A superstar hero's career-graph usually resembles the path of a mountaineer who has scaled Mount Everest. Both begin at the bottom; both know the climb is not easy. Adversities and disappointments come their way, so do strokes of luck. Finally, their perseverence sees them through. Moments of glory follow and then, the inevitable downward climb.
But what if a mountaineer stays put and makes the Everest peak his home? Well, to do that, he needs to be superhuman or God %u2014exactly what a superstar needs to be to remain on top forever. Rajesh Khanna had his heydays, so did Amitabh Bachchan.
In regional cinema too, many big stars like them came and went. But Rajnikanth remains exactly where he was 15 years ago %u2014 at the peak. So now you know why fans treat him like a superhuman, like God. Or is it because of this god-like treatment that he has been at the top for so long? No matter which way you see it, one thing is certain: Rajnikanth is a phenomenon %u2014 a phenomenon that has no known parallel in Indian cinema.
