Who Made Rajnikanth Run Away From Bollywood?

If asked to name a Bollywood film inspired by Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather,' many would cite Ram Gopal Varma's "Sarkar." 

However, much earlier, in 1995, when RGV was on the brink of entering Bollywood with his 'Rangeela,' a film titled "Aatank Hi Aatank" was released, starring Aamir Khan in the lead role. Standing up to the title's meaning, the film permanently marked an 'aatank' (hindrance) for director Dilip Shankar's career and also for Rajnikanth's Bollywood career, as he played a key role in it.

The film turned out to be a significant setback for Aamir Khan. However, he quickly bounced back with blockbusters like "Rangeela" and "Raja Hindustani," making his fans forget the nightmare of "Aatank Hi Aatank."

Rajnikanth had been a familiar face in Hindi films during the 1980s and early 90s. But after this major setback, the Southern Superstar decided not to commit to any Bollywood projects. 

It was only after five years of this disaster that he appeared in a key role in 'Bulandi,' alongside Anil Kapoor. Interestingly, "Bulandi" was a remake of the Tamil film "Nattamai," which turned out to be a huge hit. Only for that reason he agreed to portray the role. 

However, Rajnikanth never pursued any direct Hindi film projects. While the character Chitti from "Enthiran" appeared in the 2011 release "RaOne," it was a computer-generated character and not portrayed by Rajnikanth himself.

It's a well-known fact that the credit or blame for a film is often attributed to the director. Therefore, Dilip Shankar's film not only drove Rajnikanth away from Bollywood permanently but also marked the end of his career, with "Aatank Hi Aatank" being his first and last major star-studded film.