An old interview of Rajnikanth has resurfaced, where he was in conversation with his mentor K Balachander. The interview was conducted at the Directors' Union celebration event.
K Balachander asked Rajnikanth if he craved fame and recognition as a superstar, especially about wanting to win the National Award for Best Actor, one day.
Rajnikanth answered, "Yes, there is a craving for a National award, but it is all in the hands of the right kind of directors."
Rajnikanth was then asked if he yearned to work in a film like Cheeni Kum, which had Amitabh Bachchan and Tabu in the lead.
Rajnikanth responded, "Honestly, now, my satisfaction doesn't really lie in delivering those films that tap into the artistic side of me. Now, my focus is on the big commercial ventures. My heart beats fonder for those kind of films. Of course, Cheeni Kum is a commercial film, but it is a small commercial film. My aim is to make those big-ticket commercial ventures."
Some of Rajnikanth's biggest films, in recent times, include Jailer (2023), 2.0 (2018), Petta (2019), Darbar (2020), and Annaatthe (2021).
However, Rajnikanth said that he truly values films that satisfy his artistic side, even if he understands the importance of commercial films.
Amitabh Bachchan and Rajnikanth recently had a face off in Vettaiyan (2024).