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Rajinikanth - A journey like no other: Part 4: Resurgence of a hero and still striking gold at 73
Rajinikanth, the demigod superstar enters the new millennium but will things be the same as in the 90s, or has the appeal for him changed for the audience? Let’s check it out!
4/4 Rajinikanth last appeared in a leading role in his 1999 blockbuster film Padayappa, and stayed away from mainstream cinema until 2002. The brief pause by the actor for more than two years left the fans wanting more of the actor. But, the actor was planning something special for his fans this time, at least that is what he planned to do.
Rajinikanth after his short time away from cinema came back to Tamil cinema with another movie, this time with a supernatural film being written and produced by the superstar himself under his banner of Lotus International. The film though failed initially holds a cult following today called Baba.
Baba and the modern films to follow
As everyone knows about Rajinikanth, the superstar is a huge spiritual person and is an ardent follower of Mahavatar Babaji. The spiritual following and his search for divinity led him to make an ode to his biggest belief. This journey of spirituality is what led to the making of Baba.
The story of Baba follows the life of a carefree non-believer who happens to be the reincarnation of a great saint from the Himalayas. His life dives deeper after Baba is taken to deity by chance and is offered seven chances of wishes which he can use to overcome the several illusions of the materialistic world he lives in. The journey of Baba and how he bests the villains becomes the crux of the story.
Though Rajinikanth intended to enlighten the public about his spirituality and develop a sense of purpose beyond the spiritual gains of the human world through his ideology, the film ultimately tanked at the box office and even invited controversy when Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader S Ramadoss condemned him for smoking and posing with beedis in the film, criticizing how the youngsters would get inspired by the superstar and start to smoke or drink. This led to PMK leaders going on the vandalize theaters and even burning the reels of the film.
The back-set of Baba led Rajinikanth into another hiatus from films for the next two years. Even though many filmmakers approached him during this period to narrate their stories, Rajinikanth rejected them all up until director P Vasu approached him for the remake of the 1993 Mohanlal film Manichitrathazhu called Chandramukhi.
The psychological horror comedy film revolves around the theme of dissociative identity disorder which creates havoc in the lives of people and a psychiatrist who comes in to save the day, risking his own life. Least to say, Rajinikanth delivered a massive blockbuster once again with Chandramukhi, which even went on for a theatrical run of 890 days at the old Shanti Theatre in Chennai. Interestingly, Chandramukhi was the first collaboration of Rajinikanth with Nayanthara, which earned her the status of 'Superstar’s heroine' in her initial years.
The success of Chandramukhi was just a record for a short period as AVM Productions decided to make a film with master director S Shankar and Superstar Rajinikanth in the biggest film production in Tamil at that time. The film is called Sivaji: The Boss.
Rajinikanth and Shankar collaborations
Back in 1993, director S Shankar narrated the script of a film titled Periya Manushan to Rajinikanth which would not be materialized and would later be made into the film Indian with Kamal Haasan in the lead role.
After the release of Indian, back in 1996, S Shankar narrated three different storylines to Rajinikanth which later became films Sivaji, Enthiran, and I. Though initially, Rajinikanth rejected all three of the films, later in 2005, AVM Productions hired Shankar for the film, with the first one going on floors.
The casting for the film went on for a while, with initially Aishwarya Rai Bachchan being considered for the leading role, but it was later given to Shriya, and the main antagonist was considered across actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Mohanlal, and Sathyaraj but it finally landed on actor Suman. The film which marked the 154th film in Rajinikanth’s career was the first film to use a different title card ever since it was used in Annaamalai.
The film went on the be made on a whopping budget but also became the highest-grossing film of Tamil cinema with the film’s theme even being compared to that of a Robin Hood-like character.
Though the film was successful in theaters, Rajinikanth then moved on to make films which again set back his career, the first of them being his shelved project called Sultan: The Warrior which was an animated film that went on in production hell for years. Later on, he tried to remake the Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol into both Tamil and Telugu with the names Kuselan and Kathanayakudu, which failed drastically in theaters.
Finally, in 2010, Rajinikanth once again joined hands with S Shankar for a path-breaking film in Indian cinema, which not only became the biggest hit in Tamil but also the highest-grossing film in India at its time. The film features Rajinikanth as a scientist and the robot, Chitti, the film is known as Enthiran.
