From Suriya’s Rolex To Salman’s Tiger: Indian Movie Cameos That Became Events
Ahead of ‘Jailer 2’, revisit the explosive entrances, emotional special roles and song cameos that made a lasting impression in Indian cinema.
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A familiar face walks into the frame, the background score shifts, and suddenly an entire theatre has something new to cheer about. That is the pleasure of a well-placed cameo. Sometimes it reunites stars audiences have wanted to see together for years. Sometimes it introduces a character so compelling that a few scenes seem nowhere near enough. And occasionally, a guest performer supplies the emotional turning point of the film. Screen time helps build a character, but these appearances prove how much an actor can do with an entrance, a conversation, a confrontation or even a single song.
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That makes the arrival of ‘Jailer 2’ particularly interesting. Rajinikanth and director Nelson Dilipkumar’s sequel releases tomorrow, October 15, 2026, with Mohanlal and Shiva Rajkumar returning and Vijay Sethupathi having publicly confirmed a special appearance. The original ‘Jailer’ already demonstrated how much excitement the right guests could add: Shiva’s Narasimha and Mohanlal’s Mathew became memorable allies to Rajinikanth’s Muthuvel Pandian. As the sequel prepares to open, those appearances offer the perfect starting point for revisiting Indian cinema’s most effective guest turns.
From explosive introductions to affectionate reunions and a song that became a phenomenon, here are the appearances that made their limited screen time count.
1. Shiva Rajkumar - ‘Jailer’
Director: Nelson Dilipkumar | Released: August 10, 2023
Shiva Rajkumar’s Narasimha is the kind of character who seems to arrive with an entire film’s worth of history behind him. A former convict who helps retired jailer Muthuvel Pandian, he brings a formidable presence to Rajinikanth’s mission. His composure, measured movements and the way Nelson stages his appearances give him an authority that needs very little explanation. In a film whose principal cast includes Rajinikanth, Ramya Krishnan, Vasanth Ravi and Vinayakan, Narasimha finds his own distinct space.
The impact travelled well beyond the theatre. Shiva later recalled being addressed as Narasimha at Chennai airport and said the response to the role had been “life-changing”. He spoke about receiving recognition from Tamil audiences in places ranging from Chennai to Dubai.
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2. Mohanlal - ‘Jailer’
Director: Nelson Dilipkumar | Released: August 10, 2023
Mohanlal’s Mathew brings another flavour of power to the same film. The Mumbai-based gangster helps Rajinikanth’s Muthuvel, and his easy confidence makes their association instantly intriguing. The clothes, the controlled delivery and the suggestion that this man has considerable resources at his disposal all contribute to the impression. Around the central story involving Rajinikanth, Vinayakan, Ramya Krishnan and Vasanth Ravi, Mathew opens a small window into a much larger criminal world.
There was more thought behind him than the brief appearance might suggest. Cinematographer Vijay Kartik Kannan explained that Nelson had developed a detailed backstory, including a leather business in Mumbai that concealed Mathew’s underworld activities. Nelson also described the character as calm, with a strong past. That preparation shows in the performance: Mohanlal makes Mathew feel like someone who has stepped away from his own story for a few minutes to help an old associate.
3. Suriya - ‘Vikram’
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj | Released: June 3, 2022
Just when ‘Vikram’ seems to have delivered its principal confrontation, Suriya arrives as Rolex and changes the scale of the threat. The drug lord’s late appearance gives the criminal network a terrifying figure at its summit. Suriya brings a cold, volatile intensity to the sequence, making the meeting feel dangerous from the moment he takes control. Kamal Haasan, Fahadh Faasil and Vijay Sethupathi lead the film, yet its closing stretch gives another star room to leave a remarkably strong impression.
Rolex works because the appearance introduces a formidable new personality as well as a familiar actor. The scene leaves the sense that the violence witnessed so far belongs to a larger conflict. The off-screen acknowledgement was fittingly memorable too: Kamal gifted Suriya a Rolex watch, and Suriya shared photographs thanking him.
4. Salman Khan - ‘Pathaan’
Director: Siddharth Anand | Released: January 25, 2023
Salman Khan’s Tiger arriving to rescue Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan turns a train fight into a reunion with considerable history attached. The sequence brings two established screen spies together, while also giving audiences the pleasure of watching Salman and Shah Rukh trade action beats and banter. Deepika Padukone and John Abraham lead the film alongside Shah Rukh, but Tiger’s intervention creates a pocket of excitement with its own rhythm: danger, relief and the unmistakable familiarity of two stars who know how to play off each other.
Dialogue writer Abbas Tyrewala later explained that the sequence went through several rewrites to get the balance right. Pathaan had to remain the centre of his own film, while Tiger’s arrival still needed to feel like an event. That care is visible in the finished exchange. The action gives both men something to do, and the humour lets their personalities come through.
