much in the middle class, it was versatility that propelled Mammootty, 57, the son of a farmer, to that status.
In the case of Rajnikanth and Mamooty it is apparent that they are in no mood to retire even though they have avoided taking the political plunge like their younger counterpart from Telugu cinema. So what keeps them going? And what makes the South, unlike the North, go along with ageing heroes? Veteran film critic C.S.
Venkateswaran says superstars have filled up the political vacuum and emerged as the antidote, "by their consistent projection of the dominant macho protector image", to the disillusionment that has set in because of the failure of the political arena to throw up credible mass leaders.
Circumstances alone haven't powered their rise, though. It's also their ability to walk the extra mile that has helped stay at the top. Says Telugu filmmaker Sai Balaji, "Look at how Chiru (Chiranjeevi) is taking dance lessons for four hours every day to regain his old touch for his comeback movie."
It's this perseverance that keeps taking them to higher peaks of stardom. But as both agree, the uninterrupted reign of the trio has it roots in the culture of hero worship in the South, which explains why the audience is fixated on them and why they have succeeded in retaining a humongous fan following.
Asia's highest paid actor
Films don't define Rajnikant; Rajnikant defines films
He's the sultan of the silver screen with the pull factor that helps him straddle both Tamil and Hindi cinema, a point he drove home with his bilingual topgrosser Endhiran/Robot.
But after the release of Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri (1977), the first movie in which he played the lead character, Rajnikanth was ready to pack his bags and go home. But he was persuaded to stay put by his costar Sivakumar. "When he told me that he would better off going back to Bangalore, I prevailed upon him not to do so," Sivakumar recalls.
His first appearance in Apoorva Ragangal (1975) had nothing dramatic about it and the star clearly was Kamal Hassan, but Sivaji Rao Gaikwad, who started life as a bus conductor in Bangalore, was able to make the remarkable transformation from villain to hero. And now he is Asia's highest paid actor after Jackie Chan.
Rajnikanth considers ace filmmaker K. Balachander to be his guru, but it was Bhuvana Oru Kelvikuri director S.P. Muthuraman who refashioned his image by tapping his repertoire of talent.
Muthuraman has directed 25 of Rajnikanth's films that catapulted the actor to superstardom. "Rajnikanth has become a global phenomenon," says film critic Sreedhar Pillai. "Rajni films are being released all over the world, indicating that his fan base has extended beyond Tamil Nadu."
Rajni's blockbuster Muthu, the first Tamil film to be dubbed in Japanese, had a great run, according to Pillai. With his films getting ever bigger and more expensive, they set new gold standards in the box office. Every new Rajni film is a cause of celebration for the dream industry, but for the man it's always been a tiger ride that he seems to relish.
Lawyer? no, superstar
For the ageless Mammootty movies are an expression of himself
For Mammootty, a farmer's son and a lawyer by training, his first brush with cinema was an uncredited appearance in the 1971 Malayalam movie Devalokam, which never saw the light of the day.
His big break came in 1982 with the thriller Yavanika, where he played a police subinspector investigating the disappearance of a table player attached with a drama troupe. The film broke new ground in Malayalam cinema and made a film audience known for its matured tastes sit up and take notice of Mammootty.
What really made Mammootty the unrivalled star of Malayalam cinema was the character of Sethurama Iyer in Oru CBI Diary Kurippu. The 1988 film was the first of a trilogy of superhits.
But it was New Delhi (1987), a multi-lingual thriller that became the highest-grossing Malayalam film ever, that heralded the arrival Mammootty as the superstar who now has to his credit over 300 movies, and still counting.
What sets Mammootty apart from the competition is his ability to work with ease in both mainstream and parallel cinema. He is no stranger to art films as he continues to be in demand with acclaimed filmmakers Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Balu Mahendra and of course, he's Malayalam mainstream cinema's biggest star.
The distinction of Mammootty is that he is remembered not only for his blockbusters, but also for his performances in films such as Balu Mahendra's Yatra (1985), which got him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, as well as Adoor Gopalakrishnan's much-acclaimed Mathilukal (1989) and Vidheyan (1992), which got Mammootty the National Award for Best Actor in their respective year.
Not surprisingly, Mammootty resents southern cinema being treated as Bollywood's poor cousin. He never misses an opportunity to vent his feelings on the subject and when he speaks he gets the attention that only a star of his stature deserves.
He has no peers
Chiranjeevi has almost no rivals in Telugu cinema
In the South, stardom has traditionally been the first step towards a political career, as was shown by M.G. Ramachandran and N.T. Rama Rao respectively in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
Despite his massive fan following, Rajnikanth has thus far resisted the lure of political office, but Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi (Chiru to friends) launched his own Prajya Rajyam party and contested the 2008 elections in Andhra Pradesh. Though the actor could not replicate the feat of the legendary NTR, he was able to establish that he was a force to reckon with.
Chiru started his acting career with Punadhirallu (1978), but it was Pranam Khareedu that hit the silver screen earlier. Apart from the roles he got, his on-screen persona contributed to a welcome change in the image of the Telugu film hero.
At one time, he was the country's highest-paid actor along with Amitabh Bachchan-and he is yet to face a challenger for his place at the top of his industry's pecking order.
The only other crowd-pulling Telugu hero is Chiru's son, Ram Charan Teja. Now, Chiru is all set to return to Telugu cinema after a sabbatical from it necessitated by his foray into politics.
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