Pawan Kalyan: The Enigma Of Power Star By Tom Bhayya

[Comfort]

em opika ra...

 

 

 

Pawan Kalyan: The Enigma Of Power Star

 

There’s a scene in SS Rajamouli’s magnum opus Baahubali where scores of men are forced to lift a statue of Bhalladeva. You can see them bleeding and all of them are just a step away from a disaster, if something goes wrong. Out of nowhere, a miracle happens. From the brink of an imminent death, they draw strength from a name – ‘Baahubali’ to accomplish an arduous task. Only one of the hundreds of men in that scene has seen the man from close quarters, but the whisper forms a life of its own and within no time, the entire court echoes with the chants of Baahubali. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed, no matter how many times we have seen the film. One of the reasons why that scene works so well is because that name ‘Baahubali’ means something to the people. It’s a symbol of strength, joy, victory, and more importantly hope.

So why are we talking about Baahubali in context of Pawan Kalyan? Because if a name alone is enough to give people hope, then Pawan Kalyan is exactly that, at least to his legion of fans and admirers. And if you are a ‘die-hard’ fan, then he has been an important part of your life; someone you always looked up to, imitated and showered immense love upon. If actions speak louder than words, Pawan Kalyan has poured his heart out in many instances about his intentions and more than anything, we see in him a man who really believes in what he says and strives to achieve that.

Let’s rewind to circa 1998. Fresh from the success of Suswagatham, we saw Pawan Kalyan evolve into a star with Tholiprema. It still remains as one of the best love stories that Telugu cinema has produced in the past 25 years and it’s part of our pop culture now with plenty of references drawn from the film to describe events in our life. Balu, the role that he played in the film, struck chord with the youngsters and that snowballed into a fan following that not many actors in India can boast of. With his consecutive films like Thammudu, Badri and Khushi, he became a style icon, the ‘Powerstar’, a youth icon and soon, several other monikers and glorious adjectives were attributed to him over the years. And nearly 20 years later, as I look back at his filmography, I wonder if even he truly understands the cult, which calls itself Pawanism, that his films and more than that, the man himself, have created over the years.

His cult has grown so strong in the past few years that it has often led me to delve into metaphysics and ask myself a fundamental question – Why do people love him so much? Sometimes, it’s not even love. It’s pure madness. Pawan ante picchi, like the saying goes in Telugu. You can feel it in auditoriums where chants of ‘Powerstar…Powerstar’ give you an adrenaline rush which is akin to hearing people scream ‘Sachin…Sachin’ in cricket stadiums. You can feel that adrenaline rush while watching scores of films, where actors throw in references to Pawan Kalyan or his films, at times for no reason, as a mark of respect. You can feel that on social media, where his fans will unleash the Kraken if you try to be critical of him or make you an instant hero if you have something nice to say about him. It’s a state of being which one can’t express in words. And you’ll never truly understand what ‘PSPK’ means if you aren’t the one who’ll hoot with joy at the mere mention of his name. It’s the greatest ever ‘keyword’, which his fans spot faster than what even Google can manage.s

Ironically, none of this makes any sense to an outsider, especially because people know so little about him. In the past 10 years, the actor has probably given less than one interview per year and sometimes, even that looks impossible. His films release sporadically and whispers in the film industry suggest that it all depends on his mood, whether he wants to shoot a film or not. And if this wasn’t enough, he’s extremely elusive and reclusive as a person. Only a select few have gotten a chance to interact with him over the years (although each one of them have plenty of stories to tell about their interaction). And even less is the number of people who can claim that they truly know him. And there lies the secret.

Perhaps, it’s Pawan Kalyan’s enigma that has created a cult around him, albeit unknowingly. By being so elusive, even small bits of information that people come across spreads everywhere at an alarming speed and every such story turns into a legend. And since people know so little about him, apart from what they see on screen or at political rallies, each one of us has a different version of who Pawan Kalyan is in our minds. For some he’s nothing short of a God, for many he’s the one who stood as a classic example of what simplicity means. There are few who carve their own destiny and then there are others who are chosen by destiny to accomplish great things in life. Having witnessed the ups and downs in Pawan Kalyan’s life since 1996 where would you place him? He’s grown above and beyond all conventions of stardom, all thanks to the ever growing number of fans who, dare I say, worship him.

For someone who’s extremely reluctant to even acknowledge the true extent of his star status, he wields extraordinary power in both films and (now) politics. A case in point: Few days ago, a friend of mine told me that it was at Pawan Kalyan’s behest that an aspiring MLA candidate was given a ticket by a prominent political party, despite a lot of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ initially. And, all it took was a phone call and everything was sorted out in less than 30 minutes. That man went on to win the election with a record margin. If that isn’t power then I don’t know what is. And when it comes to films, actors, filmmakers and producers vie to be in his good books and sometimes, they don’t give up no matter how long it takes. You may wonder why people would be so obsessed to be associated with him? Ask anyone who has ever got a pic clicked with him and he/she will tell you how much it meant for them and how jealous their friends were. Now, extrapolate that to a high-stake business like films and you’ll see why just being in his good books can change one’s fortunes.

