The News Minute | October 24, 2014 | 06:09 pm IST
We all know how prominent the cinema industry is in a country like India. With Bollywood movies grossing 10 digit figures and people lining up outside malls and theatres so they can watch their role models on screen and escape into another world for a few hours. With the phrase “First day, first show” being the unconquerable prize that drives the people with such sincerity to call in sick from work and bunk college just so they can flaunt it to their friends later on. But fans of the Tamil film industry commonly called “Kollywood” have taken the worshipping of actors to a very literal level.
Here are 5 things that Die-hard fans do:-
1) “Milk Abhishekam”
It is the acting of bathing a deity in milk which was strictly only meant for idols of Gods-until now that is. Actors now seem to be considered supernatural beings with heavenly powers and fans have the excessive need to depict their love and faith through this act. A lot of fans perform the act on large flex cut outs and posters of their favourite actors, usually to celebrate birthdays of the actors.
(Picture courtesy: Ajithfans.com)
2) Eating from the floor directly
Let’s rewind the clock back to the month of April. The last week of April saw one of the biggest actors of Tamil cinema, Rajnikanth, get admitted to a hospital. The reaction of the fans that followed was surprising. As many as 50 fans of Tamil superstar Rajnikanthate rice spread out on a bare floor at a temple in Hosur, praying for the actor's speedy recovery. "Kalikamba is the favourite God of superstar Rajnikanth and hence we organised the pooja in this temple for his speedy recovery," a fan who participated in the pooja said.
3) Celebrating new releases
Every time a new movie releases, the fan club of the actor playing the protagonist in that movie take to the streets dancing with joy and hold huge processions with the fans waving flags and wearing cut out masks of the actor.
4) Walking on fire
The ancient tradition of walking on burning coal with naked feet symbolized one’s faith to God and today it symbolizes one’s true faith to the actors that people idealize and are considered nothing less than a deity.
(Picture courtesy: Dushiyanthini Kanagasabapathipillai)
5) Piercing the body with pictures
Some fans have decided that the above mentioned points are not enough to symbolize their love for the actors and have taken it to another level by piercing themselves with photos of the actor to wish for well being and ensure that the actor has a long life span.
All this may seem eccentric and crazy to the common man but, for the fans, it is the amount of love they possess that makes them bear physical pain and undergo the things they do.