Rajnikanth’s iconic cigarette flip has a Bollywood connection; this legend inspired it

Superstar Rajinikanth is well known for his iconic walk and, of course, the way he flips the cigarette; most of his early films had him flipping the cigarette in his mouth, which later on became a style symbol, and people started copying his style.

The Jailer star is currently 74 years old and still ruling the box office, and his Hukum is ruling the internet as well. In a throwback interview, Thalaiva revealed an anecdote behind his signature cigarette flip move and how he practiced to get it right.

In a 2018 interview with India Today, Rajinikanth’s revelation surprised everyone when he confessed that those signature tricks were not his own but were inspired by another actor.

Thalaiva recalled trying to make his particular style statement and said that while he was in Bengaluru shooting for a film, he saw Bollywood actor Shatrughan Sinha do it in one of his films.

He mentioned how he improvised on the tricks for quite a few days before he finally got it right and could pull off on-screen.

He also mentioned how tough it is to match up with the dialogue and land it in a particular shot, as it all requires perfect timing.

Rajinikanth said, “First, Shatrughan Sinha did it in one Hindi picture. From there, I took it and I improvised. It is a skill, but, more than that, the timing is important. When you do that, you have to know between which lines you should perform it. It is not just about throwing and catching. You should assess the situation and the dialogue and decide at what time you have to flick it.

He also mentioned that all those tricks and swag movements he enacts on-screen come naturally to him, and it’s not something he does overtly. The superstar is now gearing up to star in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie and will return to screens in the film Jailer 2.