50 years of Rajinikanth: When the Tamil superstar said he would be an underworld don, if not an actor

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth is 74, and on 15 August, it will be 50 years since the actor debuted in the 1975 K Balachander film Apoorva Raagangal. Everyone knows how he once worked as a coolie, and even a bus conductor before making it big in films. But in a 2010 interview with The Telegraph India, Rajinikanth revealed that he would've been an underworld don if not for being an actor. (Also Read: Lakshmi Manchu on 50 years of Rajinikanth: 'One should pray for the kind of friendship he has with my dad Mohan Babu') Rajinikanth has played an underworld don on-screen but says he would've been one off screen too.
Rajinikanth would've been an underworld don
Rajinikanth spoke to the publication after the resounding success of the 2010 Shankar film Enthiran, which saw him in dual roles as a scientist and a robot. The actor, one of the highest-paid stars in the country, had not taken any salary for the film. After its success, he took a share of the profits, with the report mentioning how his 'tijori was full'. 'I told them, you give it to me later. Later, of course, I took,' he said.
However, the actor wasn't always laughing his way to the bank and had his share of struggles before he bought that coveted home in Poes Garden, Chennai. He once said that if not for an actor, he would've become a smuggler because he wanted to earn money by any means. When reminded of it, the actor doubled down and said he also considered being a don. He said, 'Yes, that is correct, an underworld don. But that phase is over, I've made enough money!'
Interestingly, while Rajinikanth is the don who wasn't, he has played the character of a don on screen in the 1980 film Billa, the 1985 film Baashha, and the 2016 film Kabali.
50 years of Rajinikanth
It's no mean feat that Rajinikanth, who began his career by playing villains or supporting roles, is still going strong as a hero 50 years after he began in films. Numerous celebrities, including Kamal Haasan, Hrithik Roshan, Mammootty, Mohanlal and others, congratulated the actor on the milestone. His latest film Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, was released on 14 August, breaking several box office records on its opening day.