Aishwarya Rajinikanth Reveals What It's Like Directing Her Father

Aishwarya Rajinikanth talks about directing megastar father Rajinikanth in her movie Lal Salaam at IFFI 2025

Mumbai, Nov 28

Talking about it, the proud director said, "The moment is still sinking in. It's so surreal. I am really at a loss for words for this experience. I think it's a blessing for this film."

Adding further, she said, "There were so many experiences and hardships throughout this journey. It was a huge challenge to make this film, and my father has been such a strong foundation for it to happen. I truly owe it to him, and I am indebted to him, the director, and his daughter for doing such a film." "I thank the producers for believing in us, and I thank Rahman sir for supporting such a cause because he loved the message the film carried. Every single person who worked on this film has taken back bits and pieces of its emotion, and that is the most important thing. To present it on a platform like this, globally, was never even in our minds," she added.

Aishwarya further said, "As a daughter, as a director, and as a member of the film fraternity, this is a dream come true. I am extremely thankful to God today, and I thank my team for standing by me through every hardship. Thank you all so much for your support. To celebrate his 50th year, and for this film to be a part of that, is a blessing for his daughter and as a director. Thank you very much."

When asked if she took any liberties as a daughter, like making 'The' Rajinikanth work a little extra, or if things stayed completely professional, Aishwarya said, "No, he was very professional, and he kept it that way. That made it even harder, because every time we crossed paths, he would stand up. It was difficult to work around him as a director because we're all so close to him. I am extremely blessed to have had this opportunity." The director also spoke about what it meant to her personally, as a daughter and as a director, to have a superstar like Rajinikanth promote the movie's primary message, 'humanity above religion', across all regions. "I think I sound like I am bragging about my father, but when the whole world is celebrating his 50th year and millions of fans are putting up posters, tweets, and messages to celebrate him, it isn't wrong for me to feel proud."

She added, "Every single day when he walked onto the set and I said 'action', I witnessed a walking masterclass. Not just on screen, off screen too." "His dedication, his timing - everyone had to be punctual because he was punctual. Everyone had to be dedicated because he was dedicated. It was like a 24-hour free masterclass for all of us," she added.

Talking about any special memory of working with the cast, the director said, "There are too many. With every single cast and crew member, we faced a lot of challenges. And every one of them, even after their takes were done or when they had different get-ups, came back to give us that one shot, that one extra frame, that one extra scene. I should thank every one of them."

Lal Salaam was released in 2024 and is an Indian Tamil-language sports action drama directed by Aishwarya Rajinikanth and produced by Allirajah Subaskaran under the Lyca Productions banner.

The film stars Vishnu Vishal and Vikranth in the lead roles and is supported by an ensemble cast that includes Vignesh, Livingston, Senthil, Jeevitha, K. S. Ravikumar, and Thambi Ramaiah. Megastar Rajinikanth also appears in the film in an extended cameo role.

— IANS