So, which Tamil movie was the first to break this glass ceiling? The answer is a subject of passionate debate among cinephiles, but the consensus points to a single, massive blockbuster that redefined stardom.

Directed by P. Vasu, Chandramukhi was a remake of the Malayalam hit Manichitrathazhu . While the story was critically acclaimed, it was the star power of Rajinikanth that propelled the film into the record books.

A fascinating sidebar in this history is the 1948 masterpiece Chandralekha . Produced by S.S. Vasan of Gemini Studios, it was the most expensive Indian film ever made at the time.

The first Tamil movie to cross the 100 crore mark was "Mersal," a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by AR Murugadoss. The film stars Vijay, S.J. Surya, and Kajol in leading roles.