Enthiran revolutionized the standards of Tamil cinema with the film being appreciated not just by Indian standards but also by several international standards where some even compared the character of Chitti to be similar to that of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein. So much so that during the promotions of Avengers: Endgame in India, director Joe Russo revealed how they had a scene in their previous film Age of Ultron where Ultron and clones would make a gigantic version of themselves which was inspired by Enthiran.
After the success of Enthiran, Rajinikanth was slated to appear in Rana, a period film to be produced by Soundarya Rajinikanth and directed by K. S. Ravikumar, who would work with the actor for a third time. During the principal photography of the film, Rajinikanth fell sick with a foodborne illness which left him completely weak and suffering from bronchitis. Additionally, the actor had to be treated for nephropathy which led him to travel to Singapore for a while.
Return of the Superstar, still a Superstar and always a Superstar
After he recuperated from his health problems, Rajinikanth decided to shelve the project Rana and instead went ahead to make the first-ever motion capture movie of India called Kochadaiiyaan. Even though the film was a huge failure at the box office, the film earned the title Rajinikanth as the first Indian actor to have appeared in four different forms of world cinema: black-and-white, color, 3D, and motion capture. By now, Rajinikanth’s style of acting had changed quite a bit, becoming generic and sustained to the image of what was considered to be a norm for him.
A film like Lingaa directed by KS Ravikumar is the right example for it, with both the actor and director going out of their peak form and trying to sustain a charm by doing things that they did back in the '90s. However, the emerging audience did not appreciate it the same way the audience in the 90s and early 2000s did.
Afterward, Rajinikanth opted to do films with newer directors, collaborating with filmmakers he hadn’t worked previously with. Starting from director Pa Ranjith’s film Kabali, Rajinikanth started to play more nuanced but commercially driven roles. Considering the film was directed by Pa Ranjith, the film also offered a strong sense of social commentary which went strikingly when presented by the Superstar himself. After the major success of Kabali, Rajinikanth once again joined hands with Pa Ranjith for the film Kaala where Rajinikanth plays a Dharavi-dwelling gangster who fights against corporate takeover of the slum. The film also got a huge positive response from the critics.
In 2018, S Shankar and Rajinikanth joined hands once again for the sequel to their 2010 film Enthiran, called 2.0 which went ahead to highest grossing Tamil film and also the second-highest-grosser film in India. The film also marked the debut Tamil role for Akshay Kumar who played the main antagonist in the film. Though this may have been all great and exciting in terms of commercial success, these films did not satisfy many people who wanted to see an iconic Rajinikanth film, in his vintage style.
This was the case until 2019 when director Karthik Subbaraj collaborated with his idol and made the iconic film Petta, bringing back his vintage style of acting. The film once again gave the full-packed experience of a Rajinikanth film, with the actor eluding with charm, charisma, and utmost grace in every single scene even bringing back the old James Bond-style title card for him.
Thereafter, Rajinikanth came forward with two new films called Darbar directed by AR Murugadoss, and Annaatthe with director Siva, both being commercial hits but lacking in critical appeal. At last Nelson Dilipkumar came back with a bang this year with Rajinikanth playing the mature role of a person closer to his actual age. The film Jailer was released, bringing back the Superstar aura everyone loves and adores.
A look at Rajinikanth’s career at 73
Even at the age of 73, the actor is fully indulged in the shooting of his films. His next film Vettaiyan with TJ Gnanavel is in the making with many actors from Indian cinema joining while many are anticipating the collaboration of the Superstar with director Lokesh Kanagaraj.
Looking back to the start of his career, a nobody who had a sustainable livelihood and was forced by his ex-girlfriend to pursue acting. Shivaji Rao Gaikwad crossed several hurdles before and after being spotted by his mentor K Balachander. From being the stereotypical bad guy in films to the household name hero in the 80s, Rajinikanth- the actor evolved into a superstar and a god in Tamil Nadu in the advent of the 1990s. The peak of his career went on to offer him roles from legends of the Indian cinema to the newcomers. Hits or flops, Rajinikanth has stayed true to his profession, making films, entertaining the audience, and is still revered as the Superstar of Indian Cinema…
THE END
ALSO READ: Rajinikanth-A journey like no other: Part 1: How K Balachander changed life of a bus conductor
Rajinikanth - A journey like no other: Part 2: The glorious uprise in the 80s
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