5. Shah Rukh Khan - ‘Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva’
Director: Ayan Mukerji | Released: September 9, 2022
‘Brahmāstra’ gives Shah Rukh Khan an opening sequence substantial enough to establish its fantasy world before the main romance begins. He plays scientist Mohan Bhargav, a protector of the Brahmāstra who wields the Vanarastra. His confrontation with Mouni Roy’s Junoon places the astras, their powers and the danger surrounding them directly into the action. The film’s main cast includes Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan and Mouni Roy, but Shah Rukh provides its first major burst of star-powered spectacle.
The character’s name also carries a deliberate nod to ‘Swades’. More importantly, Mohan has enough personality to generate curiosity about a life beyond this appearance. In 2022, Ayan said the team had discussed an origins story for the scientist while shooting his sequence.
6. Akshay Kumar - ‘Stree 2’
Director: Amar Kaushik | Released: August 15, 2024
Akshay Kumar’s appearance in ‘Stree 2’ begins as an unexpected source of information for Chanderi’s increasingly desperate ghost-fighting team. His character, encountered in a psychiatric hospital, is a descendant of Sarkata and knows how the threat can be confronted. Akshay brings his familiar straight-faced comic timing to a scene with Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi and Abhishek Banerjee. Around the central ensemble of Shraddha Kapoor, Rajkummar, Pankaj, Abhishek and Aparshakti Khurana, the guest turn adds a fresh comic dynamic.
Amar Kaushik revealed that Akshay suggested having Abhishek sit on his lap, an improvisation that helped shape the scene’s absurdity. The character’s later post-credits appearance gives the encounter a more ominous dimension, as he absorbs Sarkata’s energy. That change in mood is part of the appeal: a guest who initially supplies laughs and clues also becomes someone whose motives deserve a second look.
7. Vijay Deverakonda - ‘Kalki 2898 AD’
Director: Nag Ashwin | Released: June 27, 2024
Vijay Deverakonda’s appearance as Arjuna gives ‘Kalki 2898 AD’ a recognisable face for one of its most important mythological figures. His presence in the Mahabharata portions helps connect the film’s ancient conflict with its futuristic narrative, which is led by Prabhas, Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone and Kamal Haasan, with Disha Patani also in the cast. The scale of the imagery does much of the work, but Vijay’s arrival gives those passages an additional jolt of recognition.
Vijay Deverakonda later said he accepted the appearance for Prabhas and Nag Ashwin, whom he described as favourite people. He also clarified that the screen encounter was about playing Arjuna and Karna within Nag Ashwin’s story, rather than any personal competition between the actors.
8. Aamir Khan - ‘Coolie’
Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj | Released: August 14, 2025
Aamir Khan arrives late in ‘Coolie’ as Dahaa, a powerful criminal figure connected to the world Rajinikanth’s Deva has been navigating. The appearance brings another major star into a film already featuring Nagarjuna, Shruti Haasan, Upendra, Soubin Shahir and Sathyaraj. Aamir’s altered look, pipe and assured delivery give Dahaa a personality quickly, making his meeting with Rajinikanth a distinct attraction in the closing stretch.
The reason Aamir accepted the part was refreshingly straightforward. During the film’s promotional period, he said he was a huge Rajinikanth admirer and had agreed without hearing the script. That personal enthusiasm adds another layer to the pairing. The cameo lets audiences watch two very different screen personalities occupy the same scene, with Aamir’s brief visit bringing its own mannerisms and energy into Lokesh’s action world.
9. Salman Khan - ‘Raja Shivaji’
Director: Riteish Deshmukh | Released: May 1, 2026
Salman’s guest appearance in ‘Raja Shivaji’ gives him a character with an immediate function in the historical drama. He plays Jiva Mahala, the warrior who protects Shivaji Maharaj during the Pratapgad encounter. Riteish Deshmukh leads the film as Shivaji, with Genelia Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Abhishek Bachchan and Vidya Balan among its major cast members. Salman’s arrival is built around an act of protection, giving the appearance a clear place in the story as well as an opportunity for a star entrance.
Riteish revealed that Salman had insisted he wanted to be part of the film, prompting him to find a role worthy of the appearance. He said he wanted viewers to see a character while still enjoying the excitement that Salman brings. That is the balancing act behind a successful guest turn: the actor’s fame draws attention, and the role gives that attention somewhere useful to go.
10. Vicky Kaushal - ‘Dunki’
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Released: December 21, 2023
Vicky Kaushal’s Sukhi is a substantial special appearance, with an emotional arc that makes him integral to ‘Dunki’. He joins the English-learning aspirants hoping to reach Britain, but his urgency comes from wanting to help a former girlfriend trapped in an abusive marriage. His desperation and the tragedy that follows change the direction of the story for Shah Rukh Khan’s Hardy and his friends. The film also stars Taapsee Pannu, Boman Irani, Vikram Kochhar and Anil Grover.
