India, Dec. 9 -- To celebrate 50 years of actor Rajinikanth, fans are gearing up for the re-release of the superstar's blockbuster drama Padayappa. The film will hit theatres once again on December 12, coinciding with Rajinikanth's 75th birthday celebrations. Ahead of this, Rajinikanth revisited the making of the cult classic. In one of those moments, Rajinikanth recollected casting for the character Neelambari, the primary antagonist played by Ramya Krishnan, which went on to be as iconic as the film itself.

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Rajinikanth opened up about casting for Neelambari role, and how the first choice was Aishwarya Rai. However ...