Once upon a time in the year 1999, the inhabitants of Chennai, India,
were rejoicing after a long wait. For months they had struggled against
that intolerable beast - Mr. Anticipation. They say that anticipation
kills. Well, it certainly might; especially when the cause and salvation
of that anticipation turns out to be Superstar Rajinikanth's latest
blockbuster, Padayappa.
Padayappa chronicles the
life and times of a sparkling young man (Rajinikanth) with the enviable
honorific of "Padayappa". A legend in his village, his animal presence
is said to exude an atmosphere of sexuality so charged, that women
conceive at the very sight of him. The lady of the manor finds herself
totally and utterly in a grip of lust inspired by Padayappa's visage. A
woman who is obsessed, yes, but also splendidly haughty, as she views
herself as unquestioningly deserving of Padayappa's carnal attention;
and resorts to the basest of stratagems to get it. However her attempts
at seduction fail at every hip shake, and her frustration flames to rage
on discovering that Padayappa's attention was already booked - by none
other than her own maid.
Jealousy causes her to serve a colourful
assortment of intolerable cruelties to the domestic help, culminating
mysteriously in a cessation of hostilities one day, with her gifting the
maid a beautiful silk saree, woven with threads of the most vivid shade of red. The maid, blinded by pure relief, sees this as a sweet gesture and complies with her memsaab's
suggestion to try it on immediately, as well as her directive to take
the rest of the day off for a stroll through the countryside to dazzle
the neighbours with her pretty attire. Halfway through the stroll, the
maid is too distracted by the ogling idle to notice a fuse getting lit
right behind her - the memsaab completing the process of
releasing a sullen bull held hostage by a spindly post. The bull takes
one look at the maid's red saree, feels its colour rekindle a lost sense
of purpose, and decides to devote its first lap of freedom to pursuing
the fabric.
The bull chases the maid through fields and valleys,
with the girl hollering for immediate assistance and cursing herself for
not having had seen red earlier at the sahiba's sudden
generosity. However, Padayappa appears just on time - standing between
distressed maiden and crazed bull, with a bucket of canary yellow paint.
One quick trademark smile later, he proceeds to empty the bucket's
contents onto the maid's saree.
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