50 Years of Rajinikanth: the filmmakers who made the star

The Hindu

02-05-2025

Recently, an image of Rajinikanth with a bunch of his recent directors went viral. Clicked on the sets of the actor's upcoming film, Jailer 2, it had the film's director Nelson along with Karthik Subbaraj (Petta) and Lokesh Kanagaraj (whose film with Rajini, Coolie, will be the actor's next release). What is interesting to note is that none of the three directors were even born when Rajini made his debut in 1975, with K. Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal. 50 years later, on the same release date as the yesteryear film, Rajini's Coolie will hit theatres.
The transition from working with established industry legends to fresh blood has been a tried and tested process for Rajini. Just like a film, the making of a star is also not a one-person job. Over the years, Rajini has teamed with a variety of filmmakers with varying levels of experience. Let's look at some of the directors who catapulted this actor into stardom.
An actor in the making
Along with fellow talents like Kamal Haasan, Chiranjeevi, Jaya Prada, Sridevi and Jayasudha, Rajini was also nurtured by the legendary Balachander who, after Apoorva Raagangal, gave him his subsequent Tamil films Moondru Mudichu and Avargal. Interestingly, all these films co-starred Kamal Haasan. Over the years, Balachander would work multiple times with the actor in films like Thappu Thalangal, Ninaithale Inikkum and Thillu Mullu.
The young Rajini's sophomore was the Kannada anthology film Katha Sangama, by veteran Kannada filmmaker Puttanna Kanagal. Balachander also gave Rajini his Telugu debut with Anthuleni Katha. Despite doing a few Kannada and Telugu films in the late 70s, Rajini got his first experience working with a relatively new Tamil filmmaker in Kavikkuyil (1977), co-starring Sivakumar and Sridevi and helmed by Devaraj and Mohan. But the film failed to make waves as he expected at the box office.
The same year, Rajini starred in the Telugu film Chilakamma Cheppindi, in his first lead role, and the film was eventually remade in Tamil as Nizhal Nijamagirathu. Then came the collaboration with arguably the second-most important director of Rajini's career, S.P. Muthuraman. Having made more than a dozen films before, he was precisely what an upcoming actor like Rajini needed and that's how Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri (1977) happened. Rajini, who was till then playing mostly the anti-hero or a supporting role, began getting more lead-oriented roles after this film. The duo would go on to collaborate in films like Priya, Aarilirunthu Arubathu Varai, Murattu Kaalai, Netrikkan, Pokkiri Raja and Velaikaran — movies that cemented his position as a bonafide star. But before that, the golden trinity of Rajini, Kamal and Sridevi came together for 16 Vayathinile, the legendary filmmaker Bharathiraja's debut film, in which Rajini played the evil Parattai. The same year, he also starred alongside Vishnuvardhan in the Kannada film Sahodarara Savaal, helmed by K.S.R. Das with whom he would do more Telugu and Kannada films like Kiladi Kittu and Annadammula Savaal.
Right after Rajini and Muthuraman's second venture Aadu Puli Attam was out, the actor teamed up with veteran filmmaker P. Madhavan (known for classics such as Dheiva Thaai, Vietnam Veedu and Thanga Pathakkam) for Shankar Salim Simon. Speaking of iconic directors, Rajini also worked with Pasi-fame Durai for Aayiram Jenmangal. In his unstoppable ascent, Rajini also got to collaborate with legendary filmmakers like C. V. Sridhar (Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirathu, Thudikkum Karangal), Bhimsingh (Iraivan Kodutha Varam), T. R. Ramanna (Kuppathu Raja), Muktha Srinivasan (Polladhavan, Sivappu Sooriyan), K. Vijayan (Viduthalai) and A. C. Tirulokchandar (Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye).
At the same time, he also starred in screenwriter-turned-filmmaker Mahedran's debut flick Mullum Malarum, with whom he would go on to work in Johnny and Kai Kodukkum Kai. He made his Malayalam debut with I. V. Sasi's Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum.
An underrated filmmaker Rajini collaborated with often during the late 70s and early 80s is R. Thyagarajan with whom he made films like Thai Meethu Sathiyam, Annai Oru Aalayam, Anbukku Naan Adimai and Ranga. Another collaborator who rarely gets his due credit is Vikram filmmaker Rajasekhar who teamed up with Rajini in films like Thambikku Entha Ooru, Padikkadavan, Maaveeran, Mappillai and Dharma Durai.
