Soundarya Rajinikanth interview: On her comeback, ‘With Love’, and what ‘Kochadaiyaan’ taught her

Soundarya Rajinikanth’s office room is filled with all things cinema. Among posters of ThePursuit of Happyness, Iruvar and 101 Dalmations is a poster of Kochadaiyaan, her 2014 animation film starring her father and Tamil superstar, Rajinikanth.

A poster of With Love will soon be added to this collection. Starring Abishan Jeevinth and Anaswara Rajan, the Tamil release marks Soundarya’s comeback as a producer to Tamil cinema; her last production was the Venkat Prabhu-directed Goa (2010).

“Yes, it is a comeback,” says Soundarya, in a tone that reminds one of her father’s punchline ‘Na Thirumbi Vanthuten Nu Sollu’ from Kabali, “My break from films was not intentional; my personal life and children were my priority, and there was the pandemic phase. Now, I have come back with a lot of new learnings. One important change is the way a film is being positioned today. There is a lot of young blood in the industry, which is super exciting.”

Abishan Jeevinth and Anaswara Rajan in ‘With Love’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

With Love, which features much of that young blood that she is referring to,caught her attention in ways more than one. “Madhan (writer and director) had a lot of conviction, and I connected with it. In fact, I said yes half way through his narration itself. When this project came to me, it came through Madhan, Magesh (producer) and Abishan… so it felt like the right thing to take up,” she states.

The fact that the film is a rom-com helped… for, Tamil cinema has chosen guns over roses in the last few years. “I love rom-coms. I binge-watch Friends even today, and have loved watching Shameless and Modern Family over the years. Someone recently used the term ‘comfort cinema’, which I really liked. With Love is comfort cinema. It’s the kind of film you can revisit even after years, as it will leave you with a smile.”

Stars in their eyes

Soundarya, the younger daughter of Rajinikanth and Latha, grew up in Chennai, at a time when her father was a public figure. “We always knew he was a star and would attract attention when he went out,” she recalls, “We missed him a lot as he led a hectic lifestyle, doing multiple films. His shooting schedules used to be our holidays, so whenever we got a break, amma would take us there, be it Mysore or Singapore.”

Rajinikanth with daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya
| Photo Credit:
GRJGM

While her childhood featured multiple trips to shooting spots and dubbing suites, Soundarya’s biggest source of joy arrived in the form of Kochadaiyaan. Armed with expertise in animation, Soundarya attempted – back in 2014 – India’s first photorealistic motion capture film. What kept her committed to animation even when she was aware that the outcomes were uncertain? “Animation is my first love. I grew up reading Amar Chitra Katha comics, so I think more in terms of illustrations and visuals than words. I studied Animation, and I’m so happy Kochadaiyaan happened because it is, after all, my first baby.”

However, the film drew criticism, with audiences dubbing it as a ‘bomma padam’ starring Rajinikanth. Was it judged too quickly? “I kept thinking: ‘Why would people not support and welcome such a new attempt?’ I was too young then and too passionate about the project at that time, so I did not know how to deal with such negative criticism. How many people can I justify the film to? It was harsh, but 10 years later, people still connect with me over Kochadaiyaan.”

In this day and age of re-releases – the re-release of Rajinikanth’s Padayappa was among the highlights of Tamil cinema in 2025 – does she envision a re-release for Kochadaiyaan, made advanced with technology and AI? “Talks are on,” she smiles, “If I made the film today, it would be so different… right from pre-production, character design and storyboarding.”

Soundarya looks at the theatrical success of the 2024 animated epic devotional film Mahavatar Narsimha as a positive sign. “I was so thrilled that I reached out to the team, who spoke about Kochadaiyaan being ahead of its time. Producers have to back animation content. I hope Indian entertainment accepts animation in the mainstream medium.”