Rajinikanth recalls how Kamal Haasan broke barriers for South Indian actors in Bollywood

At the audio release event of his upcoming film Vettaiyan, Superstar Rajinikanth reflected on the pivotal moments in his career and the instrumental roles that Kamal Haasan and Amitabh Bachchan played in his early success in Bollywood. Despite their contrasting styles and choices in films, Rajinikanth and Kamal have been crucial in each other's careers in Tamil cinema and beyond.

Rajinikanth explained how Kamal's success with Ek Duuje Ke Liye, the Hindi remake of Maro Charitra, broke barriers for South Indian actors in Bollywood. It is said that no distributor in North India was initially willing to release Ek Duuje Ke Liye, expecting it to fail at the box office. However, producer LV Prasad took the risk and released the film, which went on to become a smash hit. The success of Ek Duuje Ke Liye demonstrated that a Southern actor could find acceptance among Hindi-speaking audiences.

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Rajinikanth went on to describe how Amitabh Bachchan personally recommended him for his first Hindi film. "The main reason for me to act in Andhaa Kaanoon was Amitabh ji. After the Telugu remake of Sattam Oru Iruttarai became a huge hit, the work was going on to remake it in Hindi. Mithun Chakraborty was being considered to play the lead role. But, at the time, Kamal's Ek Duuje Ke Liye was doing superbly well. Amitabh suggested to the producer to cast me in the movie, and after he promised that he would do a guest role, the producers were convinced," Rajinikanth said.

The collaboration between Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan in Andhaa Kaanoon marked the beginning of their friendship, which led to further collaborations. "After working in Andhaa Kaanoon, Amitabh and I became very close, and he recommended me for other movies too. I did a guest role in Geraftaar, and then we did Hum. All three were very big hits," he added.

With Vettaiyan, Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan will reunite on screen after over 30 years. The movie is due in cinemas on October 10. 

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