Kishore: ‘Rajinikanth and Shivarajkumar don’t need to do films, but they do because…’

In his nearly two-decade long film career, actor Kishore has collaborated with stars across industries, like Sudeep, Yash, Allu Arjun, Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, Mammootty, Mohanlal, etc., but there are two that stand out for him for their dedication to cinema, namely Shivarajkumar and Rajinikanth. Both the actors have had long and illustrious careers and are at a stage at which they do not have to move from film set to film set. And yet, they do, which, Kishore says, is not driven out of monetary purpose.

Also read: Kishore on working with Salman Khan in Sikandar: Certain gestures by stars like him are what elevate them to that stature 

Instead, he says, the experience and popularity they’ve gained over the years are being channelled towards keeping cinema alive and thriving. “For instance, a phenomenon called Rajinikanth has been created and it has to be put to use for people and cinema for as long as possible. He’s trying to push it as far as it goes and, hence, keeps acting. People sometimes say he ought to retire; why should he? It is so entertaining watching him, say, beat me up in style in a film,” said Kishore in conversation with Kairam Vaashi.

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Kishore on his directorial venture, Drive: ‘I learnt to understand the perspective of other actors’ 

Kishore also says that irrespective of the commercial success of some of their films, the fact that Rajinikanth and Shivarajkumar keep doing so many movies creates a continuous livelihood for a large number of people associated with cinema. Shivarajkumar, he adds, is an actor who sees acting as a profession that he needs to do day in and day out, like any other working person.

Kishore, who was in Rajinikanth’s Jailer and Vettaiyan, says that he is not a part of Jailer 2. The actor will next be seen in the Malayalam movie Vadakkan, which releases in theatres on March 7, following which he will be in Prithviraj Sukumaran’s L2: Empuraan. He’s also working on Salman Khan’s Eid release Sikandar.