Claimant (Atlee) of SRK Saar!

Atlee and Shah Rukh Khan, stills from Raja Rani, Theri, Mersal and Bigil

In an early scene in Atlee's Mersal (2017), the hero, as usual, ‘Thalapathy' (Commander) Vijay, gets racially profiled at Paris airport, apparently because he's showed up in shirt and mundu.

Once let free, Vijay exults, "Whenever we think we are big shots, we should just come to the airport. The way they treat us, show us that we're just ordinary people. I didn't say this. It is Shah Rukh Khan's (SRK) quote!"

This is reference to the times that SRK has similarly been held up at American airports. While in custody, Vijay's character notices a woman in need of medical help. He whacks the shit out of the airport cops, rushes to attend to the woman, slices her neck with his credit card, sucks her blood out of a straw. She's fine.

Vijay is Dr Maaran, the world's top surgeon plus medical philanthropist. There's another side to Vijay in the film, of an impossible magician, Vetrimaaran - I'm guessing, named after my favourite
Tamil filmmaker.

The third Vijay in Mersal plays the father. Likewise, in Atlee's Bigil (2019), Vijay plays both father and son. Does this propensity to cast the lead in multiple roles make Atlee the favoured choice for SRK, to similarly direct him in Jawan (2023) - the director's first Hindi movie, with a nearly all-Tamil cast-crew?

This isn't the first such Madras move for SRK. He's worked under Chennai directors, Mani Ratnam (Dil Se.., 1998), Santosh Sivan (Asoka, 2001), KS Adhiyaman (Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, 2002), even Kamal Haasan, for a cameo (Hey Ram). ‘Worked under' is inaccurate usage. In desi mainstream, the star is the system. He often casts the director, instead of the way around!

Atlee is a natural fit, also because few Bollywood superstars have greenlit that many double/multiple roles in their career as SRK. Think about it: Karan Arjun (1995), English Babu Desi Mem (1996), Duplicate (1998), Paheli (2005), Don (2006), Om Shanti Om (2007), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), Ra.One (2011), Fan (2016).

You could argue a couple of these aren't double-roles, but the same character playing diametrically different parts. A lot like Vijay in Atlee's Theri (2016). Which also makes Atlee the Rakesh Roshan of Kollywood.

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That's what inevitably happened in pretty much all Roshan pix, no? It's a straight-off double-role (Kishen Kanhaiya, Karan Arjun, Kaho Na… Pyar Haai), which is anyway innate to a super-hero film (Koi… Mil Gaya, Krrish).

If not, the lead's transformation is so stark, they become two different people, like Rekha (Khoon Bhari Maang), hiding her identity, to avenge the wrongs, eventually.

The latter equals Vijay in Theri. This isn't to suggest that's all there is, as an excuse for Atlee's mad, massy, macho-man actioners.

Bigil, for instance, is pure sports drama - about a down-and-out former player, leading a female team (of footballers) as coach. Reminds you of? SRK's Chak De! India (2007), what else.

Arun Kumar, 36, screen-credit name, Atlee - unsure if that's after Clement Attlee, the British PM at India's independence - debuted as filmmaker with the romance, Raja Rani (2013).

Starring Arya, Nayanthara, produced by Aamir Khan's Ghajini director, A R Murugadoss. It seemed a mild throwback to Ratnam's sombre Mouna Ragam (1986); only sillier, and perhaps more fun.

I heard the kid in Theri say, ‘All is well', that's a nod to Aamir-starrer, 3 Idiots, the Tamil remake of which, Nanban (2012), Atlee assisted on, for gizmo-geek director, S Shankar, whose superb Rajinikanth blockbuster, Enthiran/Robot (2010), he worked on as well.

His directorial debut onwards, Atlee has delivered four consecutive hits - Raja Rani (available on Disney+ Hotstar), Theri, that's Policeodu, dubbed in Telugu, then Mersal, Bigil (all on Amazon Prime Video). I've watched them consecutively too, before Jawan. In my field, it's called homework - many rightly wonder if that's any work at all (yeah, sure!).

What's common between Atlee's films? Firstly, the heroines so light-skinned, to the point that the British, Amy Jackson, plays a Mallu, opposite Vijay, in Theri! Probably, that's just Tamil mainstream for you. Of his stock actors, I especially enjoy the likeably unusual presence of the lean, bald, shrill-voiced, Motta Rajendran.

Or the frizzy-haired, broad-faced Yogi Babu, who may well be the Tamil ‘Johnny Lever' of his times. Watched him last on the big screen in Vijay's Pongal release, Varisu (2023). Loved him most, headlining Mandela (2021, Netflix).

The point of Atlee's pictures, of course, being how dementedly dangerous and dirty, business is - whether medicine, sports, or politics. None of the above explains ‘Atlee X SRK', obviously.

No part of the planet, I reckon, is sworn to stardom for cinema as Chennai, still. Not even Hyderabad. And no Bombay film actor has been as intellectually wedded to the star system as SRK. Not even Salman. None of this is narcissism, if it sells tickets, or wins elections, as it were.

As with ‘Vijay X Atlee'. The filmmaker gets lauded for projecting the star-image, right. Merger of onscreen persona and person, in the audience's eyes, is complete. You pull off that emotion, foremost.

The most popular Jawan line, before its release, is the meta: "Before you touch my son, talk to his father." Best line for Vijay in Atlee's Theri? "Let me see you touch my child, if you pride yourself in being a man." Aha!

Mayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture. He tweets @mayankw14
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