Tamil super star Rajanikanth said that he started his career onstage and urged the film industry to encourage plays.“Stage play will never die... it will stay forever. I started my career on stage. I have done over 25 plays in Bangalore. When my friends saw my performance on stage, they encouraged me to act in Tamil films. The first thing I did was to come to Chennai and join the film institute,” said the veteran actor.He was speaking at a drama festival organized by South Indian Artists Association, Nadigar Sangam.