Little Superstar
Encyclopedia
Little Superstar is a video uploaded on YouTube
, which is a clip from the 1990 Indian film Adhisaya Piravi, starring Rajinikanth. The clip features the dwarf
South India
n actor Thavakalai breakdancing to MC Miker G & DJ Sven
's "Holiday Rap
". The title "Little Superstar" presumably originates from the nickname of the film's lead actor, Rajinikanth, who is generally coined as a superstar
. Various mashup
s have also appeared on the Internet using tracks from Cypress Hill
, Michael Jackson
and others.
The video has been featured on YouTube
, in Tom Anderson's
bulletins on Myspace
, on the E!
TV show The Soup
, the MSNBC
shows Countdown with Keith Olbermann
and Tucker Carlson
, G4TV's Attack of the Show!
and elsewhere, as well as having been parodied on Saturday Night Live
. Another popular video clip features Thavakalai slapping a man from the same movie.
In recent years, actor Thavakalai has choreographed a dance number in a Doritos
Tandoori Sizzler! commercial shown in Canada
, which was filmed in India
.
Rajinikanth: OK Mom [lights up a beedi
as she walks away].
Thavakalai: Dude, give me a beedi
.
Rajinikanth: Hey! Kids shouldn't smoke.
Thavakalai: Buddy, I'm ten years older than you. Give it to me I say.
Rajinikanth: And if I don't?
Thavakalai: I'll skin you alive.
Rajinikanth: Here you go.
Rajinikanth: Ok.
(Thavakalai slaps thug)
Thavakalai: [pauses and looks at Rajinikant] Dude, how (am I doing)?
Rajinikanth: Great!
Rajinikanth: Enough. He's going to die!
[Thavakalai returns back to cot]
Rajinikanth: Well, is this enough or do you want a piece of me too?
, which predominantly refers to the filmmaking industry of Hindi films, in some places on the web and TV media, such as YouTube, Yahoo and the "Oddball Plays of the Month" segment of Keith Olbermann show on MSNBC. The film is actually from Tamil cinema
, colloquially known as Kollywood, the Tamil
filmmaking industry based in Chennai
, Tamil Nadu
, India.
Thavakalai has been incorrectly described as a child actor
in some places. He is actually an adult with dwarfism
. He was also never known as a "little superstar" in the Tamil film industry and is only the phenomenal title of the clip given by its uploaders. However, the protagonist of the film, Rajinikanth (actor lying on the cot in the video), is known as a "Superstar" in India.
first started turning up on video sharing
websites in March 2007. Another parody starring Fred Armisen
as Thavakalai and Bill Hader
as Rajinikanth aired on Saturday Night Live
on April 21, 2007. Nobody's Watching
also created a parody of the video. A parody of "Little Superstar" appeared in the season finale Gorillas in the Mist (American Dad!)
of the sixth season of American Dad!
.
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, which is a clip from the 1990 Indian film Adhisaya Piravi, starring Rajinikanth. The clip features the dwarf
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n actor Thavakalai breakdancing to MC Miker G & DJ Sven
MC Miker G & DJ Sven
MC Miker G & Deejay Sven were a hip hop duo from the Netherlands. The duo consisted of Lucien Witteveen and Sven van Veen...
's "Holiday Rap
Holiday Rap
"Holiday Rap" is a 1986 rap song recorded by Dutch band MC Miker G & DJ Sven. Debut single of the duet, it was released in most European countries in 1986 and achieved success, topping the chart in France , Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands...
". The title "Little Superstar" presumably originates from the nickname of the film's lead actor, Rajinikanth, who is generally coined as a superstar
Superstar
A superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
. Various mashup
Mashup (video)
A video mashup is the combination of multiple sources of video—which usually have no relation with each other—into a derivative work, often lampooning its component sources or another text. Many mashup videos are humorous movie trailer parodies, a later genre of mashups gaining much popularity...
s have also appeared on the Internet using tracks from Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
and others.
The video has been featured on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, in Tom Anderson's
Tom Anderson (MySpace)
-External links:* on * * on...
bulletins on Myspace
Myspace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, on the E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
TV show The Soup
The Soup
The Soup is an E! Entertainment Television weekly series; it is a revamped version of Talk Soup that focuses on recaps of various pop culture and television show moments of the week...
, the MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
shows Countdown with Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
and Tucker Carlson
Tucker Carlson
Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson is an American political news correspondent and conservative commentator for the Fox News Channel...
, G4TV's Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show!
