This superstar had set an example when he returned the money to the distributors after his anticipated film flopped badly. Interestingly, the same movie went on to become a hit 20 years later.
Hits and flops are a part of showbiz. Even the biggest of superstar has dealt with failure, and they gave flops at the peak of their careers. Today, we are talking about a star, who is celebrated as a God by many of his die-hard devotees. After spanning an illustrious career over five decades, and starring in more than 160 films, there was a time when even this Superstar's film was rejected by his very own audience. The superstar is none other than Rajinikanth, and the movie we are talking about is Baba.
When Rajinikanth suffered a major blow at the box office
Released in 2002, Suresh Krissna's Tamil directorial Baba revolves around a carefree young non-believer of supreme power, Baba (played by Rajinikanth), who is a reincarnation of a great saint from the Himalayas. The movie also starred Manisha Koirala as the female lead. The movie was among the highly anticipated releases of the year. When the movie was released in the cinemas, it garnered mixed to negative critical response. Word of mouth for the film was also unfavourable, and it directly impacted the box office collections.
When Rajinikanth had to step in to help distributors recover their losses
Due to negative reviews from the masses, Baba tanked at the box office badly. As per media reports, the high-budget supernatural action drama was sold at a record price of Rs 17 crore to distributors. As Hindustan Times reported, the film yielded only a share of Rs 3 crore. After Baba's debacle, Rajinikanth volunteered to compensate the distributors' losses. Reportedly, Rajinikanth returned almost 25% of the investment.
Baba over the years and its success in the re-run
Over the years, Baba gained a cult following among Rajini fans. The movie was digitally remastered and re-released two days before the superstars' birthday on December 10, 2022. The re-released version had an alternate ending with shorter runtime. Surprisingly, the movie had a better reception among the masses and at the box office. As per a ABP report, the movie witnessed houseful shows across Tamil Nadu and other South Indian states. It was reported that the screens were also increased from 200 to 300. On the work front, Rajinikanth was last seen in Jailer. His upcoming projects include Lal Salaam and Thalaivar 171.
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 "The movie that made superstar returning money to distributors")
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