Rajinikanth's Baashha is the greatest mass film of all time, here's why

Rajinikanth is widely regarded as one of the biggest and most popular names in the film industry. During his nearly five-decade-long association with Indian cinema, he has starred in several blockbusters and proved that he is synonymous with success. Baashha, which hit the screens in 1995, is inarguably one of the finest films of his illustrious career. The gangster drama not only emerged as a blockbuster but also changed the very definition of mass cinema. Ahead of Rajinikanth¡¯s 74th birthday, let us take a look at Baashha¡¯s unparalleled legacy.

It evolved from a ¡®discarded¡¯ scene

In 1991, Rajinikanth was seen alongside Amitabh Bachchan in the family action drama Hum. During its shoot, director Mukul S Anand told Rajinikanth about a potential scene where Big B¡¯s character would try to help his brother secure a seat in the Police Academy.

The said sequence, however, did not make it to the film as the director felt that it would not blend with the rest of the narrative. Rajinikanth, nonetheless, was intrigued by the idea. He discussed the same with Suresh Krissna during the shoot of Annamalai. Following this, they decided to develop a story around the discarded scene from Hum.

The result was Baashha. The Tamil film, much like Hum, explored the bond between brothers and featured family elements. Moreover, it boasted of everything¨C right from emotions to actions¨Cthat helped the Hindi film attain cult status. Given Hum¡¯s popularity, Baashha already had a big legacy to take forward.

However, Suresh Krissna tried to minimise the comparisons between the two films by making Baashha more action-packed than Hum. The Tamil film also featured a strong flashback sequence and touched upon religious unity, which gave the film a distinct identity.

Not a double role but a similar impact

Baashha gave Rajinikanth an opportunity to push his limits as a performer to the fullest as his character had two different sides to him. Rajinikanth played a humble and calm auto driver in the initial portions and left fans mesmirised with his mannerisms and delivered a somewhat restrained performance. The flashback portions, on the other hand, delved into the character¡¯s past and featured him as a don.

Rajinikanth was at his stylish best in these portions and hit it out of the park with his swag. His punch dialogues resonated with the masses and are popular even today. All in all, Baashha was a rare film that helped Rajinikanth sink his teeth into two ¡®different ¡®characters¡¯ without actually featuring him in a double role.

Great buildup

The initial portions of the film featured Rajinikanth, a family man who was almost afraid of any type of confrontation or violence. This was a huge risk for the star as fans were (and still are) accustomed to seeing him throw punches on the big screen. It also went against the practice of portraying the ¡®hero¡¯ as a larger-than-life figure from the word go, which was pretty much the norm when it came to mass cinema back then. The gamble paid off because of the engaging presentation and this made Rajinikanth¡¯s eventual transformation and the subsequent flashback more impactful.

It popularised a template copied by many but aced by none

Baashha changed the rules of the game as far as mass cinema is concerned by introducing the ¡°meek man with a violent past¡± template. It also highlighted the importance of a strong flashback sequence. Darshan¡¯s Roberrt and the Shah Rukh Khan-led Dilwale are two of the best-known films that drew inspiration from Rajinikanth's film. Similarly, even Ajith Kumar¡¯s Vedalam had shades of Baashha and featured an extensive flashback sequence. Baashha was also officially remade in Kannada and Bengali as Kotigobba and Guru, respectively.

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