As far as grand entries go, there was no beating South Indian superstar Rajinikanth and Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar’s dramatic arrival in Dubai on Thursday morning.
The two actors, who were in the UAE’s Burj Al Arab hotel for the audio launch of their ambitious sci-fi film 2.0 stepped down from helicopters and made their way to meet local press.
Rajinikanth, who’s arguably one of South India’s most celebrated actors, came in with his hands folded, symbolic of the Indian Namaste greeting, while Kumar and the rest of the team comprising Oscar-winning musician A.R. Rahman, Amy Jackson and director Shankar settled for a casual wave.
The notoriously media-shy actor, Rajinikanth didn’t participate actively in the press conference, but Kumar, who plays a villain in 2.0, made up for it.
“It was an honour being beaten up by Rajini sir … I woke up everyday and got ready to be beaten up by the legend himself,” said Kumar with a laugh.
Asked about the qualities that he learnt from the legendary actor, Kumar said that Rajinikanth is one of the most professional actors that he has come across in his career. Hearing him share his stories during filming gave him an understanding of how the idol functions.
“The kind of commitment he has for his movies and the way he looks at people … He is so down to earth. Even after becoming such a huge superstar, he’s so grounded. He is a lovely human being,” said Kumar.
Perhaps it was his colleague’s glorious tribute that made the silent superstar speak up. When one of the journalists asked Rajinikanth about the secret behind his on-screen transformation and how he pulls it off, Rajinikanth finally spoke.
“If anybody shows Rajinikanth as is, nobody likes it. Off-screen, no one is interested in Rajinikanth,” said Rajinikanth.
In real life, Rajinikanth is a diminutive actor with unassuming looks and disparate patches of hair, but on-screen he’s always shown as an all-conquering hero with swish sideburns and superhuman strength.
Director Shankar, who has worked with the actor in the first instalment Enthiran in 2010, describes their second outing as a movie that will re-define the 3D experience for movie-mad Indians and match Hollywood standards.
“It’s like a Hollywood film in a 3D format, but the message in this film will be global though,” said Sankar. The music of this science-fiction film is composed by Rahman.
“The whole team was an inspiration. So far, I have written three songs, and two songs will be released in Dubai tomorrow [Burj Park], while the third will be released a few weeks after that,” said Rahman.
Tomorrow, the audio launch which is open to the public at the Burj Park is expected to be a flashy affair; with Rahman’s live performance along with a symphony orchestra and dances by Amy Jackson and an interaction by its lead actors.
Jackson, who is expected to wear outfits by a Dubai-based designer, described 2.0 as an epic film that required her to play a challenging role.
While the actors were eager to speak about their roles, they weren’t allowed to do so as they didn’t want to give away spoilers.
“The experience was unbelievable. This film will have Hollywood standards and is going to be a treat for the audiences,” said Jackson.
