Rajinikanth reveals Aishwarya Rai was the first choice for Neelambari

Rajnikanth has surprised fans with  the re-release of his 1999 blockbuster Padayappa. As the superstar dropped the revelation, he disclosed that not Ramya Krishnan, but Aishwarya Rai was the first choice for the classic role of antagonist Neelambari.

He revealed that the team of Padayappa was “keen” on having Aishwarya Rai in the fierce role of Neelambari. “We wanted Aishwarya Rai to do the character of Neelambari. We tried to reach out to her after a lot of difficulties. If she had said yes to the movie, I was willing to wait for even 2–3 years because that character was like that. It was imperative for that role to click,” he said. However, despite the team’s effort, “but we heard that she was not interested.”

After her rejection, he revealed that filmmakers had thought of other big actresses. “Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit, and several names were considered. But we were looking for that power in the heroine’s eyes to pull off Neelambari. We wanted an arrogance in the character, and it was Ravikumar who suggested Ramya Krishnan’s name.”

The way Ramya Krishnan portrayed the vengeful antagonist made the role the most celebrated female character in South Indian cinema. (Agencies)

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