Rajinikanth Praises Balakrishna at NTR 100th Anniversary Celebration; Claims What He Does 'Even Big B, Shah Rukh Khan Can't Do'

Rajinikanth was present at the commemoration of the late superstar and politician NT Rama Rao's centenary birth anniversary. Along with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and Nandamuri Balakrishna, Rajinikanth graced the event as the main guest in Vijayawada. Many photos from the event went viral on the internet. During his speech, Rajinikanth recalled the impact that NTR had on his life, and spoke warmly about NTR's son Balakrishna.

During the event, Rajinikanth expressed his opinion that Nandamuri Balakrishna's on-screen performances are unparalleled and cannot be matched by actors such as Amitabh Bachchan or Shah Rukh Khan. He went on to say that the people of Telugu see the reflection of NTR in Balayya, and that is why he is widely loved.

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Rajinikanth also praised Balayya as his friend, stating that he has the ability to captivate audiences with just one look. "My friend (Balayya) kills with his single look. With a single eye blink, a vehicle can blast and go up to 30 feet high. It cannot be done by Rajinikanth, Amitabh, Shah Rukh Khan, or Salman Khan. The public won’t accept it if we do that kind of stuff.

"If Balayya does that, the audience will accept it. The Telugu audience doesn’t see him as Balayya, they see late NTR in Balayya. He is a kind-hearted person. I pray to God that he will serve more in films and politics," Rajinikanth said.

Rajinikanth also reminisced about NT Rama Rao and how his films were a major inspiration in his life. The superstar mentioned that he was influenced by NTR's Lavakusha to the point that he came to the Madras Institute to pursue acting.

He also shared that he was captivated by NTR's performance as Duryodhana in Sri Krishna Pandaveeyam, and was so mesmerised that he and his friends learned Telugu by repeatedly watching the film.

"When I was a bus conductor and we performed a play called Kurukshtram for our cultural event, I only imitated NTR. Audiences clapped, and my friends encouraged me to act and said I would be a great villain after Rajanala, Mukkamala..That’s the reason I came to the film institute in Madras to act."

The next film featuring Rajinikanth is called Jailer, and it is directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. This highly anticipated movie is expected to be an action-packed thriller that follows the story of a jailer who is on a mission. Alongside Rajinikanth, Jailer also stars Shivrajkumar, Sanjay Dutt, Mohanlal, Ramya Krishnan, Jackie Shroff, and Tamannaah Bhatia in pivotal roles.