WHEN THIS RAJINIKANTH STARRER NEEDED A TITLE WITH A MUSLIM CONNECT & SUPERSTAR ROSE TO THE OCCASION

The story goes that it was Superstar Rajinikanth who came up with the title and it was well within reason. In an interview to The Hindu, its director Suresh Krishna had recalled, “I read somewhere that he had a friend called Baasha and that’s why he suggested it. Later on, we realised how well it worked; it had a Hindu-Muslim unity angle as well.”

In the same interview, the director had also spoken about his favourite scene from the movie and had remarked: One of my favourite sequences is the underground scene in which the don shows his anger for the first time. I vividly remember that just before canning that scene, I whispered into his ear, ‘Sir, this is the most vital scene. It should win the audience. Please give your everything.’ He just looked at me and once we went for the take, he did just that…. gave his everything. The anger, the fierce look in his eyes… I just couldn’t say ‘cut’ to that particular shot because he kept looking at the camera with so much power. I sent him a bouquet later that day, saying, ‘My Baasha is born’.