Kochadaiiyaan

Kochadaiiyaan' to hit the screens on Friday, Rajinikanth fever grips Chennai

Kochadaiiyaan wallpaper (Photo credit: arunrobo@ymail.com)

The wait is almost over! Come Friday, May 23rd, Tamil superstar Rajinikanth's latest offering, 'Kochadaiiyaan' is all set to hit the screens. Directed by the star's younger daughter, Soundarya Ashwin, who makes her debut, 'Kochadaiiyaan' is touted as Rajini's magnum opus.

Kochadaiiyaan wallpaper (Photo credit: arunrobo@ymail.com)

But for fans of the actor, 'Kochadaiiyaan' is so much more than being the first film in India to use motion capture technology. "We have been starved of a Rajini film for four years now," says Rajagopal, a die-hard fan. The 63-year-old actor's last film was 'Enthiran' in 2010, which was a box-office hit. Another reason why 'Kochadaiiyaan' is so special for thousands of Rajini fans is that it is their Thaliavar's first film since his illness in 2011.

Being a motion capture photo-realistic 3D animated film, the actor's fans will see and experience a larger-than-life Rajinikanth. "In many ways this will not be the usual Rajini film. We will see our Thalaivar in a new avatar," says Sampath, another fan.d articles

t wouldn't, however, be a Rajini film if it didn't have the superstar's trademark style, action-packed sequences, and of course, the punch-dialogues! And in that sense 'Kochadaiiyaan' promises to be no different.

What is also guaranteed ahead of a Rajinikanth film is the fan frenzy! With over 50,000 registered fan clubs in Tamil Nadu alone, Rajini fever has gripped Chennai and other parts of the state. Giant posters of the superstar adorn the walls of movie theatres across the city, with 8-feet tall Rajinikanths smiling down at passersby. Fans promise to be up before dawn on Friday to perform all the rituals - paal abhishekam, breaking coconuts, and bursting crackers - that are a must-do before Thalaivar's film. Fans also plan to sport specially printed T-shirts, printed by the fan clubs, when they queue-up for the first-day first-show. As a bonus, die-hard fans have also organised a torch relay, on the lines of the Olympics. The torch relay started at Tiruneveli, in southern Tamil Nadu on Sunday and makes its way up to Chennai on Thursday, where it will be handed to the actor's wife, Latha Rajinikanth.

Kochadaiiyaan (Photo credit: arunrobo@ymail.com)

'Kochadaiiyaan' also stars Deepika Padukone, Jackie Shroff, Shobana and Sarath Kumar, while the soundtrack has been done by AR Rahman. With bookings having begun on Tuesday, as expected, several movie theatres have already sold out tickets for the weekend. While 'Kochadaiiyaan' has received negative publicity in the last few weeks, with its release postponed due to "technical delays," fans brush off any criticism of their Thalaivar with that classic Rajini punch line, "Naan eppo varuven, epdi varuven yarukkum theriyathu. Aana varu vendiya nerathulu correcta varuven (No one knows when or how I'll arrive - but when the right time comes, I'll be there!)"

Kochadaiiyaan wallpaper (Photo credit: arunrobo@ymail.com)

• 'Kochadaiiyaan' to hit the screens on Friday, Rajinikanth fever grips Chennai
• Rajinikanth's 'Kochadaiiyaan' to be released on May 23
• Kochadaiiyaan: 10 reasons why fans look forward to Rajinikanth's next