25th September 2003
Santa Clara

IMC6 shifted their location just a couple of weeks before the screening of the much awaited Chiru movie, "Tagore." In fact, "Tagore" was the first movie to be screened at this location after IMC6 took over.

I arrived just in time for the 8 PM show on Sept 24th, along with my wife who is an unabashed fan of Chiranjeevi herself. Though I have never been to this theater before, it was pretty easy to spot, surrounded as it was by a sea of humanity.

Eager faces, flushed with a little tension, were everywhere. The tension was due to the anticipation as to how this latest offering by Chiru might turn out to be. After all, Chiru's previous movie "Indra" was the biggest box office hit ever in Telugu movie industry, and the stakes were pretty high.

Before any thing, I must admit I am not a certifiable fan of Chiru. An admirer of some of his good movies, but not a fan. However, I was kind of carried away by the brouhaha generated by the fans around waiting to get into their seats. Some were silent, Some were pretty vocal, and a few others were busy tearing the available free magazines into little pieces so when the appropriate time comes, they can heave them into the air as a mark of appreciation for their Hero.

The 5 PM crowd cleared out of the hall and everybody got in, jostling each other, getting ready for the show to begin. What happened when the movie began and Chiru made his entrance to the big screen was almost surreal. I have watched quite a few Indian movies in the USA, but I have seen nobody, I repeat nobody, getting the kind of response from the crowd like Chiru did.

The whole theater erupted, the hoarse voices of the fans drowned the audio, papers went up flying everywhere and the atmosphere was electric. Scene after scene, dance after dance, the euphoria continued unabated as cheering fans went wild seeing their MegaStar, jive, fight, talk and emote. Except for some occasional hiccups, the crowd was very well behaved though.

By the time we were half hour into the movie, I joined the proceedings too and shared the fun with the rest of the fans. Interval came and went. The movie slowly drew to an end. When the final credits started rolling, and as I stepped out of the theater, it felt as if I was leaving a party, not a movie.

There is not even a shred of doubt about it. As far as Tollywood is concerned, Chiranjeevi is the Biggest and Brightest star of them all.

Amen.

Murali Chari