Rajinikanth & I. V. Sasi Movies Together List — 3 Films

The shape of the work

The 1970s belonged to Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum; the 1980s to Kaali. Rajinikanth acted in every film; I. V. Sasi directed all of them.

Partnership facts

• Rajinikanth was not I. V. Sasi's first choice for 'Allauddinum Albhutha Vilakkum'. The director wanted a more established star. Rajini lobbied hard for the role, and Sasi finally gave in — that film became their first hit together.
• On the sets of 'Kaali', I. V. Sasi let Rajinikanth rewrite his own dialogues. Rajini would pace around the set, muttering lines in Tamil and Malayalam, and Sasi would just nod and say 'shoot it'. That film's raw energy came from Rajini's improvisation.
• The success of 'Kaali' (1980) directly led to Rajinikanth being cast in his first major solo-hero blockbuster 'Billa' (1980). Sasi's film proved Rajini could carry a mass action film without a bigger co-star.
• I. V. Sasi and Rajinikanth never worked together after 1980. No fallout — just schedules. But Sasi later said in an interview that Rajini was the only actor who called him 'Sasi sir' even after becoming a superstar.
• I. V. Sasi once said: 'Rajini doesn't act. He just becomes the character. On the set of Kaali, I stopped giving him directions after the first day. He knew the film better than me.'