In a Rajinikanth film, his entry songs have one job – to make his entry feel like an event, and over the years they’ve delivered spectacularly. More than three decades ago Deva made this a formula, A. R. Rahman gave it scale, Vidyasagar expanded it, and Anirudh Ravichander rebuilt it for a new generation. The composers kept changing, but the brief never did. Vairamuthu wrote most of the early ones, and Vivek and Super Subu took over the pen later. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (SPB) sang most of them, right up until his death.
With Jailer 2 releasing on October 15, here are ten entries that made the genre what it is.
1. “Vandhenda Paalkaaran” — Annaamalai (1992), Deva
Vairamuthu wrote it for a milkman hero, drawing on a Kannada poem about cows that Rajinikanth himself had suggested, and Deva set it to a tune based on a Marathi folk song. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam’s voice gave it the swagger, marking the start of the SPB–Rajini intro fixture.
2. “Naan Autokaaran” — Baasha (1995), Deva
Deva and Vairamuthu go straight to the street. SPB sings the auto driver’s anthem, and it made Rajinikanth the common man’s hero of the 90s, a persona the film built its identity on
3. “Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalali” — Muthu (1995), A. R. Rahman
This was Rahman’s first film with Rajinikanth and director K. S. Ravikumar ensured it lived up to the hype, while adding a philosophical bent to it. Vairamuthu’s lyrics “God alone is the master and everyone else a worker” are delivered by SPB with the easy authority the message needs.
4. “Athanda Ithanda” — Arunachalam (1997), Deva
Deva, Vairamuthu and SPB reunite for a name-announcing entry. The song opens with a devotional chant, then the refrain declares who the hero is and that he belongs to everyone in Tamil Nadu – as Rajini truly does.
5. “En Peru Padayappa” — Padayappa (1999), A. R. Rahman
Rahman, SPB and Vairamuthu again, now with the intro song as a declaration of name and stature. Rahman builds it on driving, folk-style percussion layered with his polished production, and a chorus that chants the hero’s name. SPB’s voice carries the verses, setting the name and stature of the character against the rhythm.
6. “Devuda Devuda” — Chandramukhi (2005), Vidyasagar
This is Vidyasagar’s first and only Rajinikanth film, and give the entry song formula his own twist. SPB opens the album with it, as he does with most of Rajini’s introductions, and Vaali wrote the lyrics. It works as a low-key, easy-going entry.
7. “Balleilakka” — Sivaji: The Boss (2007), A. R. Rahman
Rahman’s return signalled a bigger canvas. SPB leads, with Reihana and Benny Dayal alongside, and Na. Muthukumar’s lyrics celebrate Tamil Nadu’s towns and village life, with a rapid-fire, tongue-twisting stretch that pushes the energy up.
8. “Marana Mass” — Petta (2019), Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh’s first Rajinikanth entry song handed the format to a new composer and a new lyricist. Vivek writes it, and with SPB singing it, so the old voice carries the new sound. The title is the brief: mass, but with a fresh pulse.
9. “Chumma Kizhi” — Darbar (2020), Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh composes one of the last Rajini intro songs that SPB sang before he passed away. It keeps the template intact while updating the sound, with a street-party swagger and a club-ready finish. SPB’s legendary old-school voice comes in over it, and that pairing of a fresh, modern sound with a voice that defined the Rajini intro for decades is what makes the song work.
10. “Hukum” — Jailer (2023), Anirudh Ravichander
This the only entry on the list without SPB. Anirudh sings it himself, with Super Subu’s lyrics, and takes the tradition into a new era. It sealed the tone for Jailer, and Jailer 2 now asks him to do it all again. The song is built on a hard-hitting beat and a punchy, chant-like vocal, with Anirudh delivering the lines in a rapid, rhythmic style rather than a classic melodic one. The “Tiger ka Hukum” hook is made to be shouted back, which is why it travelled beyond the film through reels and fan edits and became the anthem of Jailer’s release.