Attack of the Show! is an American live television program shown weeknights on G4, G4 Canada and Fuel TV in Australia. The program is hosted by Kevin Pereira and Candace Bailey...
and elsewhere, as well as having been parodied on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Another popular video clip features Thavakalai slapping a man from the same movie.
In recent years, actor Thavakalai has choreographed a dance number in a Doritos
Doritos
Doritos is a brand of seasoned tortilla chips created by Arch West and produced since 1964 by the American food company Frito-Lay ....
Tandoori Sizzler! commercial shown in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, which was filmed in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
Transcript of the video
The language spoken in the clip is Tamil. The rough English equivalent would be:Dancing clip
Mother: Hey, hey. What's with the party early morning? Get out everybody, shoo, shoo. [Speaking to Rajinikanth, who's lying on the cot] Why not take some rest, dear?Rajinikanth: OK Mom [lights up a beedi
Beedi
A beedi is a thin, South Asian cigarette filled with tobacco flake and wrapped in a tendu leaf tied with a string at one end.The word comes from beeda, Marwari for a leaf wrapped in betel nuts, herbs, and condiments....
as she walks away].
Thavakalai: Dude, give me a beedi
Beedi
A beedi is a thin, South Asian cigarette filled with tobacco flake and wrapped in a tendu leaf tied with a string at one end.The word comes from beeda, Marwari for a leaf wrapped in betel nuts, herbs, and condiments....
.
Rajinikanth: Hey! Kids shouldn't smoke.
Thavakalai: Buddy, I'm ten years older than you. Give it to me I say.
Rajinikanth: And if I don't?
Thavakalai: I'll skin you alive.
Rajinikanth: Here you go.
Slapping clip
Thavakalai: Brother, you don't worry about this silly duel. I'll take care of this myself (with my hands).Rajinikanth: Ok.
(Thavakalai slaps thug)
Thavakalai: [pauses and looks at Rajinikant] Dude, how (am I doing)?
Rajinikanth: Great!
Rajinikanth: Enough. He's going to die!
[Thavakalai returns back to cot]
Rajinikanth: Well, is this enough or do you want a piece of me too?
Misconceptions
The clips were incorrectly reported as being from BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
, which predominantly refers to the filmmaking industry of Hindi films, in some places on the web and TV media, such as YouTube, Yahoo and the "Oddball Plays of the Month" segment of Keith Olbermann show on MSNBC. The film is actually from Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
, colloquially known as Kollywood, the Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
filmmaking industry based in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India.
Thavakalai has been incorrectly described as a child actor
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
in some places. He is actually an adult with dwarfism
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
. He was also never known as a "little superstar" in the Tamil film industry and is only the phenomenal title of the clip given by its uploaders. However, the protagonist of the film, Rajinikanth (actor lying on the cot in the video), is known as a "Superstar" in India.
In popular culture
A parody version of "Little Superstar" starring porn star Ron JeremyRon Jeremy
Ronald Jeremy Hyatt , usually called Ron Jeremy, is an American pornographic actor. Nicknamed "The Hedgehog", he was ranked by AVN at number one in their "The 50 Top Porn Stars of All Time" list...
first started turning up on video sharing
Video sharing
Video hosting services refers to websites or software where users can distribute their video clips. Other sites such as file hosting services image hosting services and social network services might support video sharing as an enhancement to their primary mission, but in general, they are not...
websites in March 2007. Another parody starring Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen
Fred Armisen is an American actor, comedian and musician best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, and portraying off-color foreigners in various comedy films such as EuroTrip, Anchorman and Cop Out...
as Thavakalai and Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
as Rajinikanth aired on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on April 21, 2007. Nobody's Watching
Nobody's Watching
Nobody's Watching is a television program that was never aired. It originated with and was written by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, as well as Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, writers for Scrubs and Family Guy.- Program history :...
also created a parody of the video. A parody of "Little Superstar" appeared in the season finale Gorillas in the Mist (American Dad!)
Gorillas in the Mist (American Dad!)
"Gorillas in the Mist" is the nineteenth episode and the season finale of the sixth season of American Dad!. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 22, 2011...
of the sixth season of American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
.
External links
- "Little Superstar" on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- "Little Superstar Returns" on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Doritos Tandoori Sizzlin commercial
- Behind the Scenes Footage of the Doritos Tandoori Sizzler commercial
- Adhisaya Piravi
- Slapping Scene
- Fight scene
- Countdown with Keith Olbermann Sept. 29th 2006
- Tucker Carlson Sept. 28th 2006