Rajinikanth’s public notice stopping mimicry artists from mimicking him is rather harsh and uncalled for

Mimicry and stand-up comedy are ‘national’ pastimes of people in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Specialists in mimicry eke out a living caricaturing their favourite film stars and politicians and these programs are the most wanted ones in star-studded stage shows in India and abroad. Earlier there were only one or two comedy artists to mimic film stars and their mannerisms. In South India where film stars are adored like demiGods, their fans go berserk when the comedy artists dish out the mannerisms and style of their superstars. In yesteryears, there were fashion stores and hairdressing saloons named after M G Ramachandran, Shivaji Ganesan, and Jaishankar, the Tamil matinee icons. Not long ago, we had Khusbu Wines in Chennai named after the diva of Tamil films. Many restaurants in Tamil Nadu serve the delicious Khushbu Idly, known for its softness and distinct taste. At no point in time MGR, Shivaji, or Khushbu have questioned the propriety of the persons who ‘misused’ their names and style to entertain people.Last week, the reigning superstar of Tamil films Rajinikanth came out with a public notice he issued through his lawyer declaring that whoever mimics his style and mannerism and makes use of his name for commercial purposes stand to face civil and criminal cases.

The public notice portrays him as an actor with a humongous reputation and he enjoys a celebrity status and has the ‘personality/publicity/celebrity/rights over all facets of his personality’. No one can blame Rajinikanth for questioning the propriety of businessmen and entrepreneurs exploiting his name in commercial ventures. But his decision to say no to poor mimicry artists would rob them of a chance to earn a livelihood and this is certain to cast a shadow over the goodwill enjoyed by the superstar.There was a lot of heart burning when superstar Amitabh Bachchan, music maestro Ilayaraja, and playback singer K J Yesudas demanded that they be paid royalty by performers who make use of their acting and singing talents. The Indian Copyright Act has indeed put restrictions on the wanton misuse of such works by vested interests. But the truth remains that a true artist should not be greedy and ask the wannabe artists for royalties because it would be like robbing from begging bowls. The mimicry artists should show restraint and stay away from spoofing the maestros and superstars. One should not set the house on fire to kill a rat.