Rajinikanth had no market in Telugu before Baasha, says Suresh Krissna
In a past interview, Suresh Krissna revealed how Baasha expanded Rajinikanth's fanbase in Telugu states, elevating his popularity there to the level of Telugu superstars.
Apr 25, 2024
Suresh Krissna reveals an unknown fact about Rajinikanth's Baasha.
Filmmaker Suresh Krissna's Baasha redefined the trends of commercial cinema across South Indian states in the early 1990s. But, did you know that it also helped Superstar Rajinikanth's popularity transcend language and cultural barriers?
Before Baasha, Rajinikanth's superstardom had little leverage in the neighbouring state of united Andhra Pradesh. Despite being a familiar face across the country, his films weren't as big a draw as they are today.
In a past interview, Suresh Krissna revealed how Baasha expanded Rajinikanth's fanbase in Telugu states, elevating his popularity there to the level of Telugu superstars. "None of Rajinikanth's films did well till that point. He had no market in Telugu. They dubbed it (Baasha) in Telugu and released it. Actually, they sold the theatrical rights of this movie for a throwaway price. And it became a sensational hit. Only after that, a big market was formed for Rajini sir. If all of Rajini sir's films get dubbed in Telugu today, it is because of Baasha," Suresh Krissna said in an interview with a YouTube channel.
ALSO READ: Decoding Rajinikanth inspirations in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie teaser
The unknown story of Baasha
"Rajinikanth even asked Chiranjeevi to act in the Telugu remake of Baasha, but he couldn't at the time as he was busy with other projects. But, using the Baasha template, Chiranjeevi did Indra," he added.
Baasha has remained a milestone film in the history of Tamil cinema. Since the success of that film, countless filmmakers have tried to mimic it, but none have succeeded in recreating the same viewing experience. The entire film was born out of a scene that Rajinikanth came up with during the making of the 1991 film Hum.
ALSO READ: 19 years of Chandramukhi: When Rajinikanth delivered his greatest comeback
Rajinikanth had conceived a scene with Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda while shooting Hum. When they suggested the scene in question to director Mukul S. Anand, he turned it down. Later, Rajinikanth fleshed out an entire movie about a reformed gangster running away from his violent past from that scene. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Baasha is available for streaming on multiple platforms, including SunNXT, OTTplay Premium , and YouTube.
Share