Baashha
Table of Contents
Quick Facts
Baashha is a Tamil gangster action film directed by Suresh Krissna, starring Rajinikanth as Manikkam, a humble Madras auto driver with a terrifying past. Released on 12 January 1995 for Pongal, it became one of the biggest blockbusters in Tamil cinema history — the film that cemented Rajinikanth’s Superstar status for a generation and gave Tamil pop culture its most quoted dialogue: “Naan oru thadava sonna, nooru thadava sonna madhiri” (If I say it once, it is as if I have said it a hundred times).
The film is now streaming on JioHotstar. What makes Baashha special is its structure: for the first hour it plays like a gentle family drama about a soft-spoken auto driver, and then the flashback arrives — and the theatre erupts. Few interval blocks in Indian cinema have ever landed harder.
Plot
Manikkam is the gentlest man in Madras — an auto driver who cares for his mother and siblings, endures insults without complaint, and seems incapable of raising his voice, let alone his hand. His family worries about his passivity; local rowdies mock him. Then a gangster who has been terrorising the neighbourhood crosses a line, and Manikkam finally snaps — revealing fighting skills no auto driver should possess.
The film then rewinds to Bombay, where we learn the truth: Manikkam was once Manik Baashha, the most feared don in the city, who built his empire after the crime lord Mark Antony murdered his best friend. Baashha wiped out Antony’s gang in a reign of vengeance, then walked away from the underworld to live an honest life. But Antony’s surviving men have finally tracked him to Madras — and Baashha must decide whether the past he buried will bury his family instead.
The second half is pure catharsis: Baashha systematically dismantles his enemies while protecting the family that never knew who he was, building to a confrontation with Mark Antony himself that Tamil audiences still cheer for in re-releases.
Performance
Rajinikanth’s dual performance is a masterclass in contrast. As Manikkam he is all softness — stooped shoulders, hesitant smile, a man trying to make himself small. As Baashha, he straightens up and the screen seems to tilt: the walk, the stare, the famous gesture of flipping his coolers down. It is the same actor, and yet the transformation feels total. Raghuvaran is superb as the menacing Mark Antony, bringing a cold intelligence that makes him a worthy adversary rather than a cartoon villain.
Nagma is charming as Kaveri, the spirited woman who loves Manikkam without knowing his past, and Janagaraj provides warm comic relief as his friend. Devan, as the upright police officer, anchors the film’s moral frame. But this is Rajini’s show from first frame to last, and he carries it like the Superstar he is.
Screenplay and Direction
Suresh Krissna, who had earlier directed Rajinikanth in Annaamalai, understood exactly how to build a star vehicle with a beating heart. The screenplay’s genius is patience: it spends a full hour making you love the gentle Manikkam before revealing the lion underneath, so that when Baashha finally emerges, the payoff feels earned rather than merely spectacular. The flashback structure keeps the mystery alive, doling out the past in carefully timed revelations.
The film’s craft is unpretentious but effective — the Bombay underworld sequences have a gritty energy, and Krissna stages the action with a clarity that lets Rajini’s charisma do the heavy lifting. If the second half leans into formula, it is formula executed at the highest level.
Music
Deva’s soundtrack is packed with hits that are still staples at Tamil celebrations. “Naan Autokaaran” became Rajini’s signature introduction song, “Thanga Magan” is a rousing anthem, and “Style Style Thaan” celebrates the star’s famous mannerisms. The background score knows exactly when to swell — the Baashha theme that plays over his entry in the flashback is guaranteed to raise goosebumps.
The songs, with lyrics by Vairamuthu, balance mass appeal with melody, and Deva’s understanding of the Rajini moment — when to go big, when to hold back — is on full display.
Themes
Baashha is about the impossibility of escaping who you were. Manikkam’s tragedy is that his goodness is real — he genuinely wants the quiet life — but the violence he committed in the name of loyalty follows him like a shadow. The film also celebrates a very Tamil ideal: the strong man who chooses gentleness, the lion who would rather pull an auto than rule a gang. That Baashha’s power is most heroic when he restrains it gives the film an emotional core beneath the mass moments.
Conclusion
Baashha is the definitive Rajinikanth blockbuster — the film against which all his later mass entertainers are measured. It has the star at his charismatic peak, a screenplay that understands the power of delayed gratification, and moments that have passed into folklore. Thirty years on, it still plays to packed houses in re-release. If you want to understand why Rajinikanth is a phenomenon and not just an actor, start here.
Watch the official trailer: