4 min readKochiJun 17, 2026 08:07 PM IST
Even though Sridevi and Rajinikanth eventually emerged as bigger box-office forces, they themselves have often admitted that Kamal Haasan was the one they looked up to in the early phases of their careers. In fact, when the former two were slowly finding their footing in Tinseltown, Kamal was already a superstar, having made his mark in both the Tamil and Malayalam industries and built a massive fan base across South India.
The Kamal Haasan connection in Sridevi and Rajinikanth’s debuts
Interestingly, both Sridevi and Rajinikanth began their careers alongside Kamal Haasan. While Sridevi, who was already an established child artiste in South India, made her debut as a female lead in Moondru Mudichu (1976) opposite Kamal, Rajinikanth made his first-ever feature film appearance in Apoorva Raagangal (1975), which was also headlined by Kamal. Fascinatingly, both movies were helmed by director K Balachander.
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When she made her debut as a leading lady in Moondru Mudichu, Sridevi was just 13, while Kamal was 22 and Rajinikanth was 26. The movie opened to acclaim and is still celebrated to this day, particularly for the performances of the central trio. Moondru Mudichu also played a key role in establishing Rajinikanth as an actor, giving him a much-needed breakthrough.
Bonded by Telugu and starstruck by Kamal Haasan
During the making of the film, both Sridevi and Rajinikanth were fairly newbies and completely starstruck by Kamal Haasan. In fact, Sridevi herself once revealed that she and Rajinikanth used to discuss their co-star and his performance. She also recalled them confiding in each other their dream of achieving as much fame and fortune as Kamal one day.
Sridevi and Kamal Haasan in Varumayin Niram Sivappu. (Express archive photo)
“Director Balachander introduced me in Moondru Mudichu when I was 13. Rajinikanth had his first major role in it. So, for him too, it was like a first film. I was the heroine, Kamal Haasan was the hero, and Rajinikanth was the villain. Actually, Rajinikanth was more comfortable with my mother because he could speak Telugu, and my mom found it comfortable to communicate with him. We would have fun on the sets,” Sridevi recalled during a 1999 interview with Rediff.
Chasing fame, fortune, and the Kamal Haasan benchmark
She continued, “We were in awe of Kamal Hassan. We would observe him and discuss how he did his scenes and how big an actor he was. We would talk of making it as big as him one day. We spoke about how much money Kamal Haasan was making and how we would also be paid like him one day.”
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“At that time, we had just started our careers, and money was so important. Of course, it is not so anymore. We know that films are something else. But in those days, we had fun just discussing every aspect of Kamal Haasan’s stardom,” she added.
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Sridevi worked with Kamal Haasan in movies such as 16 Vayathinile, Sigappu Rojakkal, Moondram Pirai/Sadma, Kalyanaraman, Varumayin Niram Sivappu, Meendum Kokila, Vaazhvey Maayam, Satyavan Savithri, Aadhya Paadam, Aasheervaadam, Sankarlal, and Oka Radha Iddaru Krishnulu, among others.
Sridevi and Rajinikanth, meanwhile, joined forces in movies such as Johnny, Priya, Pokkiri Raja, Dharma Yuddham, Gayathri, Vanakkatukuriya Kathaliye, Ram Robert Rahim, Thanikattu Raja, Naan Adimai Illai, and Adutha Varisu, among others.
Sridevi and Kamal Haasan in Varumayin Niram Sivappu. (Express archive photo)
Kamal Haasan, Sridevi and Rajinikanth in director K Balachander's Moondru Mudichu. (Screenshot: YouTube/Ayngaraninternational; enhanced using AI)