A star is born
It was in the mid-80s that he made his first and only film with cinematographer-turned-director Balu Mahendra, Un Kannil Neer Vazhindal, right before teaming up with his favoured Muthuraman for the actor's 100th film, Sri Raghavendrar. Rajini's film with Rajasekhar, Maaveeran, is also touted to be the first Tamil film to be shot in 70 mm film format. Even Manobala, known to today's generation as a late actor-comedian, helmed Rajini in the film Oorkavalan.
It was in 1988 that Rajini starred in his first and only English film, Bloodstone, directed by American filmmaker Dwight H. Little who went on to helm films like Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and Tekken. In 1990, Rajini made his first collaboration with director P. Vasu for Panakkaran and the duo would go on to work on hits like Mannan, Uzhaippali and Chandramukhi.
In his last leg of doing the rounds of Bollywood, Rajini teamed up with veteran producer K. C. Bokadia's directorial ventures Phool Bane Angaray, Insaniyat Ke Devta and Tyagi. He also joined hands with Agneepath filmmaker Mukul S. Anand's Khoon Ka Karz. After films like Andhaa Kaanoon, John Jani Janardhan and Dosti Dushmani, Rajini's last collaboration with veteran filmmaker T. Rama Rao was the 2000 film Bulandi. A Hindi remake of the hit Tamil film Nattamai was the actor's last Hindi film appearance.
The birth of a superstar
If the 80s cemented his position in the industry as a star, it was the 90s that made him the 'Superstar'. Rajini made a splash in 1991 with Thalapathi, his only collaboration with Mani Ratnam. The next year saw him teaming up with Balachander's erstwhile assistant Suresh Krissna for Annaamalai. The two would work on films like Veera, Baba and the cult classic Baashha. The late 80s and the early 90s were also when Rajini did his final films with established directors he previously worked with. Kodi Parakkuthu with Bharathiraja, as well as Pandian with S. P. Muthuraman, turned out to be box office duds.
But the younger crop of filmmakers like Suresh Krissna and P. Vasu made certain Rajini's rise to superstardom never halted. In 1995, Rajini joined hands with another major filmmaker who was instrumental in the actor's career, K.S. Ravikumar. After a fantastic start with Muthu, the two would team up for Lingaa and another cult hit, Padayappa.
After a break of three years, post the Baba debacle, Rajini returned with the hit flick Chandramukhi and two years later, he made his first film with director Shankar, Sivaji: The Boss. Once again, it wasn't a one-off. The duo would go on to do Enthiran and its sequel 2.0, both incredible successes.
Nurtured to nurturing
It's in the mid-to-late 2010s when Rajini started collaborating with the latest crop of filmmakers defining Tamil cinema. After Kabali with the then two-film old Pa. Ranjith, Rajini would reunite with him for Kaala. He also worked with his 'fanboy' Karthik Subbaraj in Petta and a couple of years ago, worked with Nelson on Jailer.
It is scarcely believable that after 170 films, Rajini continues to headline his movies, with thoughts of retirement or taking on supporting roles seemingly out of the picture. That's certainly great news for his fans who have spanned generations. From being a newbie who got to work with some of the best filmmakers in the country, to now working with a young crop of directors who grew up watching his films, Rajini's tryst with such a distinguished list is something very few — such as his friend and peer Kamal Haasan — could experience. Of course, the list of people who were instrumental in his illustrious career would include veterans such as Panchu Arunachalam, RMV, Kalaignanam and many more, but it had to take someone with grit and perseverance to build himself a career that others could only dream of — and Rajini did precisely that.
His 171st film, Coolie, by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is set to hit theatres on August 14 this year, exactly 50 years after the release of his first film. While fellow stars of the industry take a year or even more to complete a project, Rajini, who will turn 75 this year, has already completed the second schedule for his next film, Jailer 2. It reminds me of a line from one of his iconic speeches where he called himself a horse that would leap to its feet immediately after a fall and not an elephant that takes its own sweet time. Let this horse prance along forever.