Cult, pan

[user_gary]

Cult figures when it comes to popular culture, Rajinikanth has been restricted to being a Tamil icon while Amitabh's popularity is pan Indian, thanks to the reach of Hindi films.

Please explain the highlighed ones.

Also tell me in what way `to + being' is used here. I have come across `to + base verb' but I don't know how it could be used with `Gerund'/ing form of verb.

[Delmobile]

Cult - a religion devotedly followed by a small group. A movie that has become a "cult film" is one that a small group of fans watch over and over again.

Pan - is used as a prefix here, I would have written pan-Indian - from a Greek word meaning everything. (Think of Pan-Am Airlines.) The writer means that Amitabh is popular all over India.

"to being" - "being a Tamil icon" is a gerund phrase that is the object of "restricted to." The patient can't eat candy; he is restricted to a no sugar diet.

[Anglika]

Cult figures when it comes to popular culture, Rajinikanth has been restricted to being a Tamil icon while Amitabh's popularity is pan Indian, thanks to the reach of Hindi films.

Please explain the highlighted words/phrases. Gary - please correct this in future posts.

Also tell me in what way `to + being' is used here. I have come across `to + base verb' but I don't know how it could be used with `Gerund'/ing form of verb.

Cult figures = the two actors have a following of fanatic fans, who regard them with an almost religious fervour.

pan-Indian = Rajinikanth is specifically popular in Sri Lanka; Amitabh is popular throughout the Indian sub-continent.

"to being" - this is the present participle of "be", and is indicating a continuing state of the actor as Tamil icon.

[user_gary]

Thank you Anglika and Bbk. [For all threads]

For your Information :
I think you mean :
Rajnikanth is popular in a state of India known as `Tamil Nadu' that is not Srilanka and Amitabh is popular in all states of India.
Probably you thought `Sri lanka' because you often read news about `LTTE' which includes the word `Tamil'.

Am I right?

[Anglika]

Absolutely. Thanks for the information.