The countdown has begun. Make way, ‘Thalaivar’ is coming, again. Yes, literally films in various Indian languages, big and small were waiting for the producers of ‘2.0’ to announce a definite release date so they could plan theirs, before and after. The timing of the release of a mega budget film is crucial though ultimately the fate at the box-office depends solely on public reaction to the initial screenings. Some blamed the failure of ‘Kaala’ on the fact that it was released during exam time but fact remains fans did not appreciate the ‘humanising’ of Rajni’s character nor did they empathise with the political philosophy he parroted. Also the fact that ‘Kabali’ just did not deliver what the trailer promised and barely lived up to the unprecedented hype and hoopla whipped up was playing on people’s mind. Somewhere audiences have developed a wait and watch attitude even for a Rajni starrer with his last few releases just not living up to the unrealistic expectations and the sky-rocketing ticket rates the first few days. Fans just want to see him climb the social ladder rapidly, spew some simple philosophy, tame the fair, rich shrew and vanquish the villains in his unique style. He’s not done all this in some time. All said and done the buzz before the release of a Rajni starrer is still unprecedented and has barely diminished. Add director Shankar’s name and the fact that their previous collaboration, ‘Endhiran’ was a blockbuster and you can already envision serpentine queues. ‘2.0’ is called a spiritual successor because it’s related to the predecessor only in spirit with similar elements and characters but not a continuation of the original storyline.
If Shankar had been a character in an Asterix adventure he would have been called Magnum Opus! Shankar planned ‘Robot’, a futuristic thriller nearly two decades ago with Kamal and Priety Zinta but the project was shelved after some planning and a photo-shoot for reasons that are conflicting. Shankar approached Shahrukh Khan later but the ‘Badshah’ too opted out due to creative differences. The project was revived with Rajni in 2008. Again the biggest names were approached to play the supporting cast and also compromise the technical crew. The title was changed to ‘Endhiran’ because of the tax sops the Government handed out to films with Tamil titles. Sun Pictures stepped in on Rajni’s request after Eros International pulled out as producers. Released on October 1, 2010 the film struck a chord and was declared a blockbuster, the biggest till ‘Bahubali’.
The pre-production work for a sequel started right after retaining the same technical team but there was a lull with everyone going different ways. Shankar got immersed in ‘Nanban’ and ‘I’. For some time Shankar himself didn’t seem too confident that a sequel would kick off. There were rumours that Sun Pictures were not happy with the returns that ‘Endhiran’ fetched and were not too enthused by a sequel. In 2015 Lyca productions who’d made broad and ambitious inroads into film production decided to help Shankar realise his dream. Heroines usually become a garlanded picture on the wall in sequels and so Amy Jackson replaced Aishwarya Rai. We’ll know Aishwarya’s fate when we watch the film. Ironically, Kamal then Aamir Khan, Vikram and even Arnold Schwarzenegger were approached before Akshay Kumar agreed to play the antagonist. The film was launched exactly three years ago without much fanfare thanks to floods that seemed to have swallowed Chennai and surroundings. In a nutshell the film seems to be about the evils of cell phone towers resulting in the near extinction of some bird species and how they decide to take revenge led by Akshay Kumar. To put it in Hindi it’s ‘chidiyan’ versus ‘Chitti’ or so it seems. Rajni again plays the roles of the scientist and his robotic creation. The film was scheduled to get released during Deepavali 2017 but apparently Shankar was not happy with the visual effects. Two more dates were announced before November 29th was locked in.
The trailer has been released to mixed response with apparently many disappointed with the visual effects. The cast and crew are quick to mention that Shankar has not revealed much and the film will unravel a series of surprises, visual and content wise. Rajni has confessed that the film cost 600 crores making it the most expensive Indian film. Some sniggered and sympathised with the solemn looking producer Subaskaran who didn’t manage even a smile during the entire, elaborate audio release of the film widely watched on TV. Many filmmakers have dreams but few find producers like Shobu Yarlagadda (Bahubali) and Subaskaran (2.0) who have the patience and the deepest of pockets to realise them. Ultimately it’s not about the amount spent but what the film collects that will stay. Anyway if the film fails it will be because of Shankar and if it runs then Rajni still rules.
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