Khushbu expresses regret over working in Rajinikanth's Annaatthe: 'I became a caricaturish character'

Khushbu Sundar, who played a prominent character as Angaiyarkanni in Rajinikanth's 2021 film Annaatthe, shared her regret about being a part of the film, directed by Siva.

In a recent interview, the actor-politician was asked if she wished she had not taken a particular role. Looking back on her career, the 54-year-old actor acknowledged that while her body of work in Hindi cinema is too sparse to inspire regret, there are quite a few South Indian films she now feels she should have turned down.

"A recent example is the movie that I did with Rajinikanth sir. The role didn’t turn out like it was sold to me. Eventually, there was no (on-screen) pairing with Rajini sir for me."

She further added, "The film featured Meena and me, and it was initially conveyed that we would both be like heroines. I accepted the project believing that there would be no other actor paired opposite Rajini sir and that we would be there throughout. It was a very happy-go-lucky, comical and fun-loving role." Khushbu also revealed that as the project progresed, she felt that her character became caricaturish. "Rajini sir suddenly got a heroine and a character was pushed into it. Then I felt... I became a caricaturish character. After I saw the film while dubbing it, I was very disappointed," she said.

When questioned whether the change might have been Rajinikanth's decision, Khushbu categorically dismissed the notion. "He is not a person like that. I have known him for many years. I don’t know what exactly happened; maybe the fans demanded it or if the director and producer felt like getting a new heroine. Initially, both Meena and I had separate duet songs with Rajini sir. Maybe it was later decided that there should be a proper pairing," she elaborated.

Apart from Rajinikanth and Khushbu, Annaatthe also starred Keerthy Suresh, Meena, Nayanthara, Jagapathi Babu, Prakash Raj, Soori, Pandiarajan, Sathyan and Sathish. The plot revolves around Kaalaiyan (Rajinikanth) going to great extents to protect his sister Thanga Meenatchi (Keerthy Suresh) from a corrupt business official Udhav Parekar (Jagapathi Babu) and his brother Manoj Parekar (Abhimanyu Singh). The film received negative reviews from critics and audiences. D Imman composed the film's music.