HBD Thalaivar: Rajinikanth's BIGGEST FLOP left distributors bankrupt, flick later achieved cult status

Tamil Film Industry's superstar Rajinikanth, fondly called Thalaivar by fans, turned 74 on Thursday. The iconic actor of Indian cinema, who has been ruling the silver screen for over six decades, has several blockbusters to his name. He has left an indelible mark in Bollywood, Kollywood and several other regional film industries. However, did you know that Rajinikanth's biggest flop left the distributors bankrupt and the superstar returned 25% of the investment? Well, later on, the movie achieved a cult status.

From working as a bus conductor to entering the entertainment world, Thalaivar Rajinikanth's life journey is no less than a movie plot. Recently, it has been announced that a biopic will be made on the legendary actor's inspiring tale of determination and talent. As the actor turns 74, here we bring an interesting anecdote that will leave the fans surprised.

Hits and flops are a part of every actor's career and almost all biggies of the Indian Film Industry have tasted the bitter taste of flops. Rajinikanth has multiple times credited his success to Amitabh Bachchan as he rose to fame with the remakes of Big B's movies. Later, Rajini went on to carve his own identity with his unique style and punchlines. But, things turned sour in 2022 and it forced him to take a break from movies for three years.

Baba: Rajinikanth'sBIGGESTFLOP 

In 2022, Tamil filmmaker Suresh Krissna came up with Baba, a story based on a carefree young man Baba, who is a non-believer of supreme power and a reincarnation of a great saint from the Himalayas. While Rajini played the titular role, Manisha Koirala played the female lead in the movie. Like all other movies of Rajini, Baba was also one of the most anticipated movies of 2022. However, when the movie was released in theatres, it received mixed to negative responses. Furthermore, negative word of mouth also impacted the box office collections. As a result, the movie became a disaster.

As per a report, the supernatural action drama was sold to the distributors at a record price of Rs 17 crore. According to a report by Hindustan Times, the movie was able to collect only Rs 3 crore. Following the movie's debacle, the distributors reportedly went bankrupt.

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Rajini, commonly referred to as Thalaivar, meaning leader, stepped in to compensate for the distributors' loss. Reportedly, Rajini returned 25% of the investment to the distributors.

Following the debacle of Baba, Rajini decided to step back from acting. He disappeared from the big screen for the next three years. However, when he made his comeback with Chandramukhi in 2005, he gained back his lost status.

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Over the years, Baba achieved a cult status. In 2022, the movie was re-released in theatres just two days before his birthday. This time, it met with better reception. However, the re-released version had a different ending and with shorter runtime. According to an ABP report, the movie was housefull across Tamil Nadu and several other south Indian states.

On the work front, Rajini was last seen in Vettaiyan in which he teamed up with Amitabh Bachchan after decades. He will be next seen in Lokesh Kanagaraj's Coolie. To make Rajinikanth's birthday more memorable for fans, the makers of Coolie dropped a song from the movie on Thursday.

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