From 'Dharmathin Thalaivan' to 'Enthiran': Films where Rajinikanth was not the first choice

The very name Rajinikanth has made the phrase “second choice” in Tamil cinema obsolete. But surprisingly, many famous films were not originally written for him. Fate placed them in Rajinikanth's hands; later, all those films wrote the history of Tamil cinema. From Prabhu to Kamal, Vikram, Vijayakanth, no matter who they were originally conceived for, those stories eventually became timeless classics once Rajinikanth stepped on screen. On the occasion of Rajinikanth's 75th birthday, this is a special occasion to revisit films of the Superstar actor where he was not the first choice.

Initially, the dual role plan was written for Prabhu in 'Dharmathin Thalaivan'. Later, as the story got bigger, Rajinikanth was made the lead character. Prabhu also joined in as a supporting actor and created a unique chemistry on screen. When recalling the film in an interview, Prabhu said about this film, “Anna’s (Rajinikanth) screen energy is on another level.” The Rajinikanth-Prabhu pairing made the film a huge hit, and their on-screen bonding in the classic film is still popular among fans.

Directed by Suresh Krissna, 'Annamalai' was initially planned with Kamal Haasan in mind. The project was shelved due to incompatible dates, and the story was changed to focus on Rajinikanth. The film thus became a huge turning point in Rajinikanth's career. Rajinikanth later stated, "Annamalai was the turning point in my career." It remained in everyone's minds as a film that combined honest friendship, emotion, and success.

Rajinikanth's mega blockbuster 'Baasha' was originally written for Vijayakanth. Since that project did not materialize, the entire story was re-designed to focus on Rajinikanth. Ultimately, ‘Baasha’ became a cultural icon of Tamil cinema. Director Suresh Krissna said during the film's re-release, “There can only be one person who can be Baasha… and that is Rajini.” The film took Rajinikanth's mass image to heights that time will never erase.

Vikram was initially approached for 'Chandramukhi', the Tamil remake of ‘Manichitrathazhu’. The film then went to Rajinikanth due to his schedule. Fortunately, the film marked the biggest commercial comeback in Rajinikanth’s film career. When Vikram was asked about missing 'Chandramukhi', he said, “It was the right decision that the role went to Rajini sir.” Laughter, horror, thriller, all in one, made P Vasu's directorial a memorable film for the fans, and it ran over 300 days in theaters.

Director Shankar originally wrote the 'Enthiran' story for Kamal Haasan in the 1990s. After the initial shooting, the project was delayed for several years due to budget and production issues. Later, a leading production house joined hands with director Shankar and the project came to life in 2008 with Rajinikanth. Shankar praised Rajinikanth as “perfect for bringing larger-than-life stories to life.” It became the biggest sci-fi milestone in Indian cinema.