War 2 actor started his journey with Rajinikanth, and now faces off against his ‘teacher’ in a box office battle

Ahead of Independence Day, movie lovers are in for a thrilling box office battle as Coolie and War 2 go head-to-head. While both films bring their own star power and fan following, the clash has an interesting backstory involving the legendary Rajinikanth and the greek god of Bollywood Hrithik Roshan.

DYK Hrithik worked with Rajinikanth when he was a kid?

What many might not know is that Rajinikanth was Hrithik Roshan’s very first co-star. The two shared screen space in the film Bhagwaan Dada, where Hrithik played Rajinikanth’s adopted son. Directed by Hrithik’s grandfather, J. Om Prakash, the film marked an early milestone in Hrithik’s career. Despite the current box office competition, the bond between the two actors remains strong and warm.


Today (August 13), Hrithik Roshan took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate Rajinikanth on reaching 50 years in the film industry. He expressed how he began his acting journey alongside the veteran superstar and acknowledged Rajinikanth as one of his first mentors who continues to inspire him.


Looking back at his early days, Hrithik once admitted that as a child actor, he didn’t fully appreciate the importance of working alongside Rajinikanth. “I used to talk to him like ‘yes uncle, no, yes.’ I had my way with him,” Hrithik shared at a recent event. He added that if given a chance to work with Rajinikanth today, he would approach the experience very differently, fully aware of its weight and significance.

Hrithik also fondly remembers Rajinikanth’s kindness on set. Whenever Hrithik messed up a shot, Rajinikanth would take the blame to protect the young actor from feeling pressured. “He was so gentle. Every single time I made a mistake, Rajinikanth Sir took the blame so that I, the child, would not get conscious,” said Hrithik.

As for the current box office scenario, Coolie seems to have the upper hand in advance bookings. But, we are going to wait for the official numbers.

More about Coolie and War 2

Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, features a star-studded cast including Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, and Upendra. The film is releasing in multiple languages, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Kannada, and is produced by Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Pictures.

On the other hand, War 2 is the highly anticipated sequel to Hrithik’s 2019 blockbuster War. Directed by Ayan Mukerji and backed by Yash Raj Films, the movie is part of the expanding YRF Spyverse.