Michael Jackson Karmic effect on Kodambakkam

June 25^th was the death anniversary of Michael Jackson (MJ) and I am not here to tell you about his moves etc but the telling effect he had on Kodambakkam. For one ,the only University in the World to have a statue of MJ in its campus is Vels University in Chennai. MJ’s comeback concert in India was the one way ticket to doom for a movie moghul GV (brother of director Mani Rathnam). Above all, MJ gave Indian Cinema. the great acrobatic performer – actor- director Prabhu Deva. The last achievement stands partially corrected as the credit should go to K T kunjumon KTK), the white colour obsessed film producer who wore white shirt- pants- shoes, matching watch strap and dial .

In all probability, MJ statue in Vels might be covered in crow shit or moved over to a place that does not distract the students and obstruct the expansion plan of Vels. According to KTK, Shankar told him a story of a poor boy with great dancing skills and a Governor’s daughter falling in love. Sundaram Master said that his son Prabhu Deva could be given a shot. Prabhu Deva had turned independent choreographer with Kamal- Pratap Pothen film `Vetri Vizha and was very busy.Distributors told KTK that a choreographer being hero was not their cup of tea. So then why not add Madhuri Dixit ?. Madhuri is busy. Someone said Nagma. Fine. So Rahman does music. KTK says gets best special effects, even if it from abroad. Movie runs for 100 days. Now KTK is happy that his political God – AMMA is happy. The Governor character was modeled on Channa Reddy , with whom Amma was having a war going on. KTK gave a huge amount to Girish Karnad, the art house actor to accept a commercial film as he felt that Karnad looked like Channa Reddy.

Bharat Shah, the big Bollywood guy, buys Kadhalan and dubs it in Hindi. So Shah asks KTK, whose cut-out should we keep outside the theater? KTK says – mine. KTK says a beggar at a traffic signal in Mumbai recognized him and danced waving show tickets. After the premiere show, G P Sippy and Ramesh Sippy hugged KTK and said that this is bigger than Sholay.  Prabhu Deva becomes a national sensation. Now logically, KTK and Prabhu Deva should be the top of the charts. KTK kept his winning streak with Kadhal Desam and gave Abbas, a lover boy who swept the audience. After that he ventured into making films based on his own subjects and sticking to new director’s who failed him. Prabhu Deva to a certain extent kept his dancing boy image intact with Minsarra Kanavu that had Aravind Swamy- Kajol with Rajiv Menon direction and Rahman music.

His acting career plunged and with a Telugu film that he directed, he took a new avatar. Now coming back to MJ. GV having produced Rajinikanth film Dhalapathy directed by his brother had made his GV Films , a listed company in the stock market. He then took the rights to conduct a concert of MJ in Mumbai.  A Mumbai company had the contract for the show. Now, GV gives me a scoop. Prabhu Deva will dance on the MJ stage.  All tickets sold out. It was something like Rambo Stallone to fight Salman Khan Kind of hype. Something happened. MJ did come to Mumbai but he did not perform. Prabhu Deva found that MJ does not allow any outsider to share a stage with him. Finally, Prabhu Deva, I think through Anupam Kher got to take a few photos with MJ at the hotel. GV Films shares crashed and in 1993, he had to file a lawsuit of Rs 3 crores against MJ and the Mumbai Company.

Years later, Prabhu Deva and his brother Raju, A R Rahman and actress Shobana took part in a concert called Friends of Micheal Jackson in Munich. Here too Prabhu Deva item was to be followed by MJ and latter was to join him on stage. It did not happen.  Prabhu Deva is a PR agent’s nightmare. Put him in front of a TV interviewer who knows only Hindi and English and he will sweat. He still is not comfortable with the languages. Despite this he has directed actors like Salman Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Akshay Kumar . His stock reply as to why he chose to do a film of a particular director or producer is that – He is a nice guy. 

Once he was asked to give a vote of thanks in English at the Chennai Tennis League. His producer -friend Dr Ishari Ganesh of Vels University requested him to do it. He got the audience sympathy by saying that it was his maiden speech in English and got an ovation when he finished by saying `I finally did it’. As the saying goes – Everybody has his Achilles heel. Here it is his neck. He takes care to not strain that part of the body.