Why Rajinikanth fans had to wait this long for Kochadaiiyaan

By Sreedhar Pillai Superstar Rajinikanth’s eagerly-awaited Kochadaiiyaan, which was to release on 9 May, will finally release today. the delay had created tremors in Indian cinema as the film was to release in six languages including Tamil, Telugu and Hindi in 2D and 3D at over 3500 screens worldwide. Rajinikanth is the biggest brand in south Indian cinema and a star with a huge opening and charisma. Remember, his last film Robot (Endhiran in Tamil) in Hindi was a huge hit across the world. Rajinikanth has terrific influence over Tamil Nadu politics, though he is not affiliated to any political party. He is so influential among the youth and family audiences, that Narendra Modi, the PM-in-waiting, paid a courtesy visit to his Poes Garden residence in Chennai, during his election campaign in Tamil Nadu. Kochadaiiyaan’s ‘no show’ on 9 May had cast a pall of gloom over his hardcore fans. Said ‘Rajini’ Ravi, a die-hard fan of the actor who runs one of his fan clubs : “ We were planning to celebrate Kochadaiiyaan release in a big way with 100-feet cut-outs, ‘paal abhishekam’ (milk bath of the cut-out!), latest LED banners and a fireworks display. But our plans have gone awry. We are very disappointed and this has never happened to a Thalaivar (chief) film.” [caption id=“attachment_1094619” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Screenshot from Official trailer.[/caption] Nothing new for a film, which was originally slated for release in April 2013, and was shifted to Diwali 2013. This is the latest in a series of delays for the movie, with the release date in the last two months being shifted from 11 April to 1 May, 9 May and finally to 23 May. The official reason touted by the producers are technical. They say that the delay is to allow the release of the film in multiple languages and in both 2D and 3D. Post-production for the film, which uses performance capture, was previously blamed for the delays. The film also had a mixed response in the trade as they feel the audiences will not accept an “animation film” of Rajinikanth. But, according to sources close to the production, the real reason is that the producers ran into financial trouble. The film which is reported to have cost Rs 120 Crores went over budget and at the time of the release, the producer could not settle his creditors. Sources claim that the film ran into legal hurdles after a leading bank moved a court in Chennai seeking repayment of loan running in to more than Rs 40 Crore. It was an open secret in Tamil film trade that Kochadaiiyaan will not release unless its dues are settled. This kept the distributors away from the film, and theatres in Tamil Nadu refused to pay Minimum Guarantee (MG) amount, which normally any big Tamil film gets. And many screens in Madurai, Coimbatore area refused to take booking for the film. Meanwhile, with the producer exerting tremendous pressure, Chennai city multiplexes opened booking for the film from 6 May midnight. The response was huge from fans as nearly 20, 000 tickets were sold online, before they stopped taking bookings from 7 May afternoon once it became clear that the film will be delayed. What shocked the trade was that all this was happening to a Rajinikanth film! It may be recalled that from early 1990’s after he became a superstar all his films’ business territories were sold out on the day the film was announced! And his films release date would be announced at the pooja launch, and it would be censored and ready for release 10 days before the actual date of release. Even before the release, the producer would chalk out exact date of audio launch, start of promotions and even plans for 100 days celebrations! Rajinikanth, the star himself was very particular that his films should be sold for a price where the buyers including the theatres that purchased it on MG made profits. In private, he used to say that his longevity in the industry is because his films are profitable for all concerned from the cycle and canteen contractor in single screens, to those who buy rights or screen the film. Remember, he is the only actor in the world who compensated the distributors when his much hyped Baba flopped! Rajinikanth at 63 is still commercially the most saleable star because he is a stickler for discipline and a complete professional in an industry known for its laid back approach to film making and marketing. For the last three years he did everything to make Kochaidaiyaan a reality as his daughter Soundarya Rajinikanth was its director, but things went out of control. Now all eyes are on whether the film will hit the screens on 23 May, as announced by the producers.