Rajinikanth says Aishwarya Rai was his first choice for Neelambari's role in Padayappa: ‘Was ready to 2–3 years but…’

Rajinikanth revealed in a video that Aishwarya Rai was initially his first choice for the role of Neelambari in Padayappa.

Superstar Rajinikanth’s 1999 hit Padayappa is all set to re-release in theatres. Ahead of the re-release, the superstar revisited the journey of the film in a special video wherein he revealed that not Ramya Krishnan but Aishwarya Rai was his first choice to play the role of Neelambari in the film. However, the actor was uninterested in the project.

Aishwarya Rai rejected Rajinikanth's Padayappa.

Rajinikanth revealed Aishwarya Rai was disinterested in Padayappa

Talking about Aishwarya’s rejection, Rajinikanth said, “We wanted Aishwarya Rai to do the character of Neelambari. We tried to reach out to her after a lot of difficulties. If she had said yes to the movie, I was willing to wait for even 2–3 years because that character was like that. It was imperative for that role to click – but we heard that she was not interested. Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and several names were considered. But, we were looking for that power in the heroine’s eyes to pull off Neelambari. We wanted an arrogance in the character – and it was Ravikumar who suggested Ramya Krishnan’s name.”

Later, Aishwarya and Rajinikanth shared the screen together in Enthiran. In the same video, Rajinikanth also confirmed the sequel to Padayappa and revealed that the sequel’s title will be Neelambari: Padayappa 2.

About Padayappa

Helmed by K.S. Ravikumar, the film featured Rajinikanth in the titular role, Ramya Krishnan, Soundarya and Sivaji Ganesan in lead roles, along with Lakshmi, Radha Ravi, Nassar, Abbas, Sithara and Preetha in supporting roles. Upon release, the film emerged as the highest-grossing Tamil hit. The film is now all set to re-release in theatres for Rajinikanth’s birthday.

Meanwhile, Rajinikanth and Ramya are now shooting for Nelson Dilipkumar’s Jailer 2. The film also stars S.J. Suryah, Vinayakan, Yogi Babu and Mirnaa in key roles. Backed by Kalanithi Maran under Sun Pictures, the film is scheduled to release in June 2026.