9 August 2023
Hyderabad

Like with all his releases, the atmosphere surrounding Jailer, front-lined by superstar Rajinikanth, is at fever pitch. After all, it's been a couple of years since a Rajini film has adorned the silver screen. With his last, Annaatthe, ending up as a clunker, many diehard fans of the Thalaivar are keen to see their star bounce back to winning ways and if the positive buzz around Jailer is anything to go by, then a firecracker of a film is expected from the combination of Rajini and Nelson Dilipkumar.

In fact, buzz around Jailer has been promising ever since the project was first announced, as Nelson, who was at the back of consecutive hits, was collaborating with Rajini for the first time. The fact that they come from different worlds added to the intrigue surrounding the combination. While one swears by commercial cinema, appealing largely to the masses, the other made a life out of quirky dark humour, appealing to both classes and masses alike. So, it was natural that the project attracted a great deal of traction even before the principal photography kicked off.

While the buzz has always been there, it escalated once ‘Kaavaalaa’ song, an interesting fusion of Tamil and Telugu, was dropped last month. Thousands of Instagram reels dedicated to the signature steps of the Johnny master choreographed song were aped both in Tamil and Telugu, indicating what a rage it has turned out to be. While it is one of the significant factors that contributed to the film on the promotion front, the trailer released last week has increased the expectations surrounding the film to stratospheric level. Although Rajini’s signature moves – the flick of his hair, the way he would flip his sunglasses and etc were missing – his trademark laugh, his wit, to his cool but menacing fury, was intact in the trailer, promising viewers a solid Rajini popcorn entertainer with Nelson’s stamp all over it.

The frenzy and anticipation around the movie is so high that pre-sales for the premieres in North America will reach more than $ 1 million mark by the end of Wednesday. In fact, some firms in Bengaluru and Chennai have declared a holiday tomorrow, with the companies also deciding to distribute free tickets to its workforce. Particularly in Karnataka some reports point out that the film, thanks to Kannada superstar Shivaraj Kumar’s cameo, is set to open on a monstrous note, surpassing the number of shows KGF: Chapter 2 had got.

While a robust opening is guaranteed in South states, if the film manages to attain positive word-of-mouth, then the unrivalled king of the box office is sure to set the coffers ringing to the tune of Jailer.