Rajinikanth has a way of turning even a simple story into pure entertainment. Back in 2010 during the launch of the blockbuster film ‘Enthiran’ (‘Robot’), the superstar had everyone in splits, including Amitabh Bachchan, with a hilarious tale about a fan who just couldn’t believe he was paired opposite Aishwarya Rai. Despite a 23-year age gap, Rajinikanth and ŕAishwarya’s on-screen chemistry became one of the film’s highlights.
Rajinikanth shared Bengaluru fan encounter story
The launch was attended by Amitabh Bachchan, A. R. Rahman, Aishwarya Rai, and Rajinikanth. During the event, Rajinikanth recalled how a man from Bangalore could not believe he was paired with Aishwarya on screen.Rajinikanth said, “I’m not exaggerating. In Bangalore, my brother’s house is there, and I went there. Nearby, a Rajasthani tenant had come there. After knowing I was there, he came to see me. His name was Nandulal. He is some 60-plus. He came and said, ‘Hey Rajini, what happened to your hair?’ I said, ‘Jhadd gaye yaar, chorro (it shed, let’s forget about it)’.”The actor recalled that the man then asked if he was enjoying retirement life. Rajinikanth told him he was working on a film called ‘Robot’ (‘Enthiran’) starring Aishwarya.
Fan reacted in disbelief to Rajinikanth’s hero role
“He said, ‘Aishwarya Rai heroine? Arre kamaal ka ladki hai (She is a great woman), fantastic. Who is the hero?’” Rajinikanth said. Bollywood superstar and Aishwarya’s father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, who was in the audience, burst out laughing at this moment.
Rajinikanth described fans’ stunned silence
The superstar continued, “I said I am the hero. He asked, ‘Are you?’ His kids were also with him and told him, ‘Daddy, he is the hero’. Then 10 minutes, he was there and didn’t speak a word. He was staring at me only. Then okay bye bye bye. Then I hear a voice from outside. ‘What has happened to Aishwarya Rai?’, ‘What has happened to Abhishek Bachchan. Leave it’, ‘What has happened to Amitabh Bachchan?’, Heroine with him?’”
Rajinikanth thanked Aishwarya for her collaboration
Rajinikanth ended his speech by thanking Aishwarya for working with him in the movie. His humorous story became one of the most talked-about moments at the launch.
About the film ‘Robot’
Directed by Shankar, the film featured Rajinikanth in dual roles as the scientist Vaseegaran and the robot Chitti. Aishwarya Rai, Danny Denzongpa, Santhanam, and Karunas played key roles. The story revolved around Vaseegaran, a scientist struggling to control his advanced robot Chitti after upgrading its software to understand and show human emotions.The film was a massive hit at the box office. As reported by Sacnilk, it collected Rs 291 crore worldwide and Rs 193 crore in India. Following its success, a sequel titled ‘2.0’ was released, starring Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, and Amy Jackson.
 film launch in 2010, Rajinikanth humorously recounted a Bangalore fan's disbelief about him starring opposite Aishwary){kind=link}