When Rajinikanth’s alleged affair with Amala sparked divorce rumours and stirred a storm in the 80s

Rajinikanth and Amala have co starred in few movies

The late eighties were marked by a flurry of rumours centred around a possible romance between superstar Rajinikanth and actress Amala Akkineni that sent ripples through the south Indian film industry.

Neither party ever publicly addressed the allegations, but the affair was one of the most discussed controversies of the half-decade, filling tabloid pages with drama, speculation and fan opinion.

How it all started

Rajinikanth was already a superstar in Kollywood loved by millions for his looks and crowd-mobbing for popularity. Amala, for her part, was an up-and-coming one, only 19, but with a list of performances that spoke to her talent and to her grace.

They worked together in Mappillai, Kodi Parakkuthu, and Velaikkaran, and the audiences appreciated their chemistry. It was while shooting for Velaikkaran that rumours of a love affair between the two started doing the rounds.

Off-Screen: speculation and shocker

There were gossips in the columns of the time that implied an emotional bond existed between the two stars.

Though there were no pictures or solid evidence, the unconfirmed stories said that Rajinikanth, who was 36 in 1987, had fallen head over heels with Amala.

He was allegedly spotted dropping by her sets and staying beyond professional duties.

According to a report in Zee, this friendship had become intense enough that Rajinikanth was contemplating divorcing his wife, Latha Rajinikanth.

Sources who have heard about this claim that he had "delivered a divorce letter," which enraged his fans who worship the ground he walks (or signs) on. Letters of complaint and boycott threats came flooding in, fans outraged at the apparent developments.

A turning point and an intervention

According to industry sources, it all became so unwieldy that a tearful Latha Rajinikanth appealed to the late filmmaker K. Balachander—Rajinikanth's mentor and role model—to mediate.

Balachander is said to have intervened and counselled the actor against hasty decisions, pointing out the possible repercussions on his family and reputation.

After this one-man intervention, Rajinikanth was rumoured to have gone cool over the alleged relationship. Eventually, the gossip lost momentum, and the scandal receded from the limelight.

Amala finds love elsewhere

Nagarjuna then proposed to Amala in 1991 in the US, where she was on a visit. The lovebirds took the wedding vows the next year on June 11, 1992, in an intimate ceremony in Chennai, which was attended by the near and dear ones. It is Nagarjuna's second marriage after he divorced Lakshmi Daggubati, with whom he has one son — actor Naga Chaitanya.

The couple have since maintained a low-key and strong relationship, away from the spotlight.

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Where they stand today

Rajinikanth, even now, is celebrated not just as an actor, but as a cinema icon of India, and is said to be spotted with his wife, daughters and grandchildren most of the time now.

Amala continues to be revered and is involved in social work and animal rights activism while continuing to make appearances with her husband.

And though the alleged affair was never confirmed and remains a matter of speculation, it’s a good example of the media glare celebrities are under, and how certain promiscuity rumours, whether they were true or not, can linger in the annals of pop culture history.