What’s in a nickname? A lot if you’re a South Indian superstar

Rajinikanth is Thalaivar. Kamal Haasan, through his heydays as a superstar, has been Ulaganayagan to fans. Vijay has been hailed as Thalapathy while Ajith is Thala. Chiranjeevi is Mega Star to Telugu fans while Mahesh Babu is Prince, Pawan Kalyan is Power Star and Ravi Teja has been Mass Maharaja for well over a decade. Mohanlal is widely known to fans of Malayalam cinema as Lalettan while Mammootty is Mammookka. Superstar nicknames have existed in South India for ages, and the new generation screen icons have followed suit. Having a moniker helps — for one, it endears the star to his/her fans and, importantly, also conveys the particular image he or she might want to project as a public icon. Here’s looking at the set of monikers among South Indian stars:

Rajnikanth is Superstar and Thalaivar: Flashing neon lights will systematically spell out ‘Superstar’ before any filmmaker dare use Rajinikanth’s name on screen; the title of the film itself is irrelevant in the face of the mass hysteria that spreads like wildfire across the cinema, with chants of ‘Thalaivar’ (Tamil for leader or boss) notching up octaves to reach a deafening roar. With every stylised flick of his hair, his trademark deadly swagger, or the simple motion of cocking his eyebrow before delivering a line that could break the internet faster than a Kardashian could ever hope, Rajinikanth’s very existence on celluloid is reason enough to celebrate for his army of loyalists.

Vikram is Chiyaan: Vikram became Chiyaan after his hugely popular character’s name in the 1999 blockbuster ‘Sethu’.

Sudeep is Kiccha: Kannada star Sudeep has been Kiccha to fans since he essayed the title role in the 2003 superhit of that name.

Allu Arjun is Icon Staar: He was earlier called Stylish Star, and has only recently been named Icon Staar (the extra ‘a’ is perhaps for added impact). The name came about recently when the first look of his upcoming film ‘Pushpa’ was launched. The film’s director Sukumar announced at the event: “Everyone has known him as the Stylish Star. From now on, he will be Icon Staar”. So much so, the teaser of the film introduces Arjun as Icon Staar.

Rashmika Mandanna is The National Crush: Her career may be just about five years old, and her Bollywood debut is yet to happen. But Rashmika, who has already garnered sizeable popularity in the Kannada, Telugu and Tamil film industries, has been named the National Crush by her fans. Asked if she is aware of the title, the actress recently told IANS: “I am aware of it but at the same time I am not. I know that there is so much love for me out there but I am not swayed by it. I know where my roots are and I know what all this is. I am mindful of who I am a person, so it is not that I am like ‘Oh my God!, I get to be swayed away by all love.”

Vijay Sethupati is Makkal Selvan: The Tamil actor who has proved his acting prowess in multiple films, has been given the title or Makkal Selvan or People’s Treasure. The name came about during the shoot of his 2016 film ‘Dharmadurai’. His director Seenu Ramasamy gave the actor the title.

Kamal Haasan is Ulaganayagan: ‘Ulaganayagan’, which is roughly translated to ‘Universal Hero’, was the moniker given to Haasan in the 90s. Earlier, he was often referred to Nammavar, following the release of his film with the same name. Haasan is known as an acting powerhouse and reportedly holds a record for Oscar submissions. Alas, none of his movies have made the cut.