Prakash Raj is Like Salsa

After I'd seen 10-plus films with Prakash Raj, it became clear that his presence always seemed to improve the experience of watching the film.  He always added a little something extra--he spiced things up--and it occurred to me:

(Note: I imagine that a more culturally appropriate analogy is probably Prakash Raj = Indian Pickle/uppinakaayi/pachchadi/oorugai/achar, but I've mostly lived in the salsa-eating regions, so salsa it is!)


Salsa makes great food taste even better.  What would make home-made tamales more delicious? Tomatillo salsa!

Prakash Raj makes a good or great movie even better.  Pokiri is, in my opinion, a nearly perfect film. It's got a great hero entrance, fantastic fights, and one creepy, corrupt cop (played by Ashish Vidyarthi)--but in the second half, things really get rolling with the arrival of the true force of evil, Ali Bhai.

Salsa makes so-so food taste better. Back in college, a favorite late-night snack was the always reliable cheese quesadilla. Slightly stale tortillas and industrial cheese were made palatable with the addition of good old Pace Picante. Did you overcook the eggs? Salsa can help with that.

Prakash Raj makes a so-so movie better.  Wanted (the Hindi remake of Pokiri) is a polarizing film. But I think that even the non-fans who make it past the interval would agree that Ali Bhai's theatrics (especially his scenes when he's in custody) are pretty entertaining.

Salsa is great on its own.  Chips are delicious, but mostly as a delivery mechanism for fresh salsa.

Prakash Raj is great on his own. Kanchivaram is the rare Indian film that really shows the arc of a character across time, and Prakash Raj does an amazing job of realizing Vengadam's humor, pride, and tragedy.

A little salsa can go a long way. It just takes a few drops of Cholula salsa to make eggs (or Bloody Marys) perfect.

A little Prakash Raj can go a long way. In Mass he's the sleezy lawyer to Rahul Dev's baddie.  He's only onscreen for three minutes, but in that scene he hatches the plan that nearly destroys the hero (spoiler alert: Nagarjuna wins in the end!)

Salsa is great is unexpected ways.  I give you the paleta de pico de gallo, a Mexican popsicle made of chopped mangoes, cucumbers, and chiles. Sweet, spicy, frozen salsa on stick.

 Prakash Raj is great is unexpected ways. In Mozhi, Prakash Raj busts a move!

With Prithviraj! On the beach! In the sugarcane!


And again!

Check out the Jack Sparrow costumes at 1:10, and there's saxophone playing at 2:50!