The BOSS!

Hi ,

Even if you dont know how to read/write/speak tamil the chances are really high that you would know that the above poster is of 'Sivaji' and the funky hairdo is on the superstar Rajini.

So What.... you may ask ? ..... okie , let me ask what was Rajini's last film's name ? , Which was the biggest release in Telegu recently. Who was the superstar of Kannada Filmdom?

Chances are that you may not be knowing these facts . BUT ask anything about Sivaji ..and i am quite sure you would give me at least some basic info . So it is not a regional matter anymore.

Sitting in country where the 'Sivaji' hype has not reached through word-of-mouth , i have been an objective viewer to the frenzy which has been kicked up back home. Have been following the pre-realease hype on the Hindi/English News Channels and Websites (cuz i dont watch Tamil channels out here) . And i have been made to believe that Sivaji is the biggest thing happening in India . Go to google's news page and type Sivaji and you find that the hype is not restricted to Tamil Nadu ,

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Sample this :

Gulf Daily News
1000 Rajni fans may get to see Sivaji: The Boss for freeFinancial Express, India - 17 hours agoDUBAI, JUN 18: Around 1000 labourers here, including housemaids, will be able to watch Tamil superstar Rajnikant’s mega-budget movie Sivaji - The Boss free

...Rajini becomes the boss of downloads! Indiatimes

Sivaji The Boss: Sudden Emergence of a Massive Film Desicritics.org

'Boss' Rajnikant rocks Bahrain too Hindustan Times

Bollywood fans line up to see the 'Boss' in BloomingdaleChicago Tribune, United States - 3 hours ago... turned this weekend's Chicago-area premiere of the South Indian action movie "Sivaji: The Boss" into a party that drew fans from as far away as Seattle. ...

Sivaji opens with Indian tamasha Hindustan Times

Film fans riot over delayed screening The West Australian

‘Sivaji’ likely to break box-office records New Straits Times

Daijiworld.com

New Delhi: Rajanikant - Reigning Boss of Indian CelluloidDaijiworld.com, India - 6 hours agoNew Delhi, Jun 19: The hype and hysteria surrounding the release of Sivaji: the Boss in India and overseas needs to be seen to be believed but there is no ...Southern lights Hindustan Times

Sivaji-The Boss tickets for freeDaily News & Analysis, India - Jun 18, 2007PTI DUBAI: Around 1000 labourers here, including housemaids, will be able to watch Tamil superstar Rajnikant's mega-budget movie 'Sivaji - The Boss' free of ...UAE's poor Rajni fans to feast on 'Sivaji' Hindustan Times'Sivaji': Free tickets for 1000 labourers in Dubai Hinduall 15 news articles »
Sivaji: the BossHindustan Times, India - Jun 18, 2007The hype and hysteria surrounding the release of Sivaji: the Boss in India and overseas needs to be seen to be believed but there is no doubt about who is ...First take on 'Sivaji'- The Boss' Televisionpoint.com

SIVAJI ticket not available for Shriya SaranGlamsham.com, India - 5 hours agoSouth star Shriya Saran, the leading lady opposite superstar Rajnikant in the Tamil blockbuster ‘Sivaji - The Boss’, did not get tickets in Chennai to watch ...No entry for Rajni’s girl Daily News & AnalysisSivaji: All style but no substance Newindpress (subscription)Shriya flooded with offers NDTV.comall 4 news articles »
Newindpress on Sunday
Fans in city can’t wait for the BossKolkata Newsline, India - Jun 17, 2007Kolkata, June 17: When will Sivaji - The Boss, be released in Kolkata? This is perhaps the most frequent query posted online in various chat forums by the ...Who is the boss? Daily News & AnalysisSivaji heroine didn’t get tickets for her own film IndiaFM'Sivaji' reaches beyond Tamil Nadu Televisionpoint.comHindu - Merinewsall 8 news articles »
Sivaji fetches Rs 11 lakh a day in taxTimes of India, India - 18 hours agoThe big budget Sivaji - The Boss is raining big money for the commercial tax department. The Rajnikant-starrer has fetched more money than any other ...
Dubai - Who's the Boss7DAYS, United Arab Emirates - Jun 17, 2007Dubai - Hard-up workers will be given the chance to view South Indian superstar Rajnikanth's latest hit movie 'Sivaji: The Boss' thanks to the generosity of ...
Sivaji : The Boss – Movie ReviewApun Ka Choice, CA - Jun 16, 2007... the end product fully justifies all the hype and hoopla that surrounded the release of Superstar Rajnikant’s magnum opus, Sivaji : The Boss. ...

'Sivaji' is the boss in SingaporeTimes Now.tv, India - 9 hours agoTamil superstar Rajnikanth's new movie "Sivaji" has premiered to excited audiences in Singapore. Hundreds have passed through the movie theatre doors since ...
Rajnikanth's `Sivaji' Makes Up for Lackluster Bollywood ShowingBloomberg - 10 hours agoIt's a pity that language will restrict ``Sivaji'' to being a minority pleasure and that the funny bits will get lost in translation. ``Sivaji: The Boss ...

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You get the drift , the phenomenon is not only in India , it is almost all over !

I had heard about the making of Sivaji in 2005 , that Shanker wants to make a film with rajanikant, and he wants to make a stylish movie with rajani doing everything what a normal hero would do. I thought it was a ridiculous idea and would be the downfall of both Rajini and Shanker ( i remembered the days of toofan, Jaadugar, mrityudand, lalbaadshah of Amitabh) Seeing Rajini in real life without the glitz makes it unbelievable that shanker could comprehend a movie like that ............... but all that was 2 years back .

TODAY .... the movie is released , Rajini looks younger , fairer and full of style . The first two thanks to technology and the style all inbuilt into Rajini ! ... He has managed to carry it off , Shanker has managed to make the movie ....period!

So people who had joked about aging -superstar- dancing -around- trees -dating -daughteraged heroine ... should be eating their straw hats now .

It is not so because the movie has got a bumper opening , it is because the movie has got a 100% opening all across the world and once you are able to get people who dont understand tamil , to watch a subtitled version of a movie , then you have ARRIVED !

Hats off to the PR and Marketing team of Sivaji , this movie is by far the most hyped movie of all times and the hype has paid off . The word-of-mouth , the constant attention of all english news channels the mechandise , the use of the internet , blogs , readers comments have all made it one helluva of a marketing campaign .

This deserves a Marketing Case Study status . If I remember correctly the last movie of Rajini - Chandramukhi was a big blockbuster in South , but such hype was not visible at that point altough it was only 2 years back .

So case in point - There was something done for Sivaji , some real good PR initiative which has made this movie into something like a cult phenomenom.

I am desperate to see the Movie , but have no choice right now . And seeing it on a pirated DVD at home will not be befitting the BOSS ..yena per ketale atharudu!!!! Hope i get to watch this soooon.