Rajinikanth's speech at the audio launch (August 2) of his upcoming film Coolie caught the Internet's attention for all the wrong reasons. The superstar's choice of words has been targeted by the Internet as he called his Coolie co-stars Aamir Khan "short" and Soubin Shahir "bald".
What's Happening
Rajinikanth said he had doubts about working with Soubin Shahir as he hadn't seen his work before. Later, director Lokesh Kanagaraj convinced him.
Recalling how his impression about Soubin Shahir got changed, Rajinikanth said, "I asked Lokesh, 'Who is Soubin? Which films has he acted in?' He mentioned 'Manjummel Boys', where Soubin played a key role."
Rajinikanth continued, "Lokesh told me I only needed to join the shoot on the third day. He was busy filming Soubin's portions on the first two. When I finally arrived, he showed me Soubin's scenes, and I was blown away. What an actor! Hats off!"
Though Rajinikanth praised his work, he reportedly called him "bald" on stage, which irked the Internet.
Rajinikanth also recalled how the director broke the news of Aamir's casting to him.
"Lokesh then said it is Aamir Khan. I just went silent. Then, I asked him if Aamir had agreed to the role. I was thinking Aamir Khan would take two whole years just to okay a script. How many years will it take for him to make a film? Such a perfectionist," were his initial reactions.
He then added, "Just like Kamal Haasan, he is the one in the North. There's Salman Khan on one side and Shah Rukh Khan on their other. He stands tall among them all despite being short. What a legend! A legend! My salute to you, Sir."
However, the Internet thought the term "short" was said in a poor taste.
The Internet reacted to Rajinikanth's remarks.
An X user wrote, "Imagine if words like these came from someone like Chiranjeevi, Balayya (Nandamuri Balakrishna), Mohanlal or Amitabh Bachchan, would these people have left them without questioning? Entire cinephiles would've roasted them for at least a week. The privilege Rajini enjoys is definitely something else."
Another user wrote, "Saying Soubin as bald imagine if this was said by some other person on Rajini. Yesterday speech was the worst among all."
Another user wrote, "Ironic that Rajinikanth joked about how Soubin Shahir would fit his role since he was "bald and all", considering first choice for that role was Fahadh Faasil, which he himself revealed a few seconds earlier.
About Coolie
Directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, Coolie marks Rajinikanth's 171st film. The movie also features Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir and Sathyaraj in key roles. Aamir Khan will make a cameo appearance in the film. Coolie is produced by Kalanithi Maran's Sun Pictures.
The film will clash with Hrithik Roshan-Jr NTR's War 2 on August 14 in theatres.
Also Read | Who Is Winning The Coolie vs War 2 Advance Booking Fight? Trade Experts Tell NDTV