Rajinikanth on why Lingaa flopped and lessons learnt from it

Actor-politician Rajinikanth has opened up on why his film Lingaa (2014) did not make the cut with the audiences.

Rajinikanth was speaking at the grand audio launch function of his upcoming film, Kaala (2018), held at the Young Men's Christian Association grounds in Nandanam on Wednesday night.

"Lingaa's story was wonderful. However, that movie did not do as well as we had expected it to do. I learnt two things from this project. The first thing I learnt was that you need to be a good person but then, don't be a very good person. To be an overwhelmingly good person is dangerous. People mistake you for a coward. The next is that I am 65 years old. I could have acted as a 45-year-old person. But then, I acted as a 35-year-old in the film. I acted along with a heroine (Sonakshi Sinha) who is younger than my daughter. I decided that I should stop acting in such roles," he said.

"Lingaa flopped. They said, 'Rajini's story has ended'. This is what they have been saying for the past 40 years. They are wondering how is it that this horse continues to gallop. They waited for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. It's been 40 years and it still is galloping. They are frustrated. What to do, they will feel jealous. But it is you who is making me gallop. It is God who is making me gallop."