5 times Rajinikanth gave extremely memorable performances in Bollywood
On his 66th birthday, we decided to revisit five of his biggest Bollywood appearances.
Mumbai: Rajinikanth's birthday is a moment of national celebration, but the fans find don't need a reason to celebrate, do they.
Rajini fans, one of the most loyal cults across the globe, have been celebrating his films with a vengeance over the years. As strong as his following down south might be, he commands an equal, if not stronger fandom across Bollywood strongholds as well.
On his 66th birthday, we decided to revisit five of his biggest Bollywood appearances.
Andha Kanoon:
Rajini's Bollywood debut, helmed by Tatineni Rama Rao, the film also starred his frequent Bollywood collaborator Amitabh Bachchan and Hema Malini in the lead roles.
Chaalbaaz:
Pankaj Parashar's immensely successful remake of 'Geeta Aur Seeta,' starred Sridevi, Rajini and Sunny Deolin the lead roles.
The film became hugely popular courtesy its songs and Rajini's inimitable swagger.
Hum:
The ultimate Bollywood multi-starrer of its time, the film united Big B and Rajini again, only to be flanked by the infectious Govinda, to give Bollywood some of its best cinematic moments and songs.
A scene from the film, which would ultimately get discarded form the final print, inspired Rajini so much, so that he went on to make 'Bassha,' one of his most successful films of all time.
Bhagwaan Dada:
When J. Om Prakash decided to cast a delectably young Hrithik Roshan as a supporting child artiste in Rajini's 'Bhagwaan Dada,' also starring Rakesh Roshan, little did he know he was creating cinematic history!
The film would come to be followed heavily in later years for Rajini and Hrithik's delightful combination scenes.
Ra.one:
One of the sleekest cameos in recent times, when Shah Rukh Khan pulled a last minute coup before the release of his ambitious superhero flick, 'Ra.one,' by casting Rajinikanth in a brief cameo, fans went jubilant.
But when Rajini reprised his role as Chiiti, his own humanoid superhero from Shankar's monster hit, 'Robot,' fans went berserk because that was some serious Desi crossover fan-fiction right there.