When Rajinikanth first mentioned that he will be stepping into the world of politics, there was much talk about him stepping away from the film industry. At the time, many (myself included) speculated that Shankar’s 2.0 would be his last film. However, since then Rajinikanth has signed on to act in a Karthik Subbaraj film (which is currently in production).
Well, get ready for more exciting news!
It is reported by Times of India that Rajinikanth might have just agreed to act in another K.S. Ravikumar project. According to the prominent news portal, K.S. Ravikumar met Rajinikanth and delivered an elevator pitch (not a complete script, but a succinct idea). However, Rajinikanth is yet to give his official confirmation.
Before you get your hopes up, this isn’t going to be a sequel to Padaiyappa. It seems like every time K.S. Ravikumar and Superstar are in the same room, everyone assumes that we’re getting a sequel to Padaiyappa. The same thing happened when the pair met up a few years ago too (that movie later turned out to be Lingaa).
Speaking of Lingaa, there is an interesting question to be asked: Should Rajinikanth and K.S. Ravikumar even team up again? Sure “from the director of Padaiyappa and Muthu” would look great on posters and get fans excited. But their most recent collaboration, Lingaa is a pretty terrible movie. And not just terrible by Rajinikanth’s standards. Terrible, period. In fact, post-Manmadhan Anbu in 2010, K.S. Ravikumar hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire with his films either, churning out one critical dud after another.
Wouldn’t it be more interesting if Rajinikanth stays away from the likes of K.S. Ravikumar and Suresh Krissna (people keep asking for a Baashha sequel) and instead continue to work with helmers from a younger generation instead? As much as I’m not a fan of Kabali, I have to admit that it is at the very least something different. The director of Kabali, Pa Ranjith then went on to helm this year’s Kaala, a bold subversion of tropes, a mass-masala unlike any other and the best Rajinikanth film since Padaiyappa. 2.0 aside, Rajinikanth’s next film will be with Karthik Subbaraj, another acclaimed young director known for making gritty and unconventional films.
With that in mind, I would much rather see thalaivar Rajini collaborate with the likes of Vetrimaaran (Visaranai), A.R. Murugadoss (Kaththi) or Pushkar & Gayatri (Vikram Vedha).
