The Southern phenomena

The year 2011 saw Tamil superstars growing popular across India. Legendary actor Rajinikanth’s illness took the nation by storm. The veteran suffered renal failure and was admitted to a hospital in Chennai and was later flown to Singapore for further treatment on the advice of his close friend, megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

Fans of the Tamil legend showered him with “get well soon” messages and many tonsured heads at temples to pray for his recovery. On his arrival from Singapore, Rajinikanth couldn’t stop thanking the Almighty and his fans for their unconditional love for saving him from an illness that generally proves to be life threatening. Later in the year, Shah Rukh Khan paid a tribute to the superstar in his own way in ‘RA.One’. The gracious star even made a guest appearance for Khan in the film. And to follow Rajini’s suit in terms of popularity was his son-in-law, actor Dhanush, whose song `Kolaveri Di` went on to become a sensation of sorts. Termed as the `latest youth anthem`, `Kolaveri Di` became one of the most shared songs on Facebook and one of the most viewed videos on YouTube in recent times.