The trailer launch saw veteran actor Rajinikanth share the stage with Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson and director S Shankar. The grand launch of the trailer was only superseded by Rajinikanth’s revelation of the ‘Rs600 crore’ investment that has gone into the film. Praising producer S Subhaskaran and director Shankar, the actor was emphatic that the film will make the double of its investment.
While the film has been long delayed, the Kaala (2018) actor stated that it does not matter ‘when we come, we have to hit it’.
Earlier at the trailer launch, Shankar had said, “All the credit goes to Rajini sir. Even today, his performance is fresh though he has been acting for ages.” The director also revealed that some of the stunts proved heavy for the 67-year-old actor.
“We shot climax portions in Delhi but Rajini sir was not keeping well. 500 people were there, but since we invested a lot of money, he came and acted. He got hurt in the knees. Despite all this, he worked in full swing. Superstar is superstar because of his dedication,” Shankar said.
While admitting that his four-month break in the middle of the shooting schedule post Kabali (2016) added to the delays, the actor said ‘Shankar would not let me go even when I wanted to leave the film’.
“He is a great filmmaker. An Indian James Come [Cameron] and Steven Spielberg…This picture does not need more promotion. The whole India, everyone is expecting when the picture will come out…Robot collected about Rs300-350 crores, and this one has come to about Rs500-550 crores. It will definitely make double of it [Enthiran],” Rajinikanth said.
Praising the director, Rajinikanth added, “Shankar, Rajamouli, Rajkumar Hirani, are all gems of cinema industry. We have to take care of them.”
The trailer launch also saw several prominent actors and filmmakers make an appearance including SS Rajamouli and actor Vishal.
Speaking after Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar tried his hand at Tamil, as he repeated the senior actor’s line from the film Kabali, “Magizhchi (pleasure)“.
Praising his director’s dedication, Kumar said, “I got to learn a lot of challenging things. Shankar is a scientist, not a director. I did make up for three hours and I took one hour to remove the makeup. I just saw myself on the screen, and it was unbelievable. I’m looking forward to seeing the film. I thank Shankar sir. It was worth the pain.”
Despite the film being his first in Tamil, Kumar remains quite popular and was asked about his fitness regime. He replied, “I go to the gym. I get up at 4 am. My dad was in the army. This lifestyle isn’t forced on me by my family. I am proud to say there has never been one day when I have not seen the sunrise. I keep the consistency because I enjoy every day. My body is my temple.”
2.0 is produced by Lyca Productions, and is set to be released on 29 November 2018.