The Rajinikanth film Vettaiyan hit theatres on October 10th amongst much fan frenzy, as audience expectations were high after Rajnikanth's previous blockbuster Jailer (2023) and TJ Gnanavel's critically acclaimed second film, Jai Bhim (2021).
The police thriller boasts of an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Fahadh Faasil, Rana Daggubati, Manju Warrier, Ritika Singh, and Dushara Vijayan. Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan reunite after 33 years for the film, after their last outing Hum.
Vettaiyan revolves around Athiyan (Rajinikanth), a cop who is renowned for specialising in encounters. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is Sathyadev (Amitabh Bachchan), who believes that encounters are an unjust means of dealing with crime. The film puts these two people at loggerheads and raises questions on police taking justice in their own hands. Interestingly, Gnanavel worked as a journalist before making his film debut.
Scoring music for Vettaiyan is Anirudh, for whom this will be the fourth collaboration with Rajinikanth. The singles from the film Manasilaayo and Hunter Vantaar became viral hits on social media.
Vettaiyan will be Rajinikanth's 170th film. The 'superstar' of Tamil Cinema made his debut way back in 1975 with K Balachander's Apoorva Raagangal, and became one of the biggest stars of the country, known particularly for his style.
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The two actors share a lot of screen space in the police thriller
Rathna was initially speculated to be one of the writers for the upcoming Rajinikanth film Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj
The jukebox contains nine tracks
Vettaiyan made around Rs 55 crores on the second day, crossing the Rs 50 crore threshold.
The collections dropped by 24 percent from its first day, but this can be attributed to Friday being a working day.
Watch Sudhir Srinivasan's detailed take on the film, where he analyses its various aspects.
The news has taken fans by shock who expressed their concerns on their social media handles
On Thursday, following the release of Vettaiyan, Rajinikanth's daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth took to her official X handle to praise the film and compliment the entire cast and crew. She has directed Rajinikanth in the 2014 film Kochadaiiyaan
Following the release Vettaiyan, Dushara Vijayan, who plays a pivotal character in the Rajinikanth-vehicle, took to her official X handle to pen a note about working with the actor. Sharing a photo of herself with Rajinikanth, she said that working with the veteran actor was not even her wildest dream and that this phase of her life is her Padayappa moment.
Suriya's Kanguva was initially slated for an October 10 release, but its makers postponed it to November 14 to avoid a clash with the Rajinikanth starrer
Vettaiyan is expected to benefit from the holiday weekend, which attracts the family audiences in large numbers.
Vijay was spotted sporting a covered look in order to maintain secrecy
A self-confessed Rajini fan, the director has worked with him on Petta (2019)
The clip includes Rajinikanth's spouse Latha Rajinikanth and daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth, as well as his nephew cum Vettaiyan's music composer Anirudh
Interestingly, Rajinikanth's previous film, Jailer, which released last year, was also acquired by Prime Video
The note urged every section of the Telugu film industry to support the film directed by TJ Gnanavel
The theatre will make way for a luxury residential complex at its location
Dushara Vijayan and Abhirami speak about their roles in Vettaiyan, acting with big stars like Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan, experience working with TJ Gnanavel, and more
Lyca Productions has announced the movie will include accessibility features for people with disabilities, as the police thriller is set to offer both audio descriptions and closed captions, a first in Tamil cinema
Siddharth Basrur sang it with lyrics by Arivu and Anirudh's composition
The petitioner sought the Central Board of Film Certification to re-examine the film, mentioning that it glorifies extrajudicial killings
The film got certified U/A
This will be the megastar's Tamil debut
The Aavesham star plays a friend-cum-sidekick to Rajinikanth
The Baahubali stars plays a corporate CEO
Manju also has Viduthalai Part 2 in the pipeline
Coolie, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is Rajinikanth's next
Late singer Malaysia Vasudevan's voice was regenerated
The film is now scheduled to release on November 14
Rajnikanth and Kamal Haasan have been the 'ruling stars' of Tamil Cinema for decades