Rajinikanth is hailed as a God-like figure in India. Born as Shivaji Rao Gaekwad into a Marathi family in Karnataka, Rajinikanth had a very humble beginning. But his love for cinema was unmatched. After making his debut in Apoorva Raagangal, Rajinikanth played the role of a crime boss in the movie, Baasha, which earned him immense fame, and from then on, there was no looking back for him.
Rajinikanth is leading the headlines currently as his much-anticipated film, Coolie, has just been released. Despite clashing with War 2 starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR, Coolie managed to make Rs. 35.51 crore on the first day. People are flocking to the theatres to watch their favourite star in action.
Rajinikanth’s stardom knows no bounds, and just like his professional life, Rajinikanth’s personal life too has gained a lot of limelight. Amid all his actresses, Rajinikanth’s pairing with Sridevi was loved by the fans. However, not many people know that Rajinikanth was madly in love with Sridevi and even wanted to marry her. However, his superstition stopped him from doing so.
Rajinikanth reportedly asked Sridevi’s mother to get her married to him
Sridevi and Rajinikanth’s first film together was Moondru Mudichu, in which a 13-year-old Sridevi played Rajinikanth’s mother. Since then, he has been very protective towards her. It was also reported that when Sridevi was 16, Rajinikanth asked her mother to get the actress married to him.
When Rajinikanth’s superstition didn’t let him propose Sridevi
Rajinikanth and Sridevi worked together in 19 films in four languages, which included Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. Over the years, he fell deeply in love with her, but it was not clear whether she had the same feelings for him. Do you know Rajinikanth was all set to propose to Sridevi, but his superstition came in between.
In a throwback interview, K. Balachander revealed that Rajini was so much in love with Sridevi that he decided to go to her house and propose marriage to her. When the actor and Balachander reached Sridevi’s home during the griha pravesh ceremony, the electricity supply suddenly cut off, and it was all dark. Rajinikanth considered it a bad omen and returned from her doorstep. He was so disappointed that he left without saying a word about his marriage proposal.
Sridevi fasted for seven days for Rajinikanth when he fell seriously ill
In 2011, Rajinikanth fell ill during the filming of Rana and was hospitalised. When the news reached Sridevi, she got extremely worried and fasted for seven days for the actor. Not just this, she even visited the Sai Baba temple in Pune to offer her prayers for his well-being.
Rajinikanth was heartbroken after Sridevi’s death
February 24, 2018, marked the darkest day in Indian cinema as the industry lost one of its rarest gems, Sridevi. She died in Dubai due to accidental drowning in a bathtub after losing consciousness. The news came as a shock not just for her fans, but for Rajinikanth too. He left everything aside and flew to Mumbai to meet her family. Penning his emotions on X, he wrote:
“I’m shocked and very disturbed. I’ve lost a dear friend and the industry has lost a true legend. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I feel the pain with them #RIPSridev … you will be missed.”
Rajinikanth never misses celebrating his wedding anniversary with Latha Rangachari. However, the Thalaivar skipped his 37th wedding anniversary celebration in 2018 which was on February 26, two days after Sridevi’s death. He, along with his daughters and extended family, mourned for Sridevi.
Rajinikanth could never profess his love for Sridevi. Yet he remained protective towards her throughout her life.
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