‘Dear Friend’ Rajinikanth is wished a happy birthday by Kamal Haasan: A viral old video of their Apoorva Raagangal days can be seen here

A primary factor contributing to Tamil cinema’s global acclaim is the enduring bond, camaraderie, and regard between its two colossal icons, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. On December 12, the latter celebrates his 73rd birthday. Our very own Ulaganayagan sent his best wishes to his “dear friend” via social media.

On his X account, Kamal tweeted in Tamil, which means “Happy birthday to my dear friend Superstar @rajinikanth.” I really hope you have a prosperous life and are successful both now and in the future.”

In the meanwhile, another video that is becoming popular on X shows a younger Kamal telling politician, actor, and game show presenter Prakash Raj about how Rajini was chosen by director K Balachander for his first part as a supporting character in the 1975 movie Apoorva Raagangal.

In case you’re unaware, Kamal portrayed the main character Prasanna, while Rajini had a supporting part as Pandiyan.

According to Kamal in the video, Balachander was pleased with Rajini’s performance and demeanor while he was still a student at the Madras Film Institute, which helped him get the job. An apparently agitated Balachander was eager to start filming his movie but was concerned since an actor had not been cast for the role of Pandiyan when Rajini showed up for the audition.

Many people are unaware of this fascinating fact: Balachander gave Rajinikanth his new name after renaming him Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, the old icon Sivaji Ganesan, to avoid misunderstanding. Rajini did not know a word of Tamil either, and he spoke Marathi and Kannada as his native tongue. Rajini began conversing with his colleague at Balachander’s recommendation, and it seems that he picked up Tamil in less than 20 days.

The friendship between Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan

The two legendary actors were recently seen filming Indian 2 and Thalaivar 170 in the same studio, much to the joy of their respective fan bases.

“The 2 unparalleled LEGENDS of Indian Cinema ‘Ulaganayagan’ @ikamalhaasan & ‘Superstar’ @rajinikanth sharing a lighter moment while shooting for their respective films Indian-2 & Thalaivar170 in the same studio after 21 years!” was what production company Lyca Productions tweeted. And we at @LycaProductions are really excited and honored to be working on both projects!”

Haasan has Indian 2, which was directed by S. Shankar, scheduled for release, but he also has Mani Ratnam’s KH234 and Kalki 2898 AD on his hands. Rajini, meanwhile, is the star of TJ Gnanavel’s Thalaivar 170, starring Dushara Vijayan, Ritika Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, Rana Daggubati, and Fahadh Faasil.