Superstar Rajinikanth pays tribute to former CM J Jayalalithaa on her 77th birth anniversary in Chennai on Monday

What if J Jayalalithaa had played the character Radha opposite Rajinikanth in the 1980 Tamil blockbuster ‘Billa’? Well, she almost did.
“We were to work together in ‘Billa’,” said superstar Rajinikanth on Monday, during a visit to former chief minister J Jayalalithaa’s residence on her 77th birth anniversary. Words that have since gone viral on social media.
“Over the years I have visited her home four times – inviting her to my daughter’s wedding, for the opening of my marriage hall in Kodambakkam – but the first one was in 1980 about ‘Billa’. She wanted to meet me, so I visited,” Rajinikanth said at the Poes Garden celebration hosted by Jayalalithaa’s niece Deepa Madhavan.
Actor Sripriya, Rajinikanth’s co-star in ‘Billa’, says she too only recently learned that Jayalalithaa had originally been considered for the role. “I didn’t know until a letter from Jayalalithaa surfaced on social media,” she told TOI.
Let Jayalalithaa’s legacy live on forever, says Rajinikanth
Sripriya said, “She had turned down the role, but the fact that she mentioned my name in the letter is enough for me. It’s an honour to have been the second choice after her.”
In a 1980 letter to a columnist, Jayalalithaa confirmed declining “some excellent offers” including the role in ‘Billa’ opposite Rajinikanth. “Everybody knows that Balaji is one of the foremost film producers in India today, and Rajinikanth is Tamil screen’s superstar,” Jayalalithaa had said in the letter.
But their relationship took a turn, In 1996, Rajinikanth said, “Even God can’t save TN if Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK is re-elected”. The statement impacted the election, which saw DMK-TMC win.
In Oct 2014, following Jayalalithaa’s release from prison, Rajinikanth sent her a letter of support. “I am glad to have you back in Poes Garden, praying for good times for you. Always wishing you well for good health and peace. Happy Deepavali, Regards,” the letter read. Jayalalithaa expressed her gratitude,
In 2016, after Jayalalithaa’s passing, Rajinikanth spoke of her as a “Kohinoor diamond”. He admitted to having “hurt” her in 1996 and acknowledged his role in her political “defeat”.
On Monday, as he was leaving Poes Garden, Rajinikanth was asked what he thought about Tamil Nadu’s political future in her absence, to which he said “Let her legacy live on forever.”