A dinner table designed around the movie is receiving all the attention at a city-based hotel
With Enthiran frenzy reaching fever-pitch all over the state, a hot favourite with city youngsters is the dedicated `Enthiran Table' at The Movies, a theme-based restaurant. Known as Arunachala Inn earlier, this Rajinikanth-owned property was taken on lease last year by Ravi of the Vasantha Bhavan group, who turned it into a posh, designer hotel named The Spring.
The `Enthiran Table' is the latest addition to the theme restaurant. It's a table for two, with Rajinikanth's image embossed on both sides of one vinyl chair and Aishwarya Rai's on the other chair. Completing the picture is the table top, which provides a sneak peek of Enthiran. The restaurant, which has 23 designer tables, all based on Hollywood themes like Harry Potter, Slumdog Millionaire, Directors' Table, Legendary Actors, also has two screens for the projection of global movies.
R. Anand Krishnan, Ravi's son and one of the directors of the swanky hotel, says the entire hotel was redesigned as a "tribute to Rajinikanth sir." He explains, "I saw a moviethemed hotel in Switzerland shortly after we had taken Arunachala on lease. It was like a movie set with stage, camera, and arc lights. Back home, when I suggested this to my mother Swarnalatha, she felt the idea was a good one, but that we didn't have enough space to create a simi lar format. After care ful thought we finally came up with the idea of `dedicated tables.'" Adds Swarnalatha, the managing director of the hotel, "We have plans to screen the trailers of Enthiran after consulting its producers, Sun Pictures."
The Superstar actually dined at the `Enthiran Table' a few days ago and was all praise for the young entrepreneur. "We redesigned the entire hotel after consulting the superstar at each and every stage. And whenever he has time to spare, he prefers to dine here.
Even Rajini sir's daughter Soundaraya's mehendi ceremony was conducted here," she revealed.
Another highlight of the hotel is its Rajini-themed coffee shop, Caffeine, where the walls are lined with murals of major Rajinikanth films right from the time of his debut Kollywood flick -Aboorva Ragangal. "We have recently added a painting of Rajini sir from Enthiran to the list of 23 avatars (murals of the Superstar from his milestone films) on the wall. Artist Santhanam is the man behind these sketches," Anand reveals.
Rajini's portrait from his upcoming film, Sultan The Warrior, also finds a place here.
Plans are being set in motion to open a similar-themed chain of hotels in Coimbatore and Tirupathi, where the global icon's popularity is phenomenal.
Could this be called the `Total Rajini Experience'?
