Veteran actor Sivakumar, in an exclusive interview with Cinema Express, reflected on the rise and superstardom of his co-star Rajinikanth from his debut in 1975 till now. In close-to-an-hour-long conversation, the actor underlined how the Coolie actor cemented his name in the industry and earned himself hero roles early on in his career, which was considered an ultimate recognition in the industry back then.
"Even actor Nassar tried his luck as a hero in a few films, but it didn't run and he had to come back to playing villain roles. It's not easy to play a hero. And the luckiest of them all is Rajinikanth who played an out-and-out villain and then went on to earn fame equally as a hero," said Sivakumar, highlighting key moments in Rajinikanth's career.
He further underlined his role in Bharathiraja's 16 Vayathinile where his character Parattaiyan would try to sexally assault Sridevi's Mayil. "Chappani (Kamal Haasan) would repeatedly request him to stop in the climax. It would be suggestive and the camera would only focus on Kamal's character. Even after portraying such a horrifying role, he was celebrated by fans as 'Thalaiva' and 'Paratta'. This is extremely rare," he added, noting that Rajinikanth's name and fame was because of God's blessings.
When asked about his role with Rajinikanth in Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri, Sivakumar said, "Many told me that I compromised and Rajinikanth became a hero which is not true. When you are in your mother's womb itself, your entire fate is decided. When it is written that Rajinikanth would become a superstar, how can Sivakumar stop it?"
For the unversed, Rajinikanth made his debut with K Balachander's 1975 Tamil drama Apoorva Raagangal, in which he played a minor role of an abusive husband. In 1977, he acted in 15 films, playing negative characters in most of them, including Avargal, 16 Vayathinile, Aadu Puli Attam and Gaayathri.
Apart from Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri, Sivakumar has acted alongside Rajinikanth in Kavikkuyil (1977) and Agni Sakshi (1982).
Rajinikanth, who was last seen in TJ Gnanavel's Vettaiyan (2024), is awaiting the release of Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj which is scheduled to hit theatres on August 14. The ensemble cast of the film also stars Nagarjuna, Upendra, Soubin Shahir, Sathyaraj, Shruti Haasan, Reba Monica John, Monisha Blessy and Kaali Venkat, among others.
