On December 12, superstar Rajinikanth celebrates his birthday. Even though he may be getting older in real life, to his admirers, Rajini will always be the invincible Superstar. Who else, after all, can silence a doubter with the classic punch line, “En vazhi, thani vazhi! (My way is my own)”? Some 90s youngsters even grew up breaking their sunglasses as a childhood dream of wearing them like Rajini. We can see why Bollywood celebrities aren’t far behind in applauding the star! (Also Read: Jailer: Nelson acknowledges that he was shaken by a warning not to feature Rajinikanth with grey hair in a big-budget movie.)
Rajini Sir is priceless: Amir Khan
Many people might not be aware, but Shankar asked Aamir Khan about playing the protagonist in Robo 2.0. The reason the actor declined the job was not the screenplay; rather, he felt that no one else could portray Vaseegaran and Chitti. “Rajini sir felt back then that he wasn’t healthy enough to shoot for the film and suggested that Shankar rope me in,” he remarked in a 2017 interview with ETC Bollywood. However, when I closed my eyes, all I could see was Rajini Sir doing the part; he is unique. The movie will be a huge smash, according to the screenplay I’ve read. But I didn’t think anyone else could pull it off but him. I’m an admirer of his, so declining it wasn’t a difficult choice.
Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan are like family
At the IFFI 2019 in Goa, Amitabh talked about Rajini; the two had co-starred in the 1991 movie Hum. He revealed their equation, saying, “I consider Rajinikanth ji to be a member of my family.” We communicate regularly and keep in touch. He occasionally asks me for guidance, and vice versa. Amitabh also made a joke about how neither of them takes the counsel. “There are moments when I warn him not to do something, but he still does it. However, I appreciate Rajini being here with me. You are such a wonderful inspiration. He was such a modest person, having come from such modest roots. Every day, he motivates us,” he continued.
I would tell him anything I wanted to say. Hrithik Roshan
Rajinikanth and the then-child actor Hrithik shared the screen in the 1986 movie Bhagwaan Dada. Hrithik once remarked, “I used to say whatever I wanted to him as if he were my friend while shooting for Bhagwaan Dada,” in an interview with a news station in 2017. He was quite forgiving then, pardoning a lot of my actions and words. I still clearly recall Rajini Sir apologizing to me so I wouldn’t feel guilty anytime I would make a mistake and the director—my grandfather—would cut the shot. He preserved my confidence; therefore I can look back on it with so much affection in my heart.
