Superstar Rajinikanth was at his witty best at the inaugural function of filmmaker Bharathiraja’s BRIIC, short for Bharathiraja International Institute of Cinema, in Chennai recently. He spoke about his ‘complicated’ relationship with the veteran filmmaker, who never accepted him as a good actor. “I like him (Bharathiraja) very much. He likes me as a good person but doesn’t like me as an actor,” he said.

“In his old interviews, when journalists used to ask Bharathiraja’s opinion on me as an actor, he would say, ‘He is a good human being.’ He never accepted me as a good actor,” said Rajinikanth, who enjoys a demi-god status among the fans in Tamil Nadu. “I could read his face and hear his mind voice. He always wondered how I become such a big actor,” he added.

He said Bharathiraja asked for his ‘time’ only twice so far. Once for the shooting of 1977 film 16 Vayathinile and the second time for inauguration event of his acting school. 16 Vayathinile was the directorial debut of Bharathiraja, which had Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan. While Kamal played the protagonist, Rajinikanth made a mark in the film as a villain.

“I too was a film institute student. Although I learned more from my mentor late K Balachander and other directors on sets, I know how studying in a film school could be helpful in getting the right contacts and honing your skills,” he added.

Rajinikanth has finished shooting for his portions for his forthcoming film 2.0, which is scheduled to hit the screens this Diwali. The film also stars Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and Amy Jackson in lead roles. Directed by Shankar, the film is reportedly being made on a budget of Rs 400 crore.

He will also begin shooting for his next film with director Pa Ranjith from next month. The film will be produced by his son-in-law Dhanush under his home production banner Wunderbar Films.