Real or look-alike?

THE PLACE: the heart of filmdom down South.

The event: a mock filming in progress.

``It is kind of ironical,'' says Sulaiman, co-founder, Abinaya dance troupe. ``Coming here from Madurai and putting together a shooting sequence before a Kodambakkam crowd,'' he adds.

Well, that's what the popular troupe did in one of the massive indoor venues at the Vijaya-Vauhini studio. For three days, in each of the four half-hour capsules every evening during the Chandamama Kids Carnival, a host of `clone-heros' from Tamil filmdom right from `MGR' to `Rajnikant' and `Vijaykanth' had the rapt attention of the audience.

On the last day of the Carnival, MGR, drove right on to the main stage with commandos in tow, greeting well-wishers, fans and followers with the familiar victory sign. On stage, all major `stars' sought MGR's blessings. He had a short message for the children too, which was more in line with the message his movies carried - that everyone should be fair and do his or her job well; that everyone should do all the good they can, whenever and wherever they can.

``Even Rajnikant `sir' was so impressed with our `Rajni' (acted to the last detail by Gopi), that he commended us,'' says the Vijayakanth look-alike Jayakumar. That was when the group performed at the Rajni 25 celebrations in the city.

The troupe completes a decade in the entertainment business now; but the going had never been easy. ``We came together because ofcircumstances,'' says Balaraghavan.

That was in 1989, when four college-mates - Sulaiman, Jayakumar, Balaraghavan and Duraipandian - got together to found the institution. ``We were unemployed and there was mounting pressure from our homes. That was when we decided to do shows,'' remembers Sulaiman. ``First it was just music and miming,'' he adds. Then dawned the idea to mimic, look and act like stars. Duraipandian was good at `Rajni-style' and Jayakumar, that of Vijaykanth. `MGR' joined the group later.

The troupe has made some foreign trips, are quite popular in rural areas and are a permanent feature of many temple festivals in the State. But in a Chennai-centred and Chennai-centric state, their location is a big handicap. They now operate out of a Corporation shopping complex at the Periyar Bus Stand, Madurai. ``We are not getting the right breaks. We have to open an office here in Chennai,'' says Jayakumar.

(By R. K. Radhakrishnan)

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