As Rajinikanth completes 50 years in cinema and gears up for the release of his 171st film, Coolie, stories about the superstar's simplicity and charm remind us why he's loved across generations. Director Pankaj Parashar, who worked with him on Chaalbaaz (1989), recalls some unforgettable moments.
“Rajinikanth is very sharp,” says Parashar. “He realised Chaalbaaz was Sridevi's film. If he played the arrogant, superhero Rajinikanth, it wouldn't work. So, he turned it into 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 used to bow down and loudly say, ‘Srideva!' every time she entered. They improvised their own language and then translated it for me.”
No Entourage, No Starry Airs
Parashar recalls being surprised by Rajinikanth's simplicity. “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.”
The Superstar Who Cleans Temples
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.'”
Parashar adds that Rajinikanth has built auditoriums for people to get married for free, using his wealth to help communities.
As Coolie storms theatres this Independence Day week, these stories remind fans why Rajinikanth isn't just a superstar, he's a phenomenon who has stayed rooted in humility through five glorious decades of cinema.
