Baasha Re-Release: Audiences will get to see the two faces of Rajinikanth, the autodriver and the crime boss in the cult classic, Baasha, as the film is set to release in theatres again, on July 18, for the 30th anniversary of its release. Rajinikanth won the Cinema Express Award for Best Actor at the time.
The film was about an autodriver, Manickkam, who acts the sole breadwinner for his siblings after their father's passing. But Manickkam hides a truth about himself from his siblings. A truth that threatens his integrity as the honest worker and family man. Manickkam is revealed to be Baasha, a crime boss, who does good for the community in Bombay. When he goes against Mark Antony (Raghuvaran), Manickkam's father, who is employed by Antony, is murdered by Antony himself as retribution. In his dying moments, Manickkam's father extracts a promise from Manickkam: to live honestly and to support his family. But when Antony reappears in Manickkam's life, how Manickkam protects his family forms the rest of the story.
Produced by RM Veerappan, under his Sathya Movies, the film was a critical and commercial hit at the time of its release. Besides Rajinikanth, Raghuvaran's portrayal of Mark Antony, was lauded by fans and is still considered one of the finest portrayals of antagonists in Tamil Cinema.
Besides the plot and the acting, composer Deva's music was well-regarded by fans. 'Naan Autokaaran', 'Baasha Paaru', and 'Style Style Thaan', amongst the album being well-regarded amongst the fans. Almost all the songs were sung by the late SP Balasubramanyam, with lyrics written by Vairamuthu.
Baasha will be released in the 4k format in theatres alongside another RM Veerappan-backed film, Idhayakkanni, which stars MG Ramachandran in the lead.
