Rajinikanth was the chief guest at the grand inauguration of the Greenpark Resort & Spa in Madikeri (Coorg), Karnataka and the 90th birthday celebration of its owner, the veteran filmmaker, Atluri Purnachandra Rao. The superstar attended the event to honour the producer who introduced him to Hindi cinema. Also present at the event were Murali Mohan, M Venkaiah Naidu and others.
In his speech, Rajinikanth said, “I was actually introduced to the Tamil film industry by K Balanchander. It was Purnachandra Rao garu who introduced me to Hindi cinema in 1983. At that time, my manager Murali Prasad came and told me, ‘Purnachandra Rao garu of Lakshmi Productions is asking for your dates. I was extremely busy then. I had no time and no dates at all. There were many Tamil productions lined up; how could I suddenly do a Telugu film? I clearly told them that I didn’t have the dates. Then he said, “Not Tamil; it’s a Hindi film.” I wondered, ‘Hindi film? Somehow, by luck, Tamil audiences have accepted me as a hero. There’s no chance for me in Hindi’ (laughs). Hence, I declined the offer.”
He added, “But they kept on insisting. Murali told me, ‘I should at least meet them as it’s a big production house’. I agreed to meet them, though I wasn’t interested at all. Sri Purnachandra Rao garu and T Rama Rao garu came to meet me. They asked me, ‘Have you seen the Telugu film, Chattaniki Kallu Levu (1981)?’. I said, ‘No, sir’. They revealed, ‘It was remade in Tamil (Sattam Oru Iruttarai; 1981) and was a big hit. When we made it in Telugu with Chiranjeevi as the lead, it was a huge hit as well. You should do it in Hindi’. I informed them, ‘Sir, I can speak Hindi and Marathi, but that’s not proper Hindi. Even my Tamil isn’t perfect yet (laughs)! Hence, I cannot accept the offer’.”
Rajinikanth continued, “Around that time, Kamal Haasan’s Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981) had become a massive hit; in fact, it was a blockbuster. If that film hadn’t succeeded, I doubt whether I would have even considered the offer. Yet, I refused the offer. They requested me to reconsider. They revealed, ‘Hema Malini will play the hero’s sister, while Reena Roy will essay the role of the heroine. There will be three villains. Pran garu will be returning to films with this project after a long break. Danny Denzongpa, a great actor who rarely accepts films, will play a villain. Also, Amitabh Bachchan will appear in a guest role’.”
The hall erupted with laughter as the star confessed, “I thought they were just exaggerating! When they mentioned Hema Malini, I became a little doubtful. Yet, I continued listening to whatever they were saying. The moment they mentioned Amitabh Bachchan sir’s name…I concluded that continuing the discussion felt like a waste of time. We left and I scolded my manager, Murali, ‘What is all this? (They are claimed to have signed) Amitabh Bachchan, this person, that person…no no’!”
Rajinikanth then said, “While I was leaving after declining the film, T Rama Rao garu said, ‘What is all this? Is he mad? He’s getting such a big opportunity with Amitabh Bachchan and he’s saying No? Has he lost his mind?’ However, Purnachandra Rao garu remarked, ‘Wait, it hasn’t been explained to him (Rajinikanth) properly’. Later, he sent someone else to speak to me. That person told me, ‘I think you’re underestimating this offer. Amitabh Bachchan is confirmed. Everything is ready. They are even considering Mithun Chakraborty. But Purnachandra Rao garu feel that since Kamal Haasan has already become a hit, you will suit this role very well’. He’s very particular about it. Hence, please agree to do the film’.” He also said, ‘Chiranjeevi is waiting, wondering whether he would get a call from Purnachandra Rao garu since he had a hit with him in the form of Chattaniki Kallu Levu’. (laughs). That’s when I believed it and I signed Andhaa Kaanoon (1983).”
Rajinikanth added, “You all already know how big a film Andhaa Kaanoon was. However, after watching the film, distributors said, ‘Everything is fine, but who is this hero? Who will accept him?’. Nobody bought the film. So, Purnachandra Rao garu himself distributed it all over India. It became a super-duper bumper hit (smiles).”
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The post Rajinikanth reveals how Andhaa Kaanoon makers reacted when he initially declined the offer: “Murali Mohan said, ‘Is he MAD? He’s getting such a big opportunity with Amitabh Bachchan and he’s saying No?’”; opens up on distributors reactions, “They said, “’Who is this hero? Who will accept him?’” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
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