Producers have set Rs60 crore as the initial box-office target in Tamil Nadu. If their expectations are met, Rajnikanth will earn Rs25 crore for the film.
CHENNAI: One of India’s richest Maharashtrians, who is beloved by the sons of Tamil Nadu’s soil, has the state simmering in agreeable hysteria.
Tamil fans are anticipating the release of Sivaji, their demi-god Rajnikanth’s latest, with a series of heraldic initiatives, such as the distribution of coupons for first-week shows. The film is likely consolidate the position the star – formerly known as Shivajirao Gaikwad – as India’s highest paid actor.
Producers of Sivaji, which is believed to be a Rs30 crore project, have set Rs60 crore as the initial box-office target in Tamil Nadu. If their expectations are met, Rajnikanth will earn Rs25 crore for the film. His contract with the producers includes a revenue-sharing clause.
Sivaji’s audio CDs were released on Monday, days ahead of schedule. The launch was designed to outsmart pirates.
The film may not be released on Tamil New Year (April 14) as planned. But fans have begun placing bets on the new date, with a majority putting their money on May 8.
The film unites Rajnikanth, director Shankar, and music director AR Rahman; the heavyweight collaboration has elevated pre-release excitement to unprecedented levels. Insiders say the release would be a “never-before event”, involving 500 centres across Tamil Nadu and scores of others in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.
Pomp and circumstance for Rajnikanth’s 2002 flop Baba was built up by having the first cans of reels transported to the theatre on elephant back. In Sivaji’s case, publicists plan to make the prints drop from the heavens: a chopper will land on a Chennai theatre carrying the precious cargo.
As for the sale of first-week tickets, the idea apparently has Rajnikanth’s blessings. A fan club is handling the scheme in which a moviegoer can buy a coupon for Rs1600 and redeem it for 20 tickets (four a day) anywhere in the state for the first five days of the show.
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