Rajinikanth-starrer Uzhaippaali was released on June 24, 1993, and was a box office success. The film narrated the story of three brothers, who wanted to usurp their sister’s property. The three brothers hire an actor, played by Rajinikanth, to make their sinister plans succeed.
Despite the success, Rajinikanth was caught in controversy as distributors issued a red card to him. This meant that Rajinikanth films would not be distributed in future. What was the reason behind this red card?
According to reports, distributors urged the film producers to reduce the salary of Uzhaippali actors. This issue was discussed in a meeting and actors were also invited. During the meeting, Rajinikanth put his foot down and said that he wouldn’t take the pay cut.
Rajinikanth asked the distributors to consider other options and left the meeting. Infuriated, distributors decided to issue a red card to Rajinikanth.
Despite the obstacle, Vijaya Productions Private Limited, the producer of Uzhaippali, was determined to make this film. Rajinikanth also was filled with the same determination and devised some solutions.
Rajinikanth met Kamal Haasan and talked about the problem he was facing. He was assured of help by the Vikram star. On February 5, a grand puja was also held for Uzhaippaali at Vijaya Vauhini studio. Veteran producer B. Nagi Reddy also extended his support to Rajinikanth and gave him 101 gold coins.
Bommai magazine also presented an interesting article on Uzhaippali. Despite the distributors backing out, Uzhaippaali received an abundant promotion. Uzhaippaali’s director P. Vasu was boosted with confidence after such tremendous support from renowned celebrities and the media. He completed Uzhaippaali’s shooting in 58 days.
Uzhaippaali was directly released in theatres on June 24, 1993, as distributors had still not removed the red card issued to Rajinikanth. Rajinikanth himself distributed Uzhaippaali through his production company Ramana Film Distributors. It was an enormous success and completed 100 to 150 days in cinema halls. After the success, the red card was also revoked by distributors.
