Aishwarya Rai and Celebrity Rajinikanth are two of Indian cinema’s greatest icons. But, they’ve solely shared the display screen as soon as, within the 2010 blockbuster ‘Enthiran’ or ‘Robotic’. This pairing, nonetheless, was a very long time within the making. Based on Rajinikanth himself, talking at an occasion for his movie ‘Chandramukhi’, filmmakers tried to solid the previous Miss World reverse him on 4 separate events. Scheduling conflicts reportedly stored the collaboration from taking place, resulting in a few of Kollywood’s most legendary casting ‘what-ifs’.
The lengthy await ‘Sivaji’
Earlier than ‘Enthiran’, director Shankar wished Aishwarya Rai for ‘Sivaji: The Boss’, Rajinikanth’s one centesimal Tamil movie. The grand undertaking, was envisioned as a social drama highlighting corruption and cash laundering. Nevertheless, attributable to date clashes, Aishwarya couldn’t come on board. Shriya Saran was finally solid as the feminine lead. The movie grew to become a serious success, solidifying Rajinikanth’s mass attraction and setting new benchmarks in Tamil cinema.
The complicated lead in ‘Chandramukhi’
On the silver jubilee celebration of ‘Chandramukhi’, Rajinikanth revealed that Aishwarya Rai was initially approached to play the function of Ganga, which was in the end portrayed by Jyothika. The actor shared that he was unsure if Jyothika might deal with the demanding twin function however was later satisfied by director P. Vasu’s confidence in her. Jyothika’s efficiency grew to become iconic, incomes essential approval for her portrayal of a girl with dissociative id dysfunction. Rajini even puzzled how totally different the movie may need felt with Aishwarya in that function.
A supernatural function in ‘Baba’
Rajinikanth’s ‘Baba’, written and produced by the famous person himself, was one other undertaking the place Aishwarya Rai was the primary selection for the feminine lead. Nevertheless, the function finally went to Manisha Koirala after Aishwarya declined. The movie, a religious fantasy drama directed by Suresh Krissna, targeted on an atheist’s journey towards enlightenment. Regardless of its excessive manufacturing values and music by A. R. Rahman, the film underperformed on the field workplace. Nonetheless, it stays a cult favourite amongst Rajinikanth followers for its message and music.
The long-lasting villain function in ‘Padayappa’
Ok. S. Ravikumar’s ‘Padayappa’ (1999) was one other movie that just about featured Aishwarya Rai. The filmmakers initially wished her to play Neelambari, the highly effective and vengeful character reverse Rajinikanth. When Aishwarya couldn’t signal the undertaking, the function went to Ramya Krishnan, who delivered a efficiency that grew to become probably the most iconic feminine antagonists in Indian cinema. The movie additionally starred Soundarya and Sivaji Ganesan and have become certainly one of Rajinikanth’s greatest hits of the last decade.