From Thanga Pathakkam to Darbar: The love of Tamil cinema for Khaki

When was the last time you saw Rajinikanth in the role of a policeman? With the recently launched Darbar, we will see the superstar become khaki, again, after 25 years. In Tamil cinema, police-based outlets have always been a winning formula at the box office. From Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan, Vikram to Ajith, Suriya, Karthi and Vijay Sethupathi, almost all the actors worthy of the name played the cop. However, to this day, Thanga Pathakkam (1974), along with Sivaji Ganesan, remains one of the greatest stories of family cops followed by the iconic Moondru Mugam of Rajinikanth (1982). Then come Chatriyan, Captain Prabhakaran, Kaakha Kaakha, Saamy, Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu and the popular franchise Singam, among others

. ), and interestingly, Rajinikanth showed variations in these three roles. After all, who can forget the clashes of Alex Pandian with Ekambaram (Senthamarai)? Even today, it evokes a sense of nostalgia when you listen to Rajinikanth running as Alex Pandian. Example: "A match will catch fire if you rub on both sides. But rub yourself against Alex Pandiyan from any side, he will ignite. "The film has undeniably brought Rajinikanth to a new level of celebrity.

Gautham Menon, in an interview, had recounted how this direction of A Jagannathan inspired him to write Scene at Yennai Arindhal where Ashish Vidyarthi takes Ajith Kumar.

What explains the success of such stories? There is certainly something in the uniform that has attracted a lot of actors as they are raising their "fan base en mbade" and their "commercial viability". In addition, they seem the safest bet because they offer a minimum guarantee to producers. In a sense, this is considered an exercise in image creation.

What is interesting, is that Rajinikanth only shot a handful of Tamil films as a policeman – Anbukku Naan Adimai, Nattukku Oru Nallavan (Shanti Kranti in Hindi), Kodi Parakkudhu and Pandian. However, in Bollywood, he was seen wearing the police uniform in the Hindi remake of Moondru Mugam, John Jaani Janardhan, Geraftaar (1985), Dosti Dushmani (1986), Farishtay (1991), Hum (1991) and Phool Bane Angaray (1991). 19659007] The stories of cops are of two types – less thinkers who address the general public and those who are realistic, who are more accepted by the niche audience. While films like Saamy and Singam fall into the first category, Vikram Vedha, Sethupathi, Kuttram 23, Theeran Adhigaram Ondru and Adangamaru belong to the second category. Now, the industry is more willing to explore the same genre by avoiding cliché scenarios.

Fans take the image of their favorite actors too seriously. As a result, plots, scripts, dialogs, and appearances are now customized for "stars". Although the stories of cops are often just starring vehicles, they do not plunge into police life. Their personality is either exaggerated or corrupt.

According to a trade badyst, Suriya is the most important market for cop stories, after the Singam franchise that has been a gold mine for manufacturers.

By the end of the 1970s, most of the cop stories were about drama and emotions. But now we see more strong heroism, bloodshed and action. Tamil cinema has shown police officers as extreme characters. Either they would be superheroes, they would attack a group of villains or evil cops. Very rarely, they present the true image of a policeman.

Speaking of perception, a police officer is generally portrayed as intimidating, hostile and corrupt, as well as being perceived as someone you can not count on. There is no ground for agreement. The execution is often of poor quality, loud and without nuances.

Nonetheless, over the years, khaki-based scripts and heroes have come a long way, especially in the B and C markets, says a popular director.

The 1980s saw the beginning of its trend, and there is not a single type of cop trope. "First, the stories of cops are never outdated because they are full of suspense. Secondly, police officers are the face of the public and the actors show no excuse for showing their heroism. Third, even a medium scenario sounds good when the actors play the cops. Hyper-reality always entertains the audience and an average viewer loves such films, although he knows there are no "real" people in commercial cinema, "he says.

Darbar's first look: superstar Rajinikanth wearing his uniform after 25 years

So, what can we expect from Darbar? From the poster, we know that the movie is happening in Mumbai, with the India Gate at the top of the superstar's head. You can see the Mumbai map with some blood stains on it. Since there is red, we can safely badume that it is communism. Since AR Murugadoss is known for his films without political fear, we have to wait to see what he has in store for the public.