Khushbu regrets working in Rajinikanth’s Annaatthe; reveals Nayanthara’s role was ‘pushed into it’ at the last minute: ‘I was very disappointed’

Tamil director Siva, who achieved remarkable box office success with Ajith Kumar-starrers such as Veeram (2014), Vedalam (2015), Vivegam (2017) and Viswasam (2019), couldn’t replicate this winning streak with his subsequent projects, Annaatthe (2021) and Kanguva (2024). Despite featuring big stars like “Superstar” Rajinikanth and Suriya, respectively, both films fell short of expectations and underperformed.

Now, actor Khushbu Sundar, who played a significant role in Annaatthe, has expressed regret over being part of the project, revealing that her role was not what she had been initially promised. In an interview, Khushbu was asked if there were any films, regardless of language, that she wished she had not taken up. Reflecting on her career, the 54-year-old actor admitted that while her Hindi filmography is too limited to evoke such regrets, there are several South Indian films she now wishes she had declined. “A recent example is the movie that I did with Rajinikanth sir. The role didn’t turn out like it was sold to me. Eventually, there was no (on-screen) pairing with Rajini sir for me,” she revealed during a chat with Vickey Lalwani.

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“The film featured Meena and me, and it was initially conveyed that we would both be like heroines. I accepted the project believing that there would be no other actor paired opposite Rajini sir and that we would be there throughout. It was a very happy-go-lucky, comical and fun-loving role. But then, as the project progressed, Rajini sir suddenly got a heroine and a character was pushed into it. Then I felt… I became a caricaturish character. After I saw the film while dubbing it, I was very disappointed,” she shared. In the movie, Nayanthara played Rajinikanth’s love interest.

When asked if the change might have been Rajinikanth’s decision, Khushbu firmly dismissed the speculation. “He is not a person like that. I have known him for many years. I don’t know what exactly happened; maybe the fans demanded it or if the director and producer felt like getting a new heroine. Initially, both Meena and I had separate duet songs with Rajini sir. Maybe it was later decided that there should be a proper pairing.”