Vicky later explained that he pursued the role after his father, action director Sham Kaushal, told him Rajkumar Hirani had wanted someone like him for the part but hesitated because it was small. Vicky called the director and offered to do it himself, driven by his admiration for Rajkumar Hirani’s storytelling.
11. Ranbir Kapoor - ‘PK’
Director: Rajkumar Hirani | Released: December 19, 2014
Ranbir Kapoor’s arrival at the end of ‘PK’ is a neatly timed final surprise. After Aamir Khan’s alien has learnt his difficult lessons about life on Earth, he returns with another visitor from his planet, played by Ranbir. The appearance gives the closing scene a fresh comic possibility: someone else is about to encounter the strange habits that have occupied the entire film. Aamir, Anushka Sharma, Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjay Dutt and Boman Irani lead the story, while Ranbir supplies its last unexpected face.
Rajkumar Hirani later explained that the scene was added and filmed only a month before release. After viewing the edited film, the team felt the ending needed to send audiences out in a happier mood. Ranbir’s brief appearance achieves that without requiring a separate subplot: it turns PK’s departure into a return visit and leaves a little mischief in the final minutes.
12. Mammootty - ‘Narasimham’
Director: Shaji Kailas | Released: January 26, 2000
Mammootty’s Nandagopal Marar demonstrates how much authority a guest character can bring to a courtroom. In ‘Narasimham’, Mohanlal’s Induchoodan turns to his lawyer friend when his father faces serious trouble, bringing Mammootty into the story at a crucial point. The film also features Thilakan, Aishwarya Bhaskaran, N. F. Varghese and Kanaka. Nandagopal Marar’s confidence and command of the proceedings give the courtroom sequence its own dramatic force within a film already built around a larger-than-life protagonist.
The pairing works because the two stars bring different kinds of power to the situation. Induchoodan’s forcefulness meets Marar’s verbal precision and professional assurance. Shaji Kailas later explained that Induchoodan seeks his friend’s help because he cannot allow his father to endure the predicament he himself had suffered.
13. Kichcha Sudeep - ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’
Director: S. S. Rajamouli | Released: July 10, 2015
Kichcha Sudeep’s Aslam Khan brings a different temperament into Mahishmati’s imposing world. The visiting weapons dealer challenges Kattappa to a duel, then develops respect for the warrior. It is a compact encounter that gives Sudeep room for pride, combat and a change in attitude. Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Anushka Shetty, Tamannaah Bhatia, Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj form the main cast, while Sudeep’s appearance helps establish the formidable skill of Sathyaraj’s Kattappa.
The attraction lies in watching an established star become part of this new fictional world so quickly. Aslam arrives with his own bearing and interests, giving Mahishmati the sense of having connections beyond its palace rivalries. Kichcha Sudeep had already worked with SS Rajamouli on ‘Eega’, and this reunion gives their collaboration a different scale.
14. Amitabh Bachchan And Ajith Kumar - ‘English Vinglish’
Director: Gauri Shinde | Released: October 5, 2012
‘English Vinglish’ offers an unusually charming variation on the star cameo: the same helpful co-passenger is played by Amitabh Bachchan in the Hindi version and Ajith Kumar in the Tamil version. On her flight to the United States, Sridevi’s nervous Shashi encounters someone who helps make an unfamiliar experience feel less intimidating. The film’s main cast includes Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou and Priya Anand, and the guest scene introduces a welcome kindness early in her journey.
Both versions use the audience’s affection for a major star to make that reassurance feel warm and immediate. Shashi is accustomed to being made insecure about her English; the co-passenger gives her a moment of companionship instead. The appearance is brief, but its tone suits the film beautifully.
15. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - ‘Bunty Aur Babli’
Director: Shaad Ali | Released: May 27, 2005
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s appearance in ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ is a song cameo, and ‘Kajra Re’ shows just how much one musical sequence can accomplish. She joins Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in a performance full of teasing glances, playful competition and choreography that invites viewers to join in. Abhishek, Rani Mukerji and Amitabh lead the film, but Aishwarya’s guest turn becomes one of its most immediately recognisable attractions. The song was composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, written by Gulzar and sung by Alisha Chinai, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali.
Choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant recalled shaping the number like a musical scene, with Aishwarya’s grace, Abhishek’s playfulness and Amitabh’s swagger each contributing something distinct. She also remembered Aditya Chopra predicting that the song would remain popular for a long time. More than two decades later, its place on dance floors makes that confidence easy to understand. Aishwarya’s appearance lasts for a song, but the track became part of the film’s lasting identity.
As ‘Jailer 2’ prepares to welcome audiences, the original film’s guest stars have already set a formidable benchmark. These appearances are a reminder that a memorable character can take over a conversation long after their few minutes on screen are over.