Today, as he turns 44, Pawan Kalyan is among the very few people who commands so much curiosity and respect from his fans and followers. Not to forget, there’s plenty of criticism too, although anyone, who’s aware of Telugu cinema and the Game of Thrones in the industry, would question his star power. And that leads me to another important aspect of his life, a fact that he himself has brought up several times. That he never wanted to be an actor and it was purely by accident that he’s where he is today. So, if he isn’t so obsessed with films and wanting to push the envelope in terms of what he does in films, it’s a million dollar question about what is it that he really wants to achieve. Ever since he took a plunge into politics in the late 2000s, we’ve seen a new side of him – a far more aggressive man who calls a spade a spade, a social activist who really wants to do something for the society, a farmer who finds solace in taking care of the plants in his farm, a politician who isn’t as diplomatic like several others in the business. It all boils down to that angst which rages like fire in his heart. And that angst originates from his ideals that we can do more to achieve peace and harmony.

In this tussle between what he really wants to do and what he is, we see a confusing portrait of a man wanting to break free from all shackles that we, as a society, want to categorise someone who’s of that stature. Every thing he does or says is blown out of proportion and there are scores of people looking to find that one reason to pin him down. Perhaps, no other actor has undergone as much scrutiny as him in recent times. Be it his personal life and the women he has been associated with or the ‘so called’ rift within his family, there are uneasy questions which are always fired at him. The man clearly has his shortcomings like all of us. The good part is that, as we witnessed at the launch of his ambitious Jana Sena Party, his conscience is clear and to his ardent admirers, that’s all it matters.

Right now, he’s at a crossroads where it’s still not clear what path he’s going to take in near future. If it’s joy that he wants to spread among his fans, then all he needs to do is appear on screen and be the PSPK that people have looked up to for the past 20 years. Not surprisingly, even a 20 sec teaser of him walking through mist or a dusty town gets a staggering reach on social media. But he isn’t the kind of a man who would restrict himself to films…is he? That brings us to his reclusive side, where we see him being a simpleton, who is just like any of us, despite his stardom. It’s not innocence per se, but he’s in a state of enlightenment where materialistic things wouldn’t really matter to him. And there’s a different side to him, of a doting father, a geek who loves comic books and literature in general, a bike enthusiast, a philosopher which not many know about. The less you reveal about yourself, the more curious people get about you. And Pawan Kalyan is the best example for that, apart from Rajinikanth and Ajith. You only hear stories about them from others and they become part of your sub-conscience.

And finally, behind all this enigma lies the idea of a hero, whom people look up to. What does a man need to do to be a hero? Few instances from his life in the recent past have proved, beyond an iota of doubt, that all it takes is to show that you are humane. That you still have the courage to leave behind all that you have achieved and show that you have a heart. His acts of kindness, whether it’s helping those in need or giving courage to a terminally ill patient, speaks volumes about him. His life apparently inspired a man to ride a bicycle for more than 1500 kms, all the way from West Bengal, to spread the message about his ideals (and those of Jana Sena Party). In the words of the great Bob Dylan, “A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” I suppose that puts Pawan Kalyan’s life into some perspective.

It’s perhaps not wise anymore to see Pawan Kalyan just as an actor. He has gone way beyond that. For all you know, he doesn’t even care about things which some of his fans fight over. I mean, seriously, how does it matter if his films don’t shatter records at the box-office, when he himself is aiming to achieve bigger things in life. And he is fighting a battle with the shadows of his own life which refuse to leave him. It’s an uphill task and for the longest time, we might not even know what he is up to. Perhaps, one fine day in future, we might understand the extent to which his actions and life itself brings about a change.

Until then, all we are left with is a name which is something more than a brand. It’s a symbol – a hope to some, an enigma to others and to those who truly believe in him, it’s a source of inspiration. To say you are a Pawan Kalyan fan comes with a lot of responsibility and if you have really screamed with joy when he said that dialogue from Gabbar Singh, “Vaadu Naa fan. Nenu cheppina okkate, naa fans cheepina okkate (He is my fan. What I say is the same as what they say)”, you really really have high standards to reach because your demigod has said so.

In the end, it’s not really about thumping your chest and prove that you are a fan of Pawan Kalyan or scream with joy when you hear his name. It’s time for us to lead by example. And the best way to celebrate the birthday of a man so many of us love so much would be to show some kindness and be the hero you see in Pawan Kalyan. So, what is it that you are going to do now? It’s time to make a choice. Because Gods almost always bear silent witness to the actions of their believers. All you can do is pray and hope that you find solace in life. To put Pawan Kalyan’s life and his stardom in perspective, perhaps there’s no better song than the “I’m a just a travelling soldier” song from Thammudu. It has this beautiful stanza:

“Look at my face in the mirror
and I wonder what I see
I am just a travelling soldier
and I’ll be all I can be

But right now
I just wanna be freed
I wanna be all I can be”

That’s as profound as a message can get about life in general. Live Long And Prosper.

 

 

[Power Star]

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