Sundar C is a master of commercial cinema, having helmed many blockbuster entertainers over the years. However, at the start of his career, the filmmaker learnt a lesson from Rajinikanth while making Arunachalam, his 1997 film with the Superstar. A few years ago, Sundar C recollected a discussion he had with the film's lead actor while filming one of its key sequences. He said that Rajinikanth suggested a scene where a five-star hotel's manager would tell his character to vacate his room at midnight. The filmmaker had a reservation with Rajinikanth's suggestion and argued that it would not make logical sense, as even the manager of a small room costing Rs 100 at an Udupi hotel would not say the same thing. However, Rajinikanth told the filmmaker that the audience would only consider the emotional context of the story and not the logical side of it.
"Rajinikanth told me, 'If anyone questions the logic in the scene, I would admit defeat,'" the filmmaker said before disclosing that he trusted the former's suggestion because it came from him.
He also revealed that he applied this lesson for Aranmanai, the first in his series of horror films. "I gained confidence from Rajini sir," the filmmaker said at the time.
He is set to reunite with Rajinikanth for the first time after Arunachalam for the latter's 173rd film, with Kamal Haasan's Raaj Kamal Films International attached as its producer.
