Sivaji - Catch Me If you can afford !

For all Rajni Fans in the US, the wait is finally over. It will truly be a worldwide release! Sivaji in India, June 15th. Sivaji in US of A, June 15th! Whoohoo! As a die-hard Rajni fan, I rushed to all the websites offering tickets for “Thalaivar” movie. The ticket prices made me jump out of my seat with joy. I was hoping the organizers would be stupid enough to raise the regular ticket price of 8$ by only 3 or 4 dollars. No. They have restored my faith by doubling it to $16. Whoohoo! Not only that, they have had the better sense to triple it on opening day. That Serves those movie-crazy-Tamilians right. Especially the Rajni Fans who would jump off a cliff for “Thalaivar” if they have to.

Here is the Ticket Stats. It will cost you $21 per ticket on opening day in Atlanta. It would be $16 for rest of days. And I am even more thrilled that the organizers have found another venue to spread the wonderful class system based on your affordability. Here comes “VIP Tickets” for $26 and your kid sure deserves a “VIP Kids seat” for $13. I do not know if the VIP seats will be any different from “regular” seat, but the internal grapevine tells me, the VIP seat holders will be given special tissue paper to wipe their own seats, while the regulars, even if they bring their own tissues, will not be allowed to carry it inside. That’s the spirit!

I do see some of my friends whining and screaming about the atrocious prices for Sivaji and even threatening to boycott the movie. So long Suckers! I already see the first day booked fully in NJ. Who cares if you boycott? We can always count on Rajni fans to pay $26 per ticket when the cost of DVD will be only $20 when it comes out after two months. If we can’t milk an easily available, gullible, Rajnikanth fan (that’s 90% Tamil population in US), then, as businessmen, the organizers have no financial acumen. After all, in the world of fans, the Rajni Fan stands alone on top! So what if you pay $8 for a Spiderman movie that cost $300 million to make? This is a Shankar-Rajni-Rahman combo. Nothing but wind...errr...i mean…Nothing beats it!

The blame should go to the unappreciative Tamil audience in US. The folks who bring Tamil movies get burnt every time they try to show a decent movie (Paruthiveeran…hmm...can’t think of any other worthy candidate in recent times...but that’s not the point I am trying to make). While so many struggles go behind the scenes to bring a Tamil movie to US, ungrateful Tamilians don’t even bother to show up! They have the temerity to rent pirated DVD’s for $2 and worse, make copies of those pirated DVD’s and distribute to family and friends! I remember watching the movie “Kushi” where there were only 5 people in the whole wide theatre. Later, I realized I counted myself in 5 different seats. I do have the tendency to switch seats so I don’t feel haunted (and it was a time after Sixth Sense). So, I am very happy that finally the Tamil movie organizers have arrived at a moment in history where they can squeeze all those dollars that were cheated by these Tamil-movie-lovers-of-US. Perfect timing!

I say, let us raise the ticket amount to $40. After all a Rajni movie comes only once in 3years.And it doesn’t even require a story. So, it is a guaranteed success. Maybe after this, the Tamil-movie-going public in US will realize they need to patronize the hard working Tamil cinema organizers! Vazhga Tamil! Vazhga Rajni! Vazhga Sivaji thantha Koperumangal!

P.S: Are you asking what about me? Heee…Heee…I am going to wait for the original DVD and watch it in my big screen in basement. Admission to anyone who brings their own beer and doesn’t borrow mine!