Star gazing over Hogenakal

The Tamils are proud of the sound zha, as in Tamizhan. They believe no non-Tamil can get it right. Debates over phonetics used to break out at a newspaper office in Bangalore, where Tamils and Kannadigas worked in equal numbers. The Tamil proofreaders asked the Kannadigas to say "Vazhapazham!", certain that their colleagues would flunk the test. After a while, the Kannadigas arrived at a smart answer. They said, "Okay, before we try that, we'll give you a simpler test. Just say 'Gopi'!"

Now you may think this was no contest. But no! The Tamils invariably got one of the syllables wrong. They would say "Gobi" or "Kopi", much to the delight of the Kannadigas.

Thanks to Hogenakal, Kannadigas and Tamils again look like sworn enemies, but let it not be forgotten that they enjoy their share of fun and games. At the same time, spring from the same Dravidian roots, and but they have evolved into temperamentally dissimilar siblings.

In the movie industry, barely educated and real estate-enriched Kannada producers believe the best stories are manufactured in Tamil Nadu. They look out for hits in Tamil, and promptly import them into Kannada. But is it true that the Tamils write better stories? No, if you ask the Jnanpith awards committee. Kannada has won seven of these highly regarded literary awards, while Tamil has won just two. But the Tamils write better movie scripts. They know how to dramatise a story, how to exaggerate in a cinematic way, how to package it all with comedy, dialogue and song.

The Tamils take their films seriously, and are so impressed by good deeds on screen that they do not hesitate to hand over their collective destiny to their celluloid heroes. The Kannadigas are a more sceptical lot. An Ambarish here and a 'Mukhyamantri' Chandru there may win a stray election, but will never be able to lead a party to power. Perhaps the only movie star who might have become chief minister of Karnataka was Rajkumar. His contemporary MGR rose without any serious challenge to take over the reins of Tamil Nadu, but Rajkumar remained unmoved by the temptations of electoral politics. Would Kannadigas have voted him to power had he entered the fray? We'll never know.

Since the Tamils consume their popular culture earnestly, they can also produce more extravagant films, flashier ads, and catchier songs. The Kannadigas challenge that assumption once in a while, and deliver big hits, but these don't make a mark beyond our borders. The Tamil film industry has an audience in many parts of India, Karnataka included, and abroad. Many Kannadigas are as familiar with Rajnikant and Vikram as they are with their own stars. (My Kannadiga aunts are big fans of Kamala Hassan and could ply you with endless Tamil movie trivia!). But, on the other hand, the Tamils steadfastly refuse to patronise Kannada films in Chennai.

To come back to where we began, and to generalise, the Tamil thrives on hyperbole, while the Kannadiga prefers understatement.

Kannadigas, at least the ones whose knowledge of Kannada extends beyond popular culture, believe they excel at literature. The best minds in Tamil writing seem to gravitate towards the Chennai movie industry, while the best in Kannada writing remain dismissive of popular movies. Can you imagine an Ananthamurthy or an Adiga writing a screenplay for Rajkumar or Ravichandran?

Tamil rhetoric, inspired by Dravidian politics, is wonderfully heady, as Rajnikant knows. And it's wholesome family entertainment to watch the stars come out on both sides and make grand speeches. But do you know any better about the Hogenakal row, now that you've enjoyed the tinsel spectacle? Someone tell us what it's all about, please.