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Throwback: Rajinikanth was first choice for Shankar’s Indian but Kamal Haasan was later roped in; here’s why
Kamal Haasan’s 1996 release Indian continues to remain a crucial film in his career. But did you know that Ulaganayagan was not the first choice for the movie? Read on to know more.
Kamal Haasan has remained one of the iconic pillars of Indian cinema, and his versatility knows no bounds. Agree or not, the actor does have a filmography dotted with nothing less than iconic movies. However, did you know that one of his hit films back in 1996, Indian, was never supposed to be spearheaded by him? Well, read on to find out a bit more about this lesser known tidbit.
Well, Shankar who helmed the film Indian had first shared the story with none other than Rajinikanth. As per Vasantha Balan, who was the AD for the movie, Thalaivar had approached the filmmaker to know if he had any script for him, considering Shankar’s immense success with his debut directorial venture, Gentleman.
The filmmaker then narrated the story titled Periya Manushan.
While Rajinikanth was immediately impressed with the storyline, he finally wasn’t able to take it up. The superstar already had a few commitments and other projects on his plate. As a result, Shankar didn’t wait a minute more and simply approached Kamal Haasan, who came on board and curated the iconic character of Senapathi.
Quite interestingly, besides Rajinikanth, there were some other actors as well, who were in talks to be roped in for the mega entertainer. These include big names like Nagarjuna or Venkatesh for the character of the son, while actor Rajasekar was in consideration for the role of the father in the film.
Nonetheless, one couldn't agree more that Kamal Haasan seemed to be like the perfect choice for the film, as he left the audiences impressed with his looks and demeanor in the movie.
Moreover, the film also got a sequel Indian 2 in 2024, where Kamal Haasan reprised his iconic role yet again. Not just that, Indian 3 is also on the cards at the moment, and is slated for a release in January 2025.
Meanwhile, Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan have remained closely connected over the years, despite the gossip mongers attempting to pit them against each other. The two of them have worked together in almost 16 films together. As per Ulaganayagan, he and Thalaivar were quite well bonded and they never resorted to making snide remarks about one another.
On the work front, Rajinikanth will be next seen in Coolie. Kamal Haasan, on the other hand has films like Thug Life and Indian 3 on the cards next.
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