Rajinikanth Turns 75: Tinnu Anand Reveals Unheard Personal Incident About 1988 Shelved Film Shanaakht

Wanting to uncover unheard stories about Rajinikanth, we reached out to ace actor-director Tinnu Anand to share memories of the superstar, especially regarding the shelved film Shanaakht (1988), which also starred Amitabh Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit. Anand revealed a never-before-shared fact:

“I mean, I just don’t have words enough to praise this man. Yes, I was supposed to do a film with him called Shanaakht (1988), directed by me. He had come down for the Mahurat with Amitabh, Madhavi, and Madhuri Dixit. I shot for five days with Amitabh in RK Studios, and then I went off to see Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi (1988), first day, first show. And then I found out that the story was very similar to mine. Mine was full of action, but the romantic part of the film with Amitabh was the same. So I went to Amitabh and said, ‘What is this? How come the story is the same? And you never told me?’ He said, ‘But yours is action.’ I said, ‘No, but the romantic angle is exactly the same. A man has lost his memory, a girl falls in love with him, but he’s already married; he doesn’t know. I said, it’s the same. I’m not going to make this film.’

I lost a lot of money. But one day, both Rajinikanth Garu and I were shooting for different films at the same studio. He sent word that he’d like to meet me. I said, ‘Don’t tell him to come, I’ll come to his makeup room.’ We met, and he asked me, ‘What happened to that film? You have never come back for dates.’

I had given him a signing amount. I said, ‘I’ve dropped the film, sir.’ He was shocked. He said, ‘Why? How come you spent so much money on your shoot?’ I said, ‘Yes, that’s a loss. But anyway, I can’t carry on losing money on a script which has already been made.’

Then his secretary came later in the evening and asked, ‘Sir, will you be home tonight?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’m going straight home.’ Around 9 pm, the bell rang, and the secretary said, ‘Mr. Rajinikanth has come. He’d like to meet you.’ Rajinikanth came and said very soberly, ‘You’re not making the film. But I promise you I’ll give you dates on another film. But right now I cannot carry this money. This is like a load on me.’ He asked if it was cash or a check. I said, ‘A check.’ He said, ‘Okay, I’ll write a check and return the money.’ I literally started crying.

Here was a man who stands very tall, with great integrity, love for his profession, and love for the people he works with. This was Mr. Rajinikanth Garu. I always tip my hat, bow my head in front of him. A great man. His stardom exists because of this humbleness. It pays off in the end. And it pays off in a very big way. I love you, Rajini Garu. May you live forever. Cheers.”