Rajinikanth turned 75 today.
New Delhi:
Rajinikanth turned 75 today (December 12). In an earlier interview with NDTV, director Pankaj Parashar, who worked with him on Chaalbaaz (1989), recalled some fond memories.
What's Happening
- “Rajinikanth is very sharp,” Pankaj Parashar told NDTV.
- He added, “He realised Chaalbaaz was Sridevi's film. If he played the arrogant, superhero Rajinikanth, it wouldn't work. So, he turned it into a comedy. He agreed to play the underdog, a man who gets scared, something most superstars would never do. He improvised brilliantly. In the film, he's scared of ghosts and that made him very lovable.”
- On set, Rajinikanth would often call Sridevi by a playful name.
- He shared, “He used to bow down and loudly say, ‘Srideva!' every time she entered. They improvised their own language and then translated it for me.”
- Parashar recalls being surprised by Rajinikanth's simplicity.
- He said, "He drove himself. No assistant, no manager, just him in an old 1960s Fiat. One day he offered to drop me at my hotel. It was hot, the car's AC wasn't working, so I rolled the window down. He told me not to because if someone saw him, there would be ‘Gallatta' (chaos). I didn't believe him. At a signal, two people noticed and shouted ‘Thalaiva!' Then more joined in. Soon there was a traffic jam. Mothers put their babies on his car's bonnet for blessings. Police had to come. That's when I saw his stardom.”
- Despite his superstardom, Rajinikanth always kept himself grounded. “He once told me, ‘People worship me, and that can go to your head. So I go up to the mountains, live in a temple for 10-12 days, clean floors, sleep on the ground, just to stay humble.'”
Background
Rajinikanth, affectionately known as "Thalaiva" (leader) by his legion of fans, remains one of the most revered and influential figures in Indian cinema. With a career spanning over four decades, he has starred in numerous films across languages, including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and English.
At the closing ceremony of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, the cinema icon received a Lifetime Achievement Award, marking 50 years of his illustrious career in the film industry.
