Aishwarya R Dhanush, super star Rajinikanth’s daughter, says that she is one of her father’s biggest critics. She says that he does go over the top in some of his movies and that she keeps reminding him that without being harsh to him.
I am one of his biggest critics. I feel that some of his movies are a bit over-the-top,” says Aishwarya R Dhanush, who keeps reminding him the same, without “sounding harsh”.
She spoke about this and more at the launch of her debut book “Standing on an Apple Box”. The book is a semi-fictional memoir of the good, bad and ugly aspects of being the daughter of the most celebrated actors of the whole of Indian cinema. She has dedicated this book to the “star kids” who have managed to be sane in spite of being in the spotlight.
People should understand that this comes with its own pros and cons. We are under constant scrutiny, and people expect only perfection out of you,” she says.
Talking about the bond that her father and her actor husband Dhanush share, she says there exists a mutual admiration between the two, both on personal and professional terms.
“Dhanush has been a fan of my father since his childhood. They share mutual respect for each other. Also, the fact that Dhanush made it big on his own and not because he is someone’s son-in-law is something my father deeply admires,” she says.
Being a mother of two, she has managed to keep her kids out of the spot light. She also mentioned that the kids are allowed to watch their father’s and grand-father’s movies and animated movies because she doesn’t want them to limit themselves to the acting profession only.
“They are only allowed to watch their father’s or grand-father’s films, besides animated movies. In fact, they hardly know about any star other than their father and grand-father. This is deliberate. I don’t want them to limit themselves with this profession. Because, that should not happen by default, but out of interest. I would love to see them become a scientist for that matter,” she says.
Talking about the book, she says that it was early experience on a film set that lead to the writing of her book.
“Apple box is a film industry term. I wanted to be a filmmaker since the very beginning, and when I was young, I stood on the apple box to reach the camera lens. I guess that was one incident that changed the way I saw see the industry. Because it was magic when you see it through the lens. So, the title of my book had to be this,” she says.
About her father’s reaction to the Rajinikanth jokes trending on social media, she says the actor “enjoys and laughs at them”.
“It is beautiful, cute and quirky in its own way. Yes, he definitely laughs at them. It is like people thinking of you in every dramatic situation, which I like to call ‘affectionate humour’,” she says.
This is just another reason why people seem to love Rajinikanth. His humbleness and humility. He is, after all, the Super Star, Thalaiva, Rajinikanth.