CHENNAI: From penning razor-sharp dialogues in Kamal Haasan’s Oru Kaithiyin Diary to sharing screen space in Rajinikanth’s Naan Sigappu Manithan (both released in 1985), Bhagyaraj’s fame in the 80s came from all quarters.
Be it Sivaji Ganesan’s role of Chidambaram in Dhaavani Kanavugal (1984) or getting Amitabh Bachchan to play the dual role as David D’Costa in Aakhree Raasta (1986) – a remake of his mentor Bharathiraaja’s Oru Kaithiyin Diary – his ease with pen was legendary.
Notwithstanding his popularity and bankability as a filmmaker, Bachchan was reluctant to star in Aakhree Raasta, as he knew Bhagyaraj as a director who was popular for his family dramas in Tamil cinema.
Though he had a bound script in hand before the shooting began, Bachchan had asked him how a scene would be shot, to which Bhagyaraj would explain to him and also enact it. All doubts were laid to rest when the film became a blockbuster and made Bachchan a household name in the Tamil film industry.
Though Bhagyaraj did not have a National Award to his name, stars in their prime like Anil Kapoor and Krishan Kumar clamoured to work with him, while Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada film industries were fascinated with his acting talent. He also directed one of the biggest stars in Tamil cinema, Vijayakanth, in the later stages of his career with Chokka Thangam (2003).
Bhagyaraj even played antagonist in Vishal’s Thupparivaalan (2017) directed by Mysskin thus working with several generations of stars while being a